Belgium – Antonelli 1st, Gasly crash, Verstappen/3rd furious: “Unacceptable!”

One of the most intriguing questions when the Formula 1 circus is in the Ardennes is: what will the notoriously changeable summer weather be like near Spa-Francorchamps?

It started to rain two hours before the second practice session. By the time the second practice session got underway, however, the track was dry and sunny again, with a 10 per cent chance of rain.

After the first practice session, for the first time this season, it wasn’t a Mercedes or Ferrari driver at the top of the timesheets, but Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen (three-time Spa winner). Naturally, the many Verstappen fans were wondering ahead of the second practice session whether this trend would continue.

Sky GP expert Timo Glock: “Verstappen got off to a good start in the Belgian practice sessions; he was particularly quick in the twisty middle section. It’s quite possible that Red Bull Racing are running with a bit more downforce to gain time there – at the risk of losing a bit of time in the fast sections of Sectors 1 and 3.”

With the air temperature at 23 degrees (and the track at 33 degrees), McLaren driver and last year’s winner Oscar Piastri was initially a spectator: the mechanics were investigating a problem with the hydraulics.

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Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar was only on the track briefly before radioing the pits: “I’ve got the wrong helmet visor.”

Lewis Hamilton messed up the final corner before the start-finish line, so he could only manage P9 in the first race on medium-hard tyres; the order was: championship leader Antonelli ahead of Hadjar, Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris, Russell, then Lindblad, Bortoleto and Hamilton.

It was noticeable: the cars were sitting much lower than in the first practice session; the teams had obviously reduced the race cars’ ground clearance.

After ten minutes, Max Verstappen made another attempt; he was fastest in the first sector and better in the second, but then a small mistake meant his chance of setting the fastest time was gone for the time being. Max ranted over the radio about sloppy gear changes. “They’re so bloody bad, it’s unacceptable.”

After eleven minutes, a red flag: a driver had sent a fair amount of gravel onto the track at Stavelot (the culprit was never shown on TV), and the hard-working marshals set to work with their brooms. The enforced break lasted six minutes, whilst the clock ticked on relentlessly.

Standings after 20 minutes: Antonelli, Hadjar, Verstappen, Lindblad, Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris, Russell, Bortoleto and Colapinto in the top ten, Hülkenberg still without a timed lap. Oscar Piastri was now out on the track.

RBR driver Hadjar was the first to head out on soft tyres, with most drivers following suit – Verstappen briefly took the lead, but then Antonelli was almost half a second faster!

Where was Ferrari? Barcelona winner Hamilton high up in P3, Silverstone winner Leclerc in P5 behind Hadjar.

After 30 minutes, George Russell also switched to soft tyres: only seventh, a full 1.285 seconds behind leader Antonelli! Russell on the radio: “The rear tyres are too cold, but that doesn’t explain the whole gap.”

A sign of life from world champion Lando Norris: up to P2 behind Antonelli. New order therefore – Antonelli, Norris, Verstappen, Hamilton, Hadjar, Colapinto, Russell, Lindblad, Leclerc and Piastri (the last two not yet on soft tyres).

Piastri, the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix winner, couldn’t quite get going: sixth, almost eight tenths behind Norris and – strangely – slower on the soft Pirelli tyres in the twisty middle section than on the medium ones.

In the final 20 minutes, most drivers switched to endurance runs to practise for the Grand Prix.

Another red flag a quarter of an hour before the end: a crash involving Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, his rear wing torn off and his right-hand rear wheel bent at an angle. The French Grand Prix winner panted over the radio: “I lost control of the car without warning.”

There was a lot of debris on the track, meaning plenty of work for the marshals; furthermore, the track barriers had to be repaired and the track cleared of oil absorbent.

With two minutes to go, the session resumed; naturally, no one was able to set a fast lap time at that stage. But at least the drivers were given the opportunity to attempt another start.

Conclusion: Not all teams in Belgium have shown their hand yet, nor have all drivers got the best out of their cars. We’ll see a few more changes on Saturday. It remains exciting.