Verstappen fastest in Belgian GP opening practice

Max Verstappen led the opening practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday, setting the fastest time ahead of the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The Red Bull driver’s lap of 1 minute 47.070 seconds at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit edged out Hamilton by 0.145 seconds, with Leclerc a further 0.052 seconds back in third.

The session marked a strong start for Red Bull, which has reverted to a conventional rear wing design for this weekend after Verstappen suffered high-speed crashes at the Austrian and British Grands Prix linked to the team’s previous ‘Macarena’ specification. Verstappen’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, was fourth fastest, though the French driver is set to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid after taking new power unit components beyond his allowance.

Mercedes, which has taken pole position at every race so far this season, appeared off the pace. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished sixth, more than half a second behind Verstappen, while George Russell was eighth. Antonelli expressed frustration during the session, complaining over team radio about being blocked by Williams driver Carlos Sainz.