WATCH LIVE: FP1 for the Belgian Grand Prix on Live Extra from 4am ET - MotorSportsTalk

Formula 1 officially returns on Friday morning as FP1 for the Belgian Grand Prix marks the first on-track action following the summer break.

The drivers and teams will be keen to quickly get back into the swing of the race weekend routine at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, with their first opportunity coming in the first free practice session.

Lewis Hamilton arrives in Belgium as the championship leader, enjoying a 21 point advantage over Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg at the top of the drivers’ championship.

However, following a nightmare race in Hungary four weeks ago, Hamilton knows that he cannot afford to become complacent or ease off in a title battle that is bound to rumble on until the end of the season.

Hamilton will be keen to get in an early blow during FP1 on Friday morning at Spa and assert his dominance from the outset.

You can watch FP1 for the Belgian Grand Prix live on Live Extra from 4am ET on Friday. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

Arriving in Belgium, one of the biggest talking points is whether or not Ferrari can mount a serious charge for the championship in 2015 and potentially dethrone Mercedes.

Sebastian Vettel’s victory in Hungary drew the German to within 42 points of Hamilton at the top of the championship, and prompted the Briton to admit yesterday that Mercedes could not afford to arrive at any race thinking that it is superior to the other teams.

That said, Vettel still requires an impressive run of form and a semi-collapse from Hamilton to get back in the title hunt. It will be interesting to see how Ferrari fares this weekend at its 900th grand prix, particularly with Kimi Raikkonen now signed up for 2016.

You can watch FP1 for the Belgian Grand Prix live on Live Extra from 4am ET on Friday. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

Follow @LukeSmithF1

The NTT IndyCar Series will return to the Motor City for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix but with start times in a new location for 2023.

After a 30-year run on Belle Isle, the Detroit GP has moved a few miles south to the streets of downtown on a new nine-turn, 1.645-mile circuit that runs along the Detroit River.

It’s the first time single-seater open-cockpit cars have raced on the streets of Detroit since a CART event on a 2.5-mile downtown layout from 1989-91. Formula One also raced in Detroit from 1982-88.

The reimagined Detroit Grand Prix also will play host to nightly concerts and bring in venders from across the region. Roger Penske predicts the new downtown locale will be bigger for Detroit than when the city played host to the 2006 Super Bowl.

Here are the details and IndyCar start times for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend (all times are ET):

CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX INDYCAR START TIMES

TV: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.

Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying.

POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation. To watch the extended postrace show, click over to the special stream on Peacock after Sunday’s race ends.

COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 3:23 p.m. ET

GREEN FLAG: 3:30 p.m. ET

PRACTICE: Friday, 3 p.m. (Peacock Premium); Saturday, 9:05 a.m. (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 10 a.m. (Peacock Premium)

PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II l Combined

QUALIFYING: Saturday, 1:20 p.m. (Peacock Premium)

STARTING LINEUP: Alex Palou captured the first street course pole of his IndyCar career; click here for where everyone will begin Sunday’s race

RACE DISTANCE: The race is 100 laps (170 miles) on a nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street course in downtown Detroit.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate. Rookie drivers are allowed one extra primary set for the first practice.

PUSH TO PASS: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation (Indy NXT: 150 seconds total, 15 seconds per). The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower.

FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 80 degrees with a 0% chance of rain.

ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 27 drivers racing Sunday at Detroit

INDY NXT RACES: Saturday, 12:05 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium); Sunday, 12:50 p.m. 45 laps/55 minutes (Peacock Premium)

INDY NXT ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 19 drivers racing at Detroit