Max Verstappen kicked off the Belgian GP weekend in style. The four-time champion set the fastest time in FP1, with a 1:47.070, the first time this season that a driver other than Mercedes or Ferrari led a practice session. Kimi took over in FP2, ahead of Lando and Max
Our top two drivers on Friday 👏👏
FP1: Max
FP2: Kimi #F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/3lNzoletSm— Formula 1 (@F1) July 17, 2026
Free Practice 1
It came as Red Bull also decided to scrap their controversial “macarena” rear wing that many suspected was the cause of Verstappen’s recent crashes in Austria and Silverstone in favour of a more convenient setup.
Ferrari looked like the most immediate threat in the morning with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc just 0.062secs apart in second and third. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar rounded out the top four, but his weekend has already been made more complicated by a grid penalty related to an engine, per Formula 1
Oscar Piastri was fifth for McLaren but he had a scare late in the session when he slowed significantly and had to stop on track before nursing the car back to the pits.
The first thing from his engineers was that it wasn’t driver error, it was hydraulics. Meanwhile Lando Norris could only manage seventh position.
The FP2 flipped the script
Kimi Antonelli reclaimed Mercedes’ lead position with a lap of 1:45.944, beating Norris by 0.190s. It was a strong recovery for Norris after a disappointing morning.
Verstappen briefly lost pace in a session and dropped to third. He ran wide out of Stavelot and sprayed gravel across the track to cause the first of two red flags.
Pierre Gasly crashed heavily into the barriers at the Fagnes chicane, causing considerable damage to the rear of his Alpine.
Hamilton was fourth, Hadjar fifth and Piastri sixth. George Russell had a quiet day for Mercedes in eighth place, with Leclerc falling to 11th after a promising morning.
It looks like Mercedes are the team to beat again. Ferrari have lost a little ground from their morning pace and Red Bull will take some motivation from Verstappen’s speed
