2021 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix session timings and preview

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes enter the second half of the season leading their respective championships, aided by a run of two poor races for rivals Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

However, the gap between Hamilton and Verstappen is quite slim at eight points, while Mercedes similarly holds a narrow 12-point advantage over Red Bull.

Spa kicks off F1's latest triple header, with the championship travelling to the Netherlands next weekend for the returning Dutch Grand Prix, before moving to Monza on September 10-12.

Spa is essentially a low-downforce circuit and all teams will be bringing special rear wings to maximise their top speeds on straights. But at the same time, the middle sector of the track requires good stability and downforce, which means the teams have to find a compromise between the two settings.

It would be interesting to see which approach Red Bull and Mercedes take as they engage in one of the closest title battles in recent history.

2021 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix session timings in different timezones

2021 Formula 1 Belgian GP session timings in the UK/Portugal 

Friday 27th August 2021

• Free Practice 1: 10:30 - 11:30 BST
• Free Practice 2: 14:00 - 15:00 BST

Saturday 28th August 2021

• Free Practice 3: 11:00 - 12:00 BST
• Qualifying: 14:00 - 15:00 BST

Sunday 29th August 2021

• Race: 14:00 - 16:00 BST

2021 Formula 1 Belgian GP session timings in Europe

Friday 27th August 2021

• Free Practice 1: 11:30 - 12:30 CEST
• Free Practice 2: 15:00 - 16:00 CEST

Saturday 28th August 2021

• Free Practice 3: 12:00 - 13:00 CEST
• Qualifying: 15:00 - 16:00 CEST

Sunday 29th August 2021

• Race: 15:00 - 17:00 CEST

2021 Formula 1 Belgian GP session timings in the US

Friday 27th August 2021

• Free Practice 1: 05:30 - 06:30 ET / 02:30 - 03:30 PT
• Free Practice 2: 09:00 - 10:00 ET / 06:00 - 07:00 PT

Saturday 28th August 2021

• Free Practice 3: 06:00 - 07:00 ET / 03:00 - 04:00 PT
• Qualifying: 09:00 - 10:00 ET / 06:00 - 07:00 PT

Sunday 29th August 2021

• Race: 09:00 - 11:00 PT / 06:00 - 08:00 PT

2021 Formula 1 Belgian GP session timings in Australia

Friday 27th August 2021

• Free Practice 1: 19:30 - 20:30 AEST
• Free Practice 2: 23:00 - 00:00 AEST

Saturday 28th August 2021

• Free Practice 3: 20:00 - 22:00 AEST
• Qualifying: 23:00 - 00:00 AEST

Sunday 29th August 2021

• Race: 23:00 - 01:00 AEST

2021 Formula 1 Belgian GP session timings in Japan

Friday 27th August 2021

• Free Practice 1: 18:30 - 19:30 JST
• Free Practice 2: 22:00 - 23:00 JST

Saturday 28th August 2021

• Free Practice 3: 19:00 - 20:00 JST
• Qualifying: 22:00 - 23:00 JST

Sunday 29th August 2021

• Race: 22:00 - 00:00 JST

2021 Formula 1 Belgian GP session timings in Africa

Friday 27th August 2021

• Free Practice 1: 11:30 - 12:30 SAT / 12:30 - 13:30 EAT
• Free Practice 2: 15:00 - 16:00 SAT / 16:00 - 17:00 EAT

Saturday 28th August 2021

• Free Practice 3: 12:00 - 13:00 SAT / 13:00 - 14:00 EAT
• Qualifying: 15:00 - 16:00 SAT / 16:00 - 17:00 EAT

Sunday 29th August 2021

• Race: 15:00 - 17:00 SAT / 16:00 - 18:00 EAT

2021 Formula 1 Belgian GP session timings in India

Friday 27th August 2021

• Free Practice 1: 15:00 - 16:00 IST
• Free Practice 2: 18:30 - 19:30 IST

Saturday 28th August 2021

• Free Practice 3: 15:30 - 16:30 IST
• Qualifying: 18:30 - 19:30 IST

Sunday 29th August 2021

• Race: 18:30 - 20:30 IST

Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the Formula 1 schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.

Pirelli tyre allocation for the Belgian Grand Prix

For this weekend's grand prix at Spa, Pirelli is brining the C2 hard tyre, C3 medium tyre and C4 soft tyre from its range. This is the same selection Pirelli employed for the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this month.