Antonelli's perfect weekend begins with dominant practice sweep at Spa
Kimi Antonelli topped all three free practice sessions at Spa, leading Mercedes' charge after struggling in FP1. Max Verstappen led FP1 before settling for third in FP2 and FP3. Lando Norris, despite a 10-place grid penalty, showed strong form to hold second in FP2 and FP3. Jak Crawford's rookie outing replaced Fernando Alonso in FP1 as part of mandatory junior driver regulations.
Free Practice 1: Verstappen's opening statement
Max Verstappen set the pace in the first hour of practice for the Belgian Grand Prix, edging out the rapid Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. [1] The Dutchman 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] The top three remained as they were until the end of the session, with Hadjar finishing P4 to leave Red Bull and Ferrari as the best performers. [1]
Mercedes, which would later dominate, looked tentative in the opening session. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, running 2.619s off the pace in P11, was forced to swerve to avoid an unaware Sainz, prompting him to complain "what an idiot" over the radio. [1] The Mercedes pair of Antonelli and Russell found some improvement on the compound, but still found themselves over half a second adrift of their rivals. [1]
Jak Crawford took over Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin for the session as he fulfilled his rookie practice duties. [7]
Free Practice 2: Antonelli's turnaround and a rapid McLaren
George Russell was fourth, with Hamilton fifth, but the Brit will now be in danger of missing qualifying after crashing on the exit of Turn 14, mirroring the crash suffered by Pierre Gasly on Friday in FP2. [2]
The narrative shifted dramatically in the afternoon. Kimi Antonelli heads into Saturday with the early advantage after setting the fastest time in FP2 for Mercedes. [5] The championship leader had finished sixth in FP1 before setting a 1:45.944 in FP2, putting him 0.190 seconds ahead of Norris, with Verstappen third and Lewis Hamilton fourth for Ferrari. [5]
Norris finished second in FP2 after improving significantly from the opening session, setting a 1:46.134, placing him 0.190 seconds behind Antonelli. His one lap pace looked competitive, but the result comes with an important complication: Norris faces a 10 place grid penalty for exceeding his permitted allocation of power unit components. [5]
Oscar Piastri had a more disrupted Friday. A hydraulic leak at the end of FP1 delayed his appearance in FP2 while McLaren changed the gearbox, limiting his running before he eventually finished sixth. [5]
Free Practice 3: Antonelli completes the sweep
Mercedes driver Antonelli posted a leading time of 1:45.990s, 0.139s clear of McLaren's Lando Norris, who again had to settle for second best, as was the case on Friday. [3] In a repeat of the top three on Friday, Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third quickest, just nine thousandths of a second adrift of Norris. [3]
George Russell was fourth, with Hamilton fifth, but the Brit will now be in danger of missing qualifying after crashing on the exit of Turn 14, mirroring the crash suffered by Pierre Gasly on Friday in FP2. [2]
The top three remained unchanged from FP2, with Antonelli's consistency across all three sessions underlying Mercedes' potential heading into qualifying.
The bigger picture: Practice pace and qualifying reality
Practice pace at Spa is highly indicative but far from deterministic. Antonelli fastest in Belgium FP2 ahead of Norris dominated headlines, yet the grid penalties (Norris 10 places, Isack Hadjar 20 places) will reshape Saturday's outcome. Antonelli looked competitive on both the medium and soft tyres, suggesting his pace was not built around one isolated qualifying lap. [5]
With time to find, Mercedes dialled itself in for FP2, allowing Kimi Antonelli to reel off a time on medium tyres that was faster than Verstappen's FP1 benchmark. The Italian later settled on a 1m45.944s on his soft-tyre effort, becoming the only driver so far this weekend to drop below the 1m46s. [6]
Related reading
[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://racingnews365.com/2026-f1-belgian-grand-prix-spa-free-practice-3-results [3]: https://racingnews365.com/2026-f1-belgian-grand-prix-spa-free-practice-3-results [4]: https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernando-alonso-aston-martin-belgian-grand-prix-2026-fp1 [5]: https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-today-belgian-gp-2026-qualifying/ [6]: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/what-we-learned-from-friday-practice-at-the-2026-f1-belgian-gp/10839545/ [7]: https://www.pitdebrief.com/post/2026-f1-belgian-gp-fp1-results/
- [1]2026 Belgian Grand Prix FP1 report and highlights (formula1). Accessed 2026-07-18.
- [2]2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix - Spa Free Practice 2 results (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-07-18.
- [3]2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix - Spa Free Practice 3 results (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-07-18.
- [4]Fernando Alonso replaced as Aston Martin makes Belgian GP FP1 announcement (planetf1). Accessed 2026-07-18.
- [5]What Time Does F1 Qualifying Start Today? Belgian GP (total-motorsport). Accessed 2026-07-18.
- [6]What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 F1 Belgian GP (autosport). Accessed 2026-07-18.