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Red Bull back on top at Spa as Verstappen leads FP1 with Ferrari pressing

Answer
Confirmed

Max Verstappen led Friday's first practice at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix with a 1m47.070s, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.145s with Charles Leclerc third. Red Bull showed strong early pace on an old rear-wing specification, while Mercedes finished sixth and eighth. Jak Crawford was the only FP1 rookie, replacing Fernando Alonso.

FP1 Classification

Max Verstappen posted a 1m 47.070s to establish Red Bull as the early frontrunners at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing just over a tenth clear of Hamilton. [1] Charles Leclerc was third and only 0.207 seconds away from the benchmark. [2]

Isack Hadjar completed an impressive session for Red Bull Racing in fourth, just over a quarter of a second behind his teammate, despite heading into the weekend with a major power unit grid penalty. [2] Oscar Piastri was fifth for McLaren, although his session ended with a hydraulic problem that left him briefly stopped on track. [2]

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was sixth for Mercedes. [2] Lando Norris and George Russell completed the top eight, as ninth-placed Arvid Lindblad was the first man outside of a second of the fastest time. [3] Gabriel Bortoleto was 10th quickest, a fraction ahead of Lawson. [3]

Top 10 FP1 times:

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m47.070s
  2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.145s
  3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.207s
  4. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +0.252s
  5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.452s
  6. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.533s
  7. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.861s
  8. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.889s
  9. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +1.164s
  10. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1.336s[4]

Notable Incidents and Issues

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was forced to swerve to avoid an unaware Sainz, prompting him to complain "what an idiot" over the radio. [1] The Spaniard was then noted for crossing the line at the pit entry, which will be investigated following FP1. [1]

Oscar Piastri's session ended with a hydraulic problem that left him briefly stopped on track. [2] The McLaren driver would miss the first 20 minutes of FP2 for repairs.

Rookie Driver Appearances

Jak Crawford was the sole FP1 rookie in the session and finished at the bottom of the timing board. [3] Crawford replaced Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin AMR26. [5]

Related reading

  • /drivers/max-verstappen
  • /drivers/lewis-hamilton
  • /drivers/charles-leclerc
  • /tracks/spa

[1]: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/fp1-verstappen-tops-the-times-from-hamilton-and-leclerc-in-first-practice-for-belgian-gp.16Xa12L2dv9mGNzvROgahH [2]: https://www.total-motorsport.com/belgian-gp-2026-fp1-results/ [3]: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-belgium-grand-prix-fp1-report-/10839402/ [4]: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f1-2026-belgian-grand-prix-practice-results/ [5]: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/what-the-teams-said-friday-in-belgium-2026.MRyGOUCXkm6zQru7JvoUG

Sources
  1. [1]2026 Belgian Grand Prix FP1 report and highlights (formula1). Accessed 2026-07-18.
  2. [2]F1 2026 Belgian Grand Prix practice results (the-race). Accessed 2026-07-18.
  3. [3]Belgian GP FP1 Results 2026: Verstappen Fastest (total-motorsport). Accessed 2026-07-18.
  4. [4]Belgian GP: Max Verstappen fastest despite slower Red Bull rear wing concerns (planetf1). Accessed 2026-07-18.
  5. [5]F1 Belgian GP: Max Verstappen quickest in FP1 over Lewis Hamilton (motorsport). Accessed 2026-07-18.
  6. [6]F1 Results Today: Belgian Grand Prix practice times and positions (gpfans). Accessed 2026-07-18.
Published 18 Jul 2026