Max Verstappen set the fastest time during the opening practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps today, Friday, July 17, 2026. The Red Bull driver recorded a lap of 1:47.070s, leading the session by a narrow margin.
Verstappen finished over a tenth of a second ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who placed second for Ferrari. Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc secured the third-fastest time, 0.207 seconds behind Verstappen.
Red Bull opted to revert to a conventional rear wing for this weekend, abandoning their ‘Macarena’ or rotating design. This decision followed Max Verstappen’s high-speed crashes at the Austrian and British Grands Prix.
Post-Silverstone testing revealed further issues with the rotating component, which Verstappen had previously described as ‘super dangerous’. Team Principal Laurent Mekies confirmed different underlying problems triggered each incident.
Verstappen acknowledged the conventional wing might be ‘a little bit slower’ but deemed it the ‘wisest choice’ for the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. He remains confident Red Bull will resolve the issues for future reintroduction.
Ferrari, meanwhile, paused its aggressive upgrade schedule for this event. The team is focusing on optimizing the SF-26’s balance between straight-line efficiency and aerodynamic downforce, particularly concerning the FTM exhaust system.
Lewis Hamilton has been significantly involved in the development of Ferrari’s 2026 challenger. Ferrari has shown improved understanding of its package and hybrid energy management in recent races.
Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell finished sixth and eighth respectively, indicating the team was off the pace in FP1. Antonelli, the current championship leader, trailed by over half a second.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 Drivers’ Championship with 179 points, 25 points ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell. Lewis Hamilton is third with 147 points, followed by Charles Leclerc with 108 points.
Several drivers face grid penalties for Sunday’s race. Lando Norris will incur a 10-place drop for exceeding power unit allocation. Isack Hadjar will start from the back of the grid due to multiple power unit component changes.
Lance Stroll also received a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his MGU-K allocation. Jak Crawford participated in FP1 for Aston Martin, taking over Fernando Alonso’s car.
Oscar Piastri experienced a momentary hydraulic pressure issue in his McLaren late in the session. Racing Bulls and Haas also introduced various upgrades for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
