Photo: Dutch Photo Agency/Red Bull Content Pool
Jack Doohan topped the times in the first bit of on-track action at Spa-Francorchamps in FIA Formula 3 Championship free practice.
The Red Bull junior was towards the sharp end of the field throughout the session, but it wasn’t until the HWA Racelab driver switched to new medium tyres that he topped the order.
Doohan and team-mate Enzo Fittipaldi were briefly one-two, as Doohan set a benchmark 2m05.769s lap.
Late improvements from the likes of fellow Red Bull junior Dennis Hauger (Hitech GP) and Oliver Caldwell (Trident) dropped Fittipaldi down the order, but none could match Doohan’s time.
Hauger came closest, ending the session 0.377s off Doohan, who was the only driver to lap sub-2m06s.
Caldwell was third quickest ahead of David Schumacher, who has made the switch to Carlin for the final three rounds of the season. His team-mate Cameron Das was only slightly slower in fifth, and ahead of Fittipaldi and Igor Fraga – driving for the Charouz Racing System team that Schumacher has left.
Prema’s points leader Logan Sargeant was the quickest man on the old tyres brought over from the Spanish GP weekend. He topped the times in the second half of the session with a 2m06.768s but dropped back as others switched to fresh rubber.
ART Grand Prix driver Theo Pourchaire, also on the older tyres, ended the morning ninth ahead of Lirim Zendelli. Sargeant’s team-mate and rival Oscar Piastri ended the morning down in 14th.
Free practice results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Doohan | HWA Racelab | 2m05.769s | 14 | |
| 2 | Dennis Hauger | Hitech GP | 2m06.146s | +0.377s | 17 |
| 3 | Olli Caldwell | Trident | 2m06.214s | +0.445s | 17 |
| 4 | David Schumacher | Carlin | 2m06.295s | +0.526s | 14 |
| 5 | Cameron Das | Carlin | 2m06.327s | +0.558s | 14 |
| 6 | Enzo Fittipaldi | HWA Racelab | 2m06.538s | +0.769s | 14 |
| 7 | Igor Fraga | Charouz Racing System | 2m06.684s | +0.915s | 16 |
| 8 | Logan Sargeant | Prema | 2m06.768s | +0.999s | 14 |
| 9 | Theo Pourchaire | ART Grand Prix | 2m06.855s | +1.086s | 15 |
| 10 | Clement Novalak | Carlin | 2m06.950s | +1.181s | 13 |
| 11 | Roman Stanek | Charouz Racing System | 2m07.037s | +1.268s | 16 |
| 12 | David Beckmann | Trident | 2m07.087s | +1.318s | 15 |
| 13 | Oscar Piastri | Prema | 2m07.087s | +1.318s | 15 |
| 14 | Frederik Vesti | Prema | 2m07.154s | +1.385s | 15 |
| 15 | Federico Malvestiti | Jenzer Motorsport | 2m07.252s | +1.483s | 15 |
| 16 | Jake Hughes | HWA Racelab | 2m07.314s | +1.545s | 14 |
| 17 | Alexander Smolyar | ART Grand Prix | 2m07.390s | +1.621s | 15 |
| 18 | Alex Peroni | Campos Racing | 2m07.420s | +1.651s | 15 |
| 19 | Liam Lawson | Hitech GP | 2m07.457s | +1.688s | 15 |
| 20 | Calan Williams | Jenzer Motorsport | 2m07.472s | +1.703s | 17 |
| 20 | Mikhael Belov | Charouz Racing System | 2m07.473s | +1.704s | 16 |
| 22 | Sebastian Fernandez | ART Grand Prix | 2m07.556s | +1.787s | 15 |
| 23 | Bent Viscaal | MP Motorsport | 2m07.562s | +1.793s | 14 |
| 24 | Pierre-Louis Chovet | Hitech GP | 2m07.571s | +1.802s | 17 |
| 25 | Andreas Estner | Campos Racing | 2m07.592s | +1.823s | 16 |
| 26 | Lirim Zendeli | Trident | 2m07.646s | +1.877s | 15 |
| 27 | Lukas Dunner | MP Motorsport | 2m07.815s | +2.046s | 15 |
| 28 | Richard Verschoor | MP Motorsport | 2m07.955s | +2.186s | 14 |
| 29 | Matteo Nannini | Jenzer Motorsport | 2m07.962s | +2.193s | 15 |
| 30 | Alessio Deledda | Campos Racing | 2m08.011s | +2.242s | 15 |