The start of Saturday’s Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Race has been pushed back by 35 minutes.
It is now scheduled to begin at 17:05, rather than 16:30, due to the start of Sprint Shootout being delayed by adverse weather.
Heavy rain began to fall during the build-up to the Sprint Shootout, which was meant to begin at 12:00, and the session was delayed by 35 minutes.
Per Formula 1’s regulations there is a fixed window of 4.5 hours between the start of Sprint Shootout and the start of the Sprint Race.
Because Sprint Shootout began at 12:35 it means the Sprint Race is scheduled to begin at 17:05.
The Sprint Race is due to take place across 15 laps of Spa-Francorchamps.
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-360x180.webp)
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