Max Verstappen secured the fastest time in the opening practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 0.145 seconds. Charles Leclerc followed in third place, while Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar finished fourth.
Hadjar faces a 10-place grid penalty this weekend for exceeding his engine allocation. He joins Lando Norris, who finished seventh and will also serve a 10-place penalty due to exceeding his battery allowance. Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, recorded the sixth-fastest time, trailing Oscar Piastri but ahead of his Mercedes colleague George Russell.
Red Bull opted to use a standard rear wing for this session, sidelining the experimental ‘somersault’ design previously linked to high-speed crashes involving Verstappen. Although the older wing configuration is estimated to cost roughly 0.2 seconds per lap at Spa-Francorchamps, it provides more stability. The team expects to reintroduce the updated aerodynamic package at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix.
The practice session remained largely stable, despite a minor oversteer scare for Liam Lawson and a late hydraulic issue that hindered Oscar Piastri. Championship leader Antonelli currently holds a 25-point lead as the season approaches its midway point.
