Max Verstappen showcased his dominance during the first practice session (FP1) at the Belgian Grand Prix. Topping the timesheets ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and outpacing his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, by nearly full second.
This weekend carries significant weight for Perez, as Red Bull plans to evaluate his position for the 2025 season over the summer break. Perez’s performance lagged behind Verstappen’s, highlighting the pressure on the Mexican driver.
Williams’ Alex Albon demonstrated his team’s competitive edge at Spa. While Lewis Hamilton experienced “bouncing” issues with his Mercedes during late-session race simulations.
Mercedes drivers led the initial pack out of the pits in what was a largely calm session. Verstappen quickly asserted his dominance, setting the fastest time on hard and medium tires. His 1m44.706s lap on hard tires narrowly edged out Hamilton’s first lap, with the Dutchman gradually improving to a 1m44.524s over three flying laps, interspersed with slow cooldown tours to manage tire temperatures.
The session saw a lull in activity until George Russell, running on medium tires, took second place behind Verstappen. Charles Leclerc slotted his Ferrari between the McLarens with a late flyer on medium tires.
Russell then initiated the switch to soft tires, momentarily topping the timesheets with a 1m44.225s. However, Verstappen quickly reclaimed the lead with a 1m43.372s, a time that remained unbeaten.
Piastri impressed by securing second place with a lap just 0.531s slower than Verstappen’s, relegating Russell to third. Perez’s struggles continued as he wrestled with his car, finishing nearly a second behind Verstappen and dipping into the gravel at Les Combes.
Albon’s performance was a highlight for Williams, placing third after setting the best times in the first and final sectors. This pushed Russell to fourth, followed by Hamilton, Leclerc, and Perez. Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, and Lance Stroll completed the top 10.
As the session wound down, teams focused on high-fuel long runs under increasingly cloudy skies. Esteban Ocon missed most of FP1 due to a suspected water leak in his upgraded Alpine. Daniel Ricciardo, one of Perez’s potential replacements at Red Bull, overcame an early spin to finish 13th. While his teammate Yuki Tsunoda struggled with handling issues, ending up 16th.
Notably, Perez’s performance engineer, Richard Wood, was heard on Red Bull’s team radio, as the team rotated race engineering roles temporarily, similar to Verstappen’s experience with his performance engineer earlier in the season.
The Belgian Grand Prix weekend promises further excitement as teams and drivers continue to adapt and refine their setups for the race.
F1 Belgian GP – FP1 Results
Main Information
| Position | Driver | Team | Car | Laps | Time | Interval | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT RB20 | 23 | 1’43.372 | 243.919 km/h | |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | McLaren-Mercedes | 24 | 1’43.903 | +0.531 | 242.672 km/h |
| 3 | Alex Albon | Williams | Williams FW46 | 21 | 1’44.099 | +0.727 | 242.215 km/h |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | Mercedes W15 | 23 | 1’44.225 | +0.853 | 241.922 km/h |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Mercedes W15 | 21 | 1’44.279 | +0.907 | 241.797 km/h |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Ferrari | 25 | 1’44.306 | +0.934 | 241.734 km/h |
| 7 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT RB20 | 22 | 1’44.329 | +0.957 | 241.681 km/h |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | McLaren-Mercedes | 24 | 1’44.415 | +1.043 | 241.482 km/h |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | Ferrari | 24 | 1’44.574 | +1.202 | 241.115 km/h |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin AMR24 | 20 | 1’44.699 | +1.327 | 240.827 km/h |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | Alpine A524 | 22 | 1’44.833 | +1.461 | 240.519 km/h |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin AMR24 | 19 | 1’44.921 | +1.549 | 240.317 km/h |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | RB-Honda RBPT | 23 | 1’44.950 | +1.578 | 240.251 km/h |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | Kick Sauber-Ferrari C44 | 21 | 1’45.155 | +1.783 | 239.783 km/h |
| 15 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | Williams FW46 | 20 | 1’45.311 | +1.939 | 239.427 km/h |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | RB-Honda RBPT | 23 | 1’45.564 | +2.192 | 238.854 km/h |
| 17 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas F1 Team | Haas-Ferrari VF-24 | 19 | 1’45.645 | +2.273 | 238.671 km/h |
| 18 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | Haas-Ferrari VF-24 | 19 | 1’45.812 | +2.440 | 238.294 km/h |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | Kick Sauber-Ferrari C44 | 23 | 1’45.995 | +2.623 | 237.882 km/h |
| 20 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | Alpine A524 | 1 |
Note: Esteban Ocon only completed one lap before encountering issues, so his session time is not recorded.
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