Alonso and Vettel lead Friday practice in Belgium - The weather eased off nicely to allow more running throughout the day
Published by Christine
It wasn't the biggest of surprises to find that the forecast sunshine supposed to be over Spa for Friday practice was actually a shower or two. Free Practice 1 got underway with a damp track, meaning limited running for most drivers. Exploratory laps were the main undertaking, with plenty of cars running wide as drivers struggled to find the brakes.
Sebastian Vettel had a significant spin, followed by Valtteri Bottas, but neither hit the wall. In the end, Fernando Alonso had the fastest time of the morning, ahead of two Force India drivers.
Second practice saw the sun come out, allowing some meaningful running on the Spa track. Vettel found himself having to avoid two very slow Caterhams, who both ran themselves off track and rejoined right in the way of the German. Caterham had more trouble when Giedo van der Garde span off and hit the wall.
Vettel also had more trouble, later suffering a right rear puncture, which saw him crawl slowly back to the pits. It didn't stop him leading the times though, ahead of teammate Mark Webber and then Romain Grosjean.
