Oscar Piastri of McLaren led the Free Practice 1 (FP1) session at the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday, outperforming Max Verstappen by more than four-tenths of a second. The Australian driver, possibly motivated by a recent penalty at Silverstone, quickly established the fastest lap time, setting a strong pace around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Max Verstappen secured second place in the session, finishing 0.404 seconds slower than Piastri, while Verstappen’s teammate Lando Norris completed the top three, trailing his McLaren colleague by just over half a second. Norris faced a challenging session, which slightly compromised his speed on track.
Performance challenges for Ferrari and other teams
Ferrari struggled during FP1, with Charles Leclerc ending the session in fifth position and nearly a full second behind Piastri’s leading time. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, fell behind in seventh place, over one second slower than the McLaren driver. Both teams will need to work on their setups ahead of the sprint qualifying to improve their competitiveness.
Additional midfield battles included Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, who placed eighth and ninth respectively, close behind the leading runners. Further down the order, teams like Sauber and Williams had their drivers posting times with larger gaps from the frontrunners.
Full FP1 timings highlight competitive gaps
The session’s top ten times reflected a noticeable spread across teams. After Piastri’s 1:42.022 lap, Verstappen and Norris followed, with George Russell of Mercedes securing fourth place close behind. The midfield and backmarkers showed wider gaps as the session progressed, indicating varied levels of setup efficiency and track conditions.
Looking ahead to sprint qualifying and race implications
With sprint qualifying scheduled for later in the day at Spa, teams face critical decisions on strategy and car adjustments after Friday’s session. Piastri’s unexpected dominance introduces a new variable in the championship dynamics, especially considering Verstappen’s ongoing pursuit of strong results. Ferrari’s difficulties may prompt significant changes to enhance their pace, while Mercedes and others aim to close the gaps.
The outcome of the sprint qualifying will reveal whether Piastri can maintain this impressive form or if Verstappen and other contenders will reclaim momentum as the Belgian Grand Prix weekend unfolds.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Did Max Verstappen apologize?
A. Christian Horner shared that Max Verstappen said sorry to the Red Bull team after his crash with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix. This accident caused Verstappen to fall from fifth place to tenth place after getting a ten-second time penalty.
Q. What is Max Verstappen’s baby gender?
A. On May 2, Verstappen, who is 27 years old, shared two pictures of his newborn daughter. He announced her name as Lily in an Instagram caption, writing, “Welcome to the world, sweet Lily.”
Q. Are Max Verstappen and Lando friends?
A. Get to know Max and Lando as they tell funny stories and bond over shared experiences. Learn about the enjoyable times F1 drivers have together!
