Antonelli Tops Belgian GP Practice as Gasly Crash Triggers Red Flag at Spa

Posted : 17 July 2026

Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli made a strong statement ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix by setting the fastest time during Friday's practice session at Spa-Francorchamps, while Alpine's Pierre Gasly suffered a heavy crash that forced officials to display the red flag.

Gasly lost control of his Alpine as he exited the high-speed Fagnes chicane in the middle sector of the circuit. His car struck the barriers, ripping off the right-rear wheel and bringing the session to an early halt. The accident interrupted the planned race simulation runs during the closing stages and left Alpine with significant repair work before the remainder of the race weekend.

Antonelli, meanwhile, continued to show impressive pace by finishing 0.190 seconds ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris. The 19-year-old Italian was more than 1.2 seconds quicker than Mercedes teammate George Russell, underlining his determination to regain momentum after recent setbacks that have allowed Russell to reduce the championship gap from 68 points to just 25 over the last three races.

Russell struggled to find grip during the session and expressed frustration over team radio, saying the rear tyres felt unusually cold and lacked traction. Even so, the experienced Briton admitted tyre temperatures alone could not explain the significant pace difference to his younger teammate.

Antonelli also impressed during the limited long-run simulations completed before the red flag. His average pace was around three-tenths of a second quicker than Norris, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen matched the Italian's race pace once differences in traffic and run lengths were taken into account.

Verstappen finished third in the qualifying simulation ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, while Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar completed the top five despite being one of several drivers facing grid penalties this weekend for exceeding the permitted allocation of power unit components. Norris and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll are also set to receive grid penalties for similar technical changes.

Antonelli's recent championship lead has been reduced following a series of costly setbacks, including retirement while running second in Barcelona and mechanical problems followed by a penalty at Silverstone that denied him a likely victory. Russell, meanwhile, boosted his title hopes by winning the Austrian Grand Prix after holding off both Verstappen and Antonelli.

Behind the leading group, Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Russell, Arvid Lindblad, Liam Lawson, and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top eleven in an intensely competitive session.

Verstappen reported issues with his car's gear shifts, although Red Bull remained encouraged by the performance after abandoning its experimental rear wing. The previous design had contributed to instability in high-speed corners following incidents in Austria and Silverstone. The team has reverted to its conventional rear wing, accepting a small performance loss while working on an updated version expected to debut at next week's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Elsewhere, Racing Bulls introduced a new upgrade package on Arvid Lindblad's car after the British driver earned priority by qualifying ahead of teammate Lawson at Silverstone. Lawson is expected to receive the same development package later in the season once additional components become available.

Antonelli Tops Belgian GP Practice as Gasly Crash Triggers Red Flag at Spa

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