Verstappen tops Belgian FP1, Piastri hits late issue

Verstappen spent much of the session near the top of the order before setting a 1m47.070s, finishing 0.145s ahead of Lewis Hamilton with the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc close behind in third.

The second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar was fourth, finishing one spot ahead of Piastri, who looked set to end the session at the side of the road in the closing minutes before limping back to the pits.

The Australian pulled to the side of the circuit at Les Combes but was able to get moving again moments later, with McLaren telling him to bring the car home slowly after detecting a hydraulic pressure issue.

It was a slight blip for Piastri, who showed solid pace throughout the session and was one of only five drivers to finish within half a second of Verstappen’s benchmark.

Kimi Antonelli was sixth for Mercedes, ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell, while Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top 10.

The session began in bright and dry conditions at Spa-Francorchamps, with the air temperature at 24 degrees and the circuit sitting at 43 degrees despite the always unpredictable Belgian climate.

Jak Crawford was the only rookie taking part in the session, with the American replacing Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin as the team completed another of its mandatory rookie practice appearances.

All drivers except Norris quickly headed onto the circuit when the session began, with most starting their programs on the medium tyre.

Sergio Perez, Franco Colapinto, Bortoleto, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg began on the hard compound, while Hadjar was the only driver to start on the soft.

That tyre advantage allowed Hadjar to establish the early benchmark with a 1m48.918s, putting him ahead of Verstappen, who began his session with a 1m49.307s on the mediums.

Norris remained in the garage during the opening minutes before emerging with large aerodynamic rakes fitted behind the rear wheels of his McLaren.

The Briton completed several installation-style laps without setting a time as McLaren gathered aerodynamic data before removing the equipment later in the session.

Verstappen briefly moved to the top with a 1m47.859s before Hadjar responded with a 1m47.778s, keeping the two Red Bull drivers at the head of the field.

Carlos Sainz endured a difficult session for Williams, having an early lap deleted for exceeding track limits at Pouhon before becoming involved in an incident with Antonelli.

The Mercedes driver was baulked by Sainz and expressed his frustration over the radio before swerving across the front of the Williams.

“Sainz, what an idiot,” Antonelli said.

Sainz was later investigated for crossing the line at the pit entry after running over the asphalt beyond the final corner.

The Spaniard reported that his gearbox was “pushing” the car, suggesting torque was continuing to be delivered despite him coming off the throttle.

Mercedes was among the first teams to begin its qualifying simulations, with Antonelli and Russell moving onto the soft tyre shortly after the halfway point.

Antonelli produced a 1m47.603s to move into contention at the front, while Russell recorded a 1m47.959s to sit three tenths behind his teammate.

Verstappen and Hadjar then fitted fresh soft tyres, with Verstappen delivering the decisive 1m47.070s to move back to the top of the order.

Behind the top 10, Liam Lawson was 11th for Racing Bulls, finishing 0.026s behind Bortoleto and ahead of Hulkenberg and Oliver Bearman.

Alex Albon was 14th for Williams, followed by Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Gasly.

Alpine struggled to make significant gains after switching from the hard to the soft tyre, with Colapinto finishing more than two seconds away from Verstappen and Gasly ending the hour in 17th.

Bottas and Perez were 18th and 19th for Cadillac, while Sainz completed his difficult session in 20th.

Lance Stroll and Crawford completed the order for Aston Martin, with the pair finishing more than five seconds behind Verstappen’s fastest time.

FP2 gets underway at Spa-Francorchamps at 5pm local time (1am AEST).

Results: Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, Free Practice 1