07:55 Good morning everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for the return of this year's FIA Formula 1 world championship. The sport reconvenes at the wonderful Spa-Francorchamps circuit for round 12 - the Belgian Grand Prix.

Five weeks of inactivity comes to an end this morning and the sound of music will blast around the Ardennes forest once again. As always, the first task for the teams and drivers will be to check out the basic functionality of the cars, prior to some aerodynamic tests and then some meaningful runs around the 7.004km track in order to find a good baseline set-up.

This afternoon the teams will move onto posting quick lap times, as well as hoping to use both type of dry tyre, although the weather may intervene.

07:56 Here's how the standings look at the end of the summer break:

World Championship standings, round 11:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Alonso       164        1.  Red Bull-Renault          246
 2.  Webber       124        2.  McLaren-Mercedes          193
 3.  Vettel       122        3.  Lotus-Renault             192
 4.  Hamilton     117        4.  Ferrari                   189
 5.  Raikkonen    116        5.  Mercedes                  106
 6.  Rosberg       77        6.  Sauber-Ferrari             80
 7.  Grosjean      76        7.  Williams-Renault           53
 8.  Button        76        8.  Force India-Mercedes       46

07:57 Weather conditions are poor at best this morning, with early showers soaking the circuit. The forecast is for showers to continue for much of today's track action, meaning that drivers will get plenty of opportunity to check out Pirelli's intermediate and wet tyre compounds.

A moderate northerly breeze will keep things cool, with a maximum air temperature reaching just 12 or 13 degrees Celsius later this afternoon.

07:58 Pirelli is supplying medium and hard compound tyres this weekend, with the hope that the most durable rubber in the range will perform throughout race stints at this challenging venue - should the rain hold off on Sunday.

"From a tyre perspective, it's certainly one of the most demanding circuits that we face all year, because of the high speeds and extreme forces involved, which are often acting on the tyres in more than one dimension," says Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery.

"The nomination of the hard and the medium tyres will allow drivers to push hard from start to finish, which is what Spa was designed for."

07:58 The track temperature is just 13 degrees as rain continues to fall at Spa.

07:59 Valtteri Bottas and Dani Clos will run this morning for Williams and HRT, but their laps will likely be limited in these difficult conditions.

0 min: Drivers slowly preparing themselves for what may be a relaxed return to action thanks to the rain at Spa.

0 min: The practice session is underway.

0 min: Vettel is putting his crash helmet on in the back of the Red Bull garage, as he slowly gets ready for some morning action.

0 min: Jean-Eric Vergne is the first driver out onto the circuit.

1 min: Track conditions are awful as Vergne makes his way through Les Combes for the first time, as he completes a radio check for the team.

2 min: Petrov and Kovalainen join the circuit for a splash around on full wet tyres.

2 min: Dani Clos and Daniel Ricciardo are also on track, working through an installation lap.

2 min: Kobayashi is the first of the Sauber pair to brave the soggy circuit for an installation effort.

2 min: Pastor Maldonado heads out to check over the basic functions of his Williams this morning.

3 min: Vergne makes it back to the pitlane, as Maldonado is advised over the team radio that it is raining a little heavier now.

3 min: De la Rosa heads out for an exploratory lap in the other HRT.

4 min: Ricciardo and Clos have also made it back to the pits in their motor boats.

4 min: Kobayashi continues into a second lap as Perez also gets underway in the other Sauber.

5 min: Bottas is back in, as di Resta leaves the pitlane to check over his Force India.

5 min: Raikkonen emerges from the Lotus garage to begin his Spa weekend.

6 min: Hulkenberg and Rosberg have come out to work through their installation lap.

7 min: Full wet tyres are the choice of the field so far for this soggy return to action in Belgium.

7 min: Kobayashi completes the first lap of the day with a time of 2m23.141s.

8 min: De la Rosa stated on the team radio that in his view is was too wet to complete any meaningful running, before climbing out of the car.

9 min: Hulkenberg has continued round for a second tour of the circuit.

9 min: Rosberg is also out there working through a second lap, as Vettel joins the racetrack for the first time today.

10 min: Kobayashi continues to splash through the puddles, improving his solitary best to a 2m17.705s despite the circuit getting wetter.

11 min: Meanwhile, Button and Massa are on track for the first time today.

12 min: Vettel comes back to the pits, inadvertently baulking Kobayashi through the sweeping Blanchimont section along the way.

12 min: Kobayashi wraps up his early four-lap outing as conditions worsen.

13 min: Schumacher - sporting a special helmet design for his 300th event - is now on track. Mark Webber is working through the same process.

14 min: Rosberg is on a third single tour of the circuit, while Paul di Resta wanders outside to see if it is still raining - no change.

14 min: Pic is one of the last to emerge from the shelter of the garages as he takes to the track in his Marussia.

15 min: Schumacher heads back out to begin a second lap of the 7.004km Spa circuit.

16 min: Webber returned to the pits after one installation lap and has stayed there. The team begins routine checks around the RB8.

17 min: Schumacher is back after completing that second lap. He is wheeled into the Mercedes garage.

18 min: Grosjean is back underway, with Lotus clearly keen to test its trick aerodynamic device that is expected to provide a speed boost here.

19 min: Hamilton, winner a month ago in Hungary, is the next to leave the pits for an installation lap in his McLaren.

21 min: Hamilton survives an aquaplaning moment on the run back up the hill towards Blanchimont and is back in the McLaren garage.

22 min: The rain is falling much heavier again, cementing teams' decisions to limit their running for the time being.

23 min: Alonso braves the ever-increasing rainfall to head out for a tour in his Ferrari.

24 min: Ferrari has opted for its traditional wait for Alonso's installation lap, but track conditions are very poor at the moment.

25 min: Vettel has 'tool-chest mode' set to on, as he takes up his customary position at the back of the Red Bull garage.

25 min: The championship leader splashes his Ferrari through the final part of the lap and returns to the pitlane.

29 min: Bottas is in discussion with Alex Wurz, as the rain continues to fall heavily outside.

30 min: Thirty minutes of the session now complete, with no cars on the soggy track for the moment.

32 min: Spectators all around Spa are huddled inside their jackets, waterproofs, umbrellas and anything else they can use to keep dry in this deluge.

32 min: Meteo France tells the teams that it expects the rain to ease off in the next few minutes.

36 min: Far from easing off, the rain is still lashing down over Spa, with no-one willing to venture out onto the circuit.

39 min: This is one of the main effects of the Ardennes topography. The region sucks rain out of every cloud possible, often resulting in conditions much wetter than your average radar will have you believe.

40 min: Adrian Sutil is a visitor to the paddock this weekend. He is having some breakfast, while watching little in the way of action on the monitors.

42 min: One piece of good news is that the weather is expected to improve somewhat through Saturday and again on Sunday.

43 min: A familiar sight at Spa. There is a substantial river at La Source with miniature wavelets running across the circuit.

45 min: The rain has eased off significantly in the last couple of minutes. Drivers are slowly moving back towards their cars.

46 min: With more than half of the 90-minute session gone, Kobayashi's is still the only time on the board - 2m17.705s.

47 min: Ricciardo heads out on full wet tyres. He is told over the team radio that he can complete up to seven timed laps.

47 min: Toro Rosso team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne also heads out for a run.

49 min: Glock joins the fun as he emerges from the Marussia garage.

49 min: Ricciardo crosses start-finish to begin what should be his first timed lap of the weekend.

50 min: Hulkenberg heads out to check over the current track conditions.

51 min: Ricciardo comes round to complete his first flying lap and posts 2m14.520s to topple Kobayashi.

51 min: Kobayashi is back on track in his Sauber as his early time is finally displaced.

52 min: Vergne comes through and slots into second spot with 2m16.362s.

53 min: Glock sets his first time of the day at a 2m19.443s to join the bottom of the timed order.

53 min: Maldonado, de la Rosa and Webber have all joined the racetrack, with more drivers about to head out.

54 min: Ricciardo lowers the target time to 2m13.244s ahead of Kobayashi and Vergne.

55 min: Kobayashi struggles to slow his Sauber for Les Combes, taking to the escape road before continuing.

55 min: Bottas, di Resta, Vettel and Schumacher are on track for a first meaningful run.

57 min: Vergne goes quickest with a time of 2m13.179s.

57 min: Pic is warned on the radio that further rain is reaching the circuit, making conditions worse again.

57 min: The rain looked like it may have eased off completely for a short time, but it is back now and falling moderately again.

58 min: Kobayashi continues despite the renewed rainfall, clocking 2m12.015s to top the times again.

58 min: Vettel is advised to pit at the end of his current lap for a front wing change.

59 min: Kobayashi heads the list with 2m12.015s with Vergne less than one second behind him. Ricciardo is third with Perez fourth.

59 min: Both Sauber drivers have now been off at Les Combes, with Kobayashi repeating his earlier mistake and Perez doing exactly the same.

60 min: Maldonado is fifth in the classification ahead of Webber sixth, Bottas seventh, Glock eighth and Petrov in ninth position.

60 min: Ricciardo comes round to complete another timed lap and he moves back to the top with 2m12.004s.

61 min: Little movement in the McLaren or Ferrari camps at the moment, with the leading teams happy to wait to see what the weather will do next.

62 min: Maldonado is next to top the table, with a lap of 2m11.941s in the Williams.

63 min: Replay of Vergne running out of road through the fast double-left at Pouhon. He made good use of the asphalt run-off area and continued.

64 min: Maldonado is back into the pits to complete that run, while Ricciardo continues to pound round in the wet.

64 min: Hamilton is out for a wander down the pitlane under the cover of a large McLaren umbrella, taking a look inside the Mercedes garage.

65 min: Vettel has finished his test with the changed nose and pits again. He is wheeled into the garage.

65 min: Meanwhile, Button is finally on track in his McLaren.

66 min: Ricciardo and Vergne come into the pits to end their lengthy run of laps on full wet tyres.

66 min: Another Sauber off at Les Combes, with Perez again taking to the escape road.

67 min: Full wet tyres remain the choice for the moment, with the track still very wet in places.

68 min: Schumacher reports on the team radio that he is picking up a vibration from the front-left of the car.

68 min: He elects to pit at the end of the lap, as team-mate Rosberg heads out for a run.

69 min: Button is the next man to take a Sauber-inspired trip over the run-off at Les Combes.

70 min: Mark Webber is sixth in the standings. He leaves the pits to begin his second run.

71 min: Button returns to the McLaren garage with his 2m16.861s lap leaving him 11th in the order.

71 min: Maldonado heads back out to begin another run in the Williams. He has slipped to second in the classification, behind Kobayashi.

73 min: Webber runs out of road up at Les Combes and takes the escape route, before rejoining without damage.

73 min: Kobayashi pits his Sauber, having put it back on top of the times again in 2m11.389s.

74 min: Webber locked the right front slightly and that was enough to result in him aborting the right-left section. He continues round and starts another lap.

74 min: Both Marussia drivers are back on track with 15 minutes of the session remaining.

75 min: The Lotus pair are circulating as well.

75 min: Maldonado also locks up approaching Les Combes, but on this occasion his problem was locking of the rear tyres. He continues.

77 min: Pic pits his Marussia after a nine-lap outing, practicing a pitstop with his crew.

78 min: Rosberg has just moved up into eighth spot with a time of 2m15.284s. He is monitored carefully by team boss Ross Brawn.

80 min: Alonso has only completed a slow installation lap so far today, but is still sat in his car and looks like he may head out again soon.

81 min: Rosberg moves up another spot to seventh with a time of 2m14.210s.

81 min: Vettel heads back out for another run in the Red Bull. He is yet to post a time on the board.

82 min: Rain is continuing to fall as Webber returns to the pits at the end of his run. He is fifth in the classification, 1.802s down on Kobayashi's leading pace.

84 min: Vettel completes his first timed lap of the weekend and moves into ninth place with 2m14.860s.

84 min: Grosjean cuts through the worsening gloom at Blanchimont as he collects some test data for Lotus. He pits.

85 min: Hamilton finally heads out for some late laps in his McLaren.

86 min: Maldonado leaves the pitlane, as we see Schumacher coming through a scary moment at Eau Rouge unscathed.

86 min: Teams are sending drivers out in the late stages to allow a practice start from the grid at the end of the session.

87 min: Schumacher got a twitch on through the compression at Eau Rouge and was forced to use the strip of extra run-off on the outside of the corner, before rejoining without damage, but no doubt with an increased heart rate.

87 min: Rain is falling much heavier again in the final minutes of the session.

88 min: Further replays show that Schumacher just caught the kerb on the left with two wheels and that unsettled the balance of the Mercedes. He did well to recover.

88 min: Hamilton is attempting a slippery lap against the clock in worsening conditions.

89 min: Alonso is also joining the track to take part in the start practice.

89 min: Hulkenberg is on track and starting a timed lap. He is another who has yet to record a time.

89 min: Bottas is the only driver in the pits with just seconds remaining.

90 min: The flag is out to end a soggy first practice session at Spa.

09:30 Bottas left the pits just ahead of the flag to gather some final data for Williams.

09:30 Hamilton manages a 2m16.827s lap at the end there there, going 14th.

09:31 Maldonado has a moment similar to Schumacher at Eau Rouge. He also takes to the escape road and continues.

09:32 Di Resta is next to explore the limits at the fearsome left-right-left section and did very well to recover from a substantial rear end twitch.

09:32 Massa has pulled up at the Bus Stop with smoke from the rear of his Ferrari.

09:33 Massa is climbing out of the stricken Ferrari, which seems to have encountered an engine problem on his run to the end of the lap.

09:35 Kamui Kobayashi is fastest at the end of a soggy morning practice session at Spa with a time of 2m11.389s, ahead of Pastor Maldonado.

09:36 Ricciardo is third ahead of team-mate Vergne, with Webber ending up fifth and Perez in sixth position.

09:37 Rosberg ends the session in seventh spot, with Bottas eighth, Vettel ninth and Schumacher 10th, some 4.013s down on the quickest time.

09:38 A wet start to the weekend and conditions look set to continue like this for some time yet. Join us later for more action from Spa.