The opening day of the Belgian Grand Prix offered an early glimpse into what could become one of the closest Formula 1 weekends of the season, with Max Verstappen giving Red Bull an encouraging start before championship leader Kimi Antonelli responded by setting the fastest time in Friday's second practice.
Verstappen led the opening session at Spa-Francorchamps with a lap of 1:47.070, finishing 0.145 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari while Charles Leclerc completed the top three. After several difficult weekends for Red Bull, the Dutchman looked immediately comfortable around one of his strongest circuits despite the team reverting to a more conventional rear wing configuration for the weekend.
The performance was another reminder of Verstappen's strength at Spa, where he has traditionally excelled thanks to the circuit's combination of high-speed corners and long straights. While Friday practice never tells the full story, Red Bull's single-lap pace suggested the reigning champions remain firmly in the fight despite Mercedes arriving with the momentum in both championships.
Mercedes answered in the afternoon.
Antonelli, who leads the Drivers' Championship, found another level during FP2 by posting a session-best 1:45.944 to edge McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.190 seconds. Verstappen remained firmly in contention, finishing third and less than half a second off the pace, while Hamilton backed up Ferrari's promising morning by placing fourth.
Although Antonelli ended the day fastest, Red Bull will likely leave Friday encouraged. Verstappen showed competitive pace in both sessions, and long-run data appeared positive after the team abandoned its experimental rear wing in favor of a more conventional setup designed to improve stability and consistency around Spa's demanding layout.
Friday's second session was interrupted twice by red flags. An early stoppage was required to clear gravel from the circuit before Alpine's Pierre Gasly crashed heavily at Stavelot in the closing stages, bringing the session to an early end and limiting teams' opportunities to complete their race simulations. Gasly escaped without injury, though his Alpine sustained significant rear-end damage.
Elsewhere, Norris continued to demonstrate competitive speed despite carrying a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his season allocation of power unit components, while Ferrari's consistency across both sessions suggests Hamilton and Leclerc could remain factors throughout qualifying and Sunday's race.