Practice 1 Report - Piastri fastest in only Spa practice session

Oscar Piastri
© McLaren

Oscar Piastri led the way in the only practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, topping the timesheets ahead of Max Verstappen and McLaren teammate Lando Norris during a low-action hour at Spa-Francorchamps.

The McLaren driver posted a best time of 1m42.022s late in the session using the soft compound tyres, pulling over four tenths clear of Verstappen and half a second ahead of Norris. With just a single free practice before Friday’s Sprint Qualifying, most teams focused on aerodynamic setup work rather than outright pace.

Eight of the ten teams brought updates to the Ardennes, ranging from low-downforce rear wings to general development parts. As a result, meaningful lap times were scarce during the first 40 minutes. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc led the early running using the hard compound, while several drivers encountered minor issues. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Franco Colapinto both ran wide at La Source, while Lewis Hamilton overshot Les Combes and later impeded Gabriel Bortoleto through Eau Rouge.

The session came alive in the final 15 minutes when most drivers switched to the soft C4 tyre. Lance Stroll temporarily held top spot before Piastri vaulted ahead with a 1m42.123s. The Australian then improved again on his next push lap to lower the benchmark by another tenth.

Verstappen, conducting comparative tests on Red Bull’s new and old front wings, was unable to match Piastri’s time. Under the watch of newly appointed Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, the Dutchman reported “weird” handling and mid-corner understeer on the updated setup. He ended up second with a time of 1m42.426s.

Norris recovered from a moment earlier in the session where he dropped a wheel into the gravel to set a 1m42.526s and finish third. Mercedes driver George Russell placed fourth, just ahead of Leclerc, while Antonelli took sixth in his Mercedes. Hamilton was seventh, followed by Stroll and Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martins. Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten.

Carlos Sainz placed 11th after sitting out part of the session due to a fuel system issue on his Williams. His teammate Alex Albon finished 12th, ahead of the Sauber and Haas drivers, with Ollie Bearman ending the session slowest.

Sprint Qualifying begins at 16:30 local time.