Ferrari experienced a mixed opening day at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, facing a procedural penalty from the FIA alongside fluctuating performance across Friday’s practice sessions. While the Scuderia showed strong pace in Free Practice 1, their performance notably dipped in the afternoon session.
In Free Practice 1, Lewis Hamilton secured the second-fastest time, just 0.145 seconds behind Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc followed closely in third position, indicating a competitive start for the team at Spa-Francorchamps.
However, Ferrari later incurred a €10,000 fine from the FIA for a tyre infringement. The team electronically returned two sets of dry-weather tyres for both Hamilton and Leclerc after FP1 but failed to physically return them to Pirelli before the start of FP2.
FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer reported the breach, noting the non-compliance with Article B6.4.2 of the sporting regulations. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged the oversight, stating he expected a fine for the procedural error.
“We were late,” Vasseur said after the session. “It will be a fine.”
Free Practice 2 saw a shift in Ferrari’s competitive standing. Lewis Hamilton finished the session in fourth place, 0.747 seconds adrift of the pace-setting Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, dropped to eleventh after his fastest lap was deleted for exceeding track limits at Eau Rouge.
Technical analysis revealed a hybrid deficit and energy management concerns for the SF-26, particularly through Spa’s high-speed corners. Ferrari’s race engineers highlighted issues over the radio, indicating the car was losing more than two tenths in the second sector during the deployment phase.
Hamilton confirmed the team was ‘lacking a little bit’ in the middle sector, an area where the car typically performs strongly. He expressed optimism that the team could address these issues overnight.
Vasseur also commented on the afternoon session, describing it as ‘a little more difficult’ but cautioned against direct comparisons due to varying fuel loads across teams. He emphasized Ferrari’s focus on maximizing their own package.
Ferrari arrived at Spa with momentum following Leclerc’s victory at the British Grand Prix. The team introduced a ‘Macarena EVO’ rear wing upgrade for the Belgian event, aiming to improve top speed.
The team completed its planned programme, gathering data on the SF-26’s behaviour on medium and soft compounds. Engineers, Hamilton, and Leclerc will now analyze the collected data to prepare for Saturday’s qualifying session.
