Max Verstappen of Red Bull topped the timesheets in the first practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was second fastest, with Verstappen's pace coming after Red Bull reverted to a standard rear wing design. The team had been refining a new "flip-flop" or "somersault" wing that had led to high-speed incidents for the Dutch driver in recent races.
The wing used in this session is the same one Red Bull employed at the start of the season. It operates with a flap that opens for straight-line speed, similar to last year's DRS overtaking aid, as opposed to rotating more than 180 degrees on its axis. Reports suggest the older wing may cost approximately 0.2 seconds per lap around Spa compared to the newer design, which could potentially be reintroduced at the next event in Hungary.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, secured the sixth fastest time. His teammate George Russell was eighth, trailing Antonelli by 0.356 seconds. Antonelli currently holds a 25-point lead in the championship standings. The context of the remaining season's races, particularly two Middle Eastern events, remains uncertain due to the ongoing conflict between the US/Israel and Iran.
The practice session was largely uneventful. Liam Lawson experienced a moment of oversteer at Stavelot early on, running wide. Later in the session, Oscar Piastri of McLaren encountered a hydraulic pressure issue, forcing him to slow down in the final minute. Isack Hadjar incurred a 10-place grid penalty, although the specifics of the infraction were not detailed in the provided notes.