Perez heads dominant Red Bull 1-2 in final Belgian GP practice

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Sergio Perez (MEX) Red Bull Racing RB18. Belgian Grand Prix, Saturday 27th August 2022. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Sergio Perez fronted a Red Bull 1-2 during final practice for Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix at a cool and cloudy Spa-Francorchamps.

Perez clocked a time of 1:45.037s during the closing stages of the one-hour session to beat Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen by 0.137s.

Verstappen is one of seven drivers who faces a back-of-the-grid penalty due to engine and gearbox changes.

Carlos Sainz was the fastest non-Red Bull driver in third spot but he was over three-quarters of a second behind Perez.

Lando Norris carried over his impressive Friday form by classifying fourth but he also faces relegation down the order due to component changes.

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Fernando Alonso was an encouraging fifth for Alpine, while George Russell was the fastest of the Mercedes drivers in sixth, as Lewis Hamilton classified only 12th.

Charles Leclerc – another set to drop down the grid – was seventh after a spin through the Fagnes chicane.

Leclerc lightly hit the barriers, prompting race control to bring out the red flags, but he was able to recover the car to the pit lane with only minor front wing damage.

Sebastian Vettel finished eighth for Aston Martin, ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, who felt he was hindered on his hot lap by Sainz.

Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 for AlphaTauri.

Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix is scheduled for 16:00 local time.