Practice 1 Report - Verstappen quickest

Max Verstappen
© Red Bull

Max Verstappen set a commanding pace in the first practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, outpacing the field by an impressive 0.531 seconds. The Dutch driver, who is the reigning World Champion, demonstrated his dominance early on by clocking significantly faster lap times than his competitors, even while using a set of Pirelli Hard tires compared to their Medium compounds. Speculation suggests that Verstappen might have been running lighter on fuel, but his supremacy was evident when the entire field switched to Soft tires.

Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Pérez, was less impressive, finishing the session in seventh place, nearly a second behind Verstappen. This disparity could be strategic, as Red Bull is likely optimizing Pérez's setup for race day, especially since Verstappen will incur a 10-place grid penalty for using a fourth internal combustion engine (ICE) this weekend. Verstappen's notable advantage in the twisty middle sector suggests he was running a higher downforce setup compared to the McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari drivers.

Oscar Piastri, fresh from his Hungarian Grand Prix victory, posted the second-fastest time, albeit 0.531 seconds behind Verstappen. McLaren opted for a slightly lower downforce setup, causing them to lose over 0.6 seconds on the downhill sections. Despite this, Piastri managed a comfortable gap of over 0.3 seconds to third-placed George Russell of Mercedes. Lando Norris, Piastri's teammate, made a mistake on his low fuel run but showcased a well-balanced car with a very consistent long run, better than Verstappen's.

The Mercedes drivers, Russell and Lewis Hamilton, had a close battle, with only 0.054 seconds separating them. However, their feedback diverged significantly. Russell was pleased with his car's balance but uncertain about the power unit settings. In contrast, Hamilton, who had a minor off-track excursion at Les Combes, cut his long run short due to severe bouncing issues.

Ferrari had a productive session, focusing on comparing two different floor setups. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completed a combined 49 laps, providing valuable data for the team to analyze. While their lap times were competitive with the Mercedes drivers, they remained off the pace set by Verstappen and Piastri.

Alex Albon delivered a standout performance, securing the third-fastest time in his Williams FW45. His speed, particularly in the first and third sectors, was remarkable, suggesting a higher engine mode. Meanwhile, his teammate Logan Sargeant struggled, finishing in 15th place, over 1.2 seconds behind Albon.

Lance Stroll rounded out the top ten, closely trailing Norris and Sainz. Pierre Gasly salvaged Alpine's session by setting the 11th fastest time, debuting a significantly upgraded aerodynamic package. However, his teammate Esteban Ocon did not complete a timed lap due to a hydraulic leak that sidelined him after his installation lap.

Yuki Tsunoda, who will start from the back of the grid due to a new power unit, was 16th fastest and voiced dissatisfaction with his car's balance, citing unpredictable handling with both understeer and oversteer issues. His team faces a challenging task to fine-tune the car's setup ahead of the next session.

As the teams prepare for the second practice session, all eyes will be on how they adapt and improve based on the data gathered from this opening session.