Liuzzi shunts in Spa downpour.

Red Bull third driver Tonio Liuzzi had a spectacular accident at the start of the afternoon practice session at Spa when he was caught out on a soaking wet track.

The morning session started in damp conditions, but had dried out by the end. However a torrential downpour blew across the circuit just before the start of the afternoon session.

Despite the terrible conditions the Red Bull team saw fit to send its reserve driver out. On his out lap the Italian lost control at the end of the straight after Eau Rouge, and struck the barrier hard on the left. He was soon out of the car and walking back to the pits.

Only one other driver, Minardi's Robert Doornbos, had ventured out on to the track, and no other teams seemed very keen to follow suit. The session was red-flagged while marshals checked damage to the guardrails.

Unfortunately for Liuzzi the crash will do little for his hopes of replacing Christian Klien in the last three races, as there is a major political fight going on within the team.

However, he was not the only driver in trouble as Enrico Toccacelo and Antonio Pizzonia both hit the tyre barriers in the first session.