Kimi Antonelli stands out in FP2 at Spa ahead of Norris and Verstappen. Ferrari in difficulty, with Leclerc only eleventh
Friday to be played at Spa-Francorchamps. The two free practice sessions of the Belgian Grand Prix delivered a day’s classification signed by Kimi Antonelli, but with more than one open question in view of Saturday’s qualifying. Especially for Ferrari.
Verstappen’s surprise in FP1
In the first afternoon session, Max Verstappen immediately put his stamp on the weekend (surprisingly, certainly not for his talent, but for a Red Bull that has so far been poorly competitive in 2026), with the best time in 1’47″070. Behind him were the two Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, followed by Isack Hadjar and the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Mercedes, another big news of the morning, struggled quite a bit: Kimi Antonelli finished sixth, five tenths of a second, George Russell seventh, more than eight tenths behind the Dutchman. Both drivers of the German team complained about difficulties in balancing the car, and the work of the engineers between the two sessions was immediate (as seen in the afternoon).
Ferrari also did well on race pace in FP1more solid than Mercedes since the first outing. In short, the morning’s free practice gave us hope for the Rossa’s weekend.
Antonelli turns the situation around in FP2
In the second round, Mercedes corrected their aim. Antonelli lapped in 1’45″944, lowering his best time of the day by a clear second. Followed by Lando Norris’s McLaren, then Verstappen completing the free practice podium. Followed by Hamilton, Hadjar and Piastri (penalized by a long pit stop due to a hydraulic pressure problem). Russell recorded a disappointing eighth time, 1″285 behind his teammate, even if his pace in the race simulations appeared closer to that of Kimi compared to what the dry time suggests.
A very complicated evening, however, for the Ferraris. Hamilton finished fourth, in fact, but Leclerc was even eleventha second and a half behind Antonelli. The Monegasque, already a winner at Silverstone, made a mistake in the third sector during the fastest lap, and therefore asked for a reduction in the load on the front wing. The session finally ended early, with a long red flag caused by Pierre Gasly, who lost control of his Alpine and destroyed the rear against the barriers.
The real hierarchies will emerge on Saturday (and even more on Sunday)but Friday in Spa has already drawn some clear lines: Mercedes knows how to improve quickly (and this is nothing new); Ferrari, which started as the favorite on this track, must instead find its balance, especially on the flying lap. Tomorrow is another day.
