Follow FP3 for the Belgian Grand Prix LIVE

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Follow live coverage of the third and final free practice session for this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, with comprehensive as-it-happens coverage from F1i.

Formula One is back after nearly a month on summer holidays, and there was a definite sense on Friday of everyone having to focus, brush off the cobwebs, knuckle down and get back into the racing groove on the first day back.

There's a new face in the drivers line-up, with Esteban Ocon taking over full time from Rio Haryanto from this weekend. Four drivers (Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo) got a chance to trial the new Halo cockpit protection device, and the entire field was able to sample Pirelli's new harder-wearing prototype tyre.

It's tyres that are proving one of the biggest issues this weekend. Spa has proved unusually hot and sunny and track temperatures reached 40C on Friday, very different conditions from what everyone is used to here in the Ardennes. It puts a big question mark over just how far the softer compounds can be pushed in race trim on this demanding seven kilometre long circuit with its tyre-shredding high speed corners.

Not surprising then that the teams were mainly involved in long distance race simulations on Friday afternoon. The top five times in FP2 were all set on supersoft tyres, but Mercedes didn't make any runs on that compound and were unusually absent from the top of the timings at the end of the session, suggesting they haven't shown their hand yet. Rosberg did finish fastest in FP1, despite running the Halo at the time.

Rosberg will be aiming to make the most of this weekend, knowing that his team mate Lewis Hamilton will start form the back of the grid after incurring a raft of grid penalties for multiple engine changes. Hamilton is craftily trying to replenish his set of engine parts while hopefully sacrificing only one race, but it gives Rosberg the ideal opportunity to slash the 19 point advantage his team mate holds in the drivers championship standings. However, Rosberg's plans might be upset by Red Bull, who are looking strong at Spa and finished 1-2 in the afternoon practice. Force India also look very much in form here, while Ferrari admit they've been struggling to find grip.

It all makes for a very interesting picture heading into Saturday. FP3 is the last chance drivers have to get their cars ready for qualifying so the stakes will be high for this 60-minute session, which gets underway at 11:00 local time (10am BST). As always we'll be bringing you all the news and information from trackside the minute that it happens on F1i's live page.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.