Perez tops final practice ahead of Verstappen as Leclerc brushes the barriers
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After struggling for pace during Friday practice, Perez appeared to be back on form in the RB18 at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.The Mexican trailed Verstappen by 0.4s after the initial soft tyre runs prior to the brief red flag period caused by Leclerc’s spin. Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari at the high-speed Fagnes corner but managed to keep it out of the barriers, only brushing them.He escaped the gravel trap and returned to the pit lane with only minor damage.Once the session got back underway, there was just enough time for a handful of runs. Verstappen stormed to the top but he was soon eclipsed by Perez, by just a tenth.With the Dutchman set to start from the back of the grid due to engine penalties, it’s the perfect opportunity for Perez to get a win on the board, particularly with Red Bull showing better pace than Ferrari so far this weekend.Carlos Sainz was the closest driver behind the two Red Bulls, although he was over 0.7s off the pace.Lando Norris continued to impress for McLaren, ending the session in fourth, but he’s one of seven drivers set to start from the back due to engine penalties.Fernando Alonso left it late to break into the top five ahead of George Russell, Leclerc, Sebastian Vettel, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.Related F1 2022 Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice Results (3) Alpine ‘very confident’ of winning Piastri F1 contract caseVettel complained of a power unit issue at the end of the session but managed to rectify it before completing a practice start.Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton struggled for pace again, ending the day in 12th overall.
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