Belgian F1 Grand Prix 2018: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More

Formula One makes a welcome return from its summer break on Sunday with the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

There have been plenty of changes while the teams have been away. Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo has confirmed he will be switching to Renault for the 2019 season, and Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly will replace the Australian.

Former world champion Fernando Alonso has announced plans to retire from the sport at the end of the campaign, and McLaren have confirmed Carlos Sainz will take over from his Spanish compatriot next season.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton leads the drivers' championship by 24 points from Sebastian Vettel. He will be hoping to make it a hat-trick of wins having won the last two races in Germany and Hungary.

Race Start Time: 2:10 p.m. BST/9:10 a.m. ET

TV Info: Channel 4 (UK), Sky Sports F1 (UK), ESPN2 (U.S.)

Live Stream: All 4 (UK), Sky Go (UK), ESPN Player (U.S.)

For a full drivers list, visit the Formula 1 website

The Belgian Grand Prix is usually an exciting race and rarely disappoints. The track is set in the Ardennes forest, and the mixture of long straights, fast corners and unpredictable weather make for great entertainment.

Here's a driver's view of the track onboard with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg:

Ferrari will be eager to return to winning ways at Spa after a disappointing end to the first half of the season. However, Vettel does not have the greatest record in Belgium, as he's won just twice and only been on pole position once.

The Italian team have looked good in the buildup to the race as they've topped the standings. Vettel went fastest in first practice, and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen topped the timesheet in second practice:

Hamilton has a stronger record than Vettel at Spa. He's claimed three Belgian Grand Prix wins and four pole positions, but he has also retired four times.

Both Ferrari and Mercedes have new engines for Sunday's race. Hamilton is looking forward to seeing how the teams match up as he resumes his rivalry with Vettel.

"These are two big power circuits we've got these next two weekends," he said, per the Guardian's Giles Richards. "This weekend I think they've [Ferrari] got a new power unit, we will have a new power unit. So, it will be interesting to see how they fare with each other, but naturally, I've got a lot of confidence."

BBC Sport's Andrew Benson offered his view after the practice sessions:

Ferrari's pace in practice will give the team confidence they can take victory at Spa for the first time in 2019. Vettel and Hamilton have been closely matched all season, but a Ferrari win would add yet another twist to this year's championship race.