Pirelli F1 Vandoorne and Doohan Were in Action

Rain reshaped the F1 trials at Spa, with only Vandoorne managing laps under wet conditions.

The unpredictable summer weather of the Ardennes struck again. After a sunny day on Tuesday at Spa-Francorchamps, the forecast predicted another dry day on Wednesday, which would have allowed for uninterrupted development work on the new slick compounds for 2025.

However, starting at 8 AM, the sky gradually clouded over, and it began raining at 10 AM, sometimes quite heavily.

The Pirelli engineers at the track, in consultation with the two teams present, Aston Martin and Alpine, therefore altered the day’s plan.

Only Stoffel Vandoorne, the Aston Martin F1 reserve driver selected for this test, would carry out the pre-agreed backup program, focusing on the development of extreme and intermediate tires.

The Belgian completed 71 laps, mainly on a wet track, although the best time of 1’48’’342 was achieved on a dry track. The test involved comparing different solutions in terms of construction and tread pattern on a particularly challenging track like Spa.

Before the rain, Australian Jack Doohan was also on the track with Alpine, completing 15 laps, with the best time at 1’45”569.

The next testing session, looking ahead to 2025, will take place the week following the Italian Grand Prix, on September 3 and 4. Three teams, Red Bull Racing, RB F1, and Mercedes F1, will be present at the Monza circuit to support Pirelli.