Sebastian Vettel fastest in Ferrari FP1 lockout at the Belgian Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel has topped FP1 at the Belgian Grand Prix with a 1.44.574. The Ferrari looked suited to the high-speed track and it seems that they are the favorites for the race win on Sunday. Charles Leclerc finished the session 2nd whilst Lewis Hamilton struggled with problems on his car. Alex Albon impressed in his first session at Red Bull and finished the session 4th. 

The session started slowly with most teams only going out for install laps and then spending a lot of time in the garage tinkering with their cars.

20 minutes into the session Lewis Hamilton had a problem with his engine which saw him lose power and slowly try to limp back to the pits. On the way back, the engine came back to life and the Mercedes driver managed to get back to the pits. It seemed to be an issue with the throttle but it was fixed and after a few minutes, Hamilton was back out on track. 

However, as soon as he headed out again there was a telemetry issue with his car which meant he had to head straight back to the pits. This was fixed and he managed to get out on track but never managed to get comfortable with his car. 

Both Daniil Kvyat and Robert Kubica span at turn one but were able to continue with their laps. 

Racing Point's Lance Stroll caused a Virtual Saftey Car when he lost his engine cover leaving a lot of debris on the track. The circuit was cleared quickly and the session continued as normal. Stroll went on to drive well and finished 'best of the rest' in 7th. 

Daniel Ricciardo spent some time at the top of the timesheet but Max Verstappen stole that away from him with a 1.45.8 for the Red Bull. The Renault driver drove smoothly and looked fast but finished 8th. 

With half an hour to go Ferrari upped the pace and locked out the timesheet with Vettel going fastest with a 1.44.574. Leclerc was only 0.214 seconds slower in second. 

Alex Albon impressed in his first session at Red Bull and was only a few tenths off his teammate the whole session. It was clear to see his speed and he will be faster than Pierre Gasly. 

Ferrari look like the team to beat this weekend. The high-speed circuit suits their car perfectly and if Mercedes continue to have the problems they've had, it'll be an interesting race on Sunday.