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Verstappen Sets Early Pace as Hamilton Shines in Belgian Grand Prix Practice

Posted : 17 July 2026

Max Verstappen made an impressive start to the Belgian Grand Prix weekend by setting the fastest time in the opening free practice session at Spa-Francorchamps. The four-time world champion edged Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton to the top of the timesheets as Red Bull enjoyed a positive return after reverting to its conventional rear wing following recent reliability concerns.

Verstappen posted a best lap of 1:47.070 to finish 0.145 seconds ahead of Hamilton, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc completing the top three. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar was fourth despite knowing he will start Sunday's race from the back of the grid because of power unit changes, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five.

The session marked a welcome response from Red Bull after abandoning the experimental rear wing that contributed to Verstappen's crashes in Austria and Britain. The Dutch driver had openly criticised the design, and the team's decision to return to its previous specification immediately delivered encouraging pace around the high-speed Spa circuit.

Mercedes also showed promising speed, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli finishing sixth ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and teammate George Russell. Norris continued preparations despite carrying a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his permitted engine component allocation, while the leading teams remained closely matched throughout the session.

Ferrari emerged as Red Bull's closest challenger as Hamilton and Leclerc consistently featured near the top of the leaderboard. The competitive order suggested another closely fought battle could develop over the remainder of the weekend as teams fine-tune their cars before qualifying.

Elsewhere, Aston Martin endured a difficult session with Lance Stroll and reserve driver Jak Crawford struggling near the bottom of the order. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who sat out the session, revealed that one of his priorities after the race weekend would be returning home in time to watch Spain face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup final.

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