Belgian GP: Max Verstappen tops Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes struggle in Spa-Francorchamps first practice

Max Verstappen was surprisingly fastest from Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes were off the pace in first practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Red Bull are yet to win a race in 2026 but Verstappen came flying out of the blocks at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps and was 0.145s quicker than rival Hamilton, with Charles Leclerc two tenths off the pace in third.

Verstappen has been tight-lipped about where he will be driving in 2027 after his management held talks with McLaren in the last month, but a strong Red Bull car over the upcoming races would almost certainly mean the Dutchman stays at the team.

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Isack Hadjar, who will start at the back for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix due to a power unit change, was fourth which underlined Red Bull's strong early pace.

The Milton Keynes-based team have dropped their rotating 'macarena' rear wing after Verstappen crashed at the last two races in Austria and Silverstone due to a failure on the rear wing.

But it has not held them back and the heavy reliance on engine power at Spa-Francorchamps suits the RB22, which has been deemed to have the best internal combustion engine by the FIA.

"Max always finds the limit more quickly than others but that looked very solid from Red Bull," said Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle.

Mercedes will be scratching their heads as championship leader Kimi Antonelli was sixth and 0.533s behind Verstappen with George Russell down in eighth.

Antonelli, who is 25 points ahead of Russell in the Drivers' Championship, is on the limit of his engine allowance after Mercedes discovered a potential problem with his Silverstone power unit and are investigating whether it can be used again.

Another new engine for Antonelli would trigger a 10-grid place penalty, which is what Lando Norris has for this weekend as he has exceeded the control electronics limit - a power unit element.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri was fifth but suffered a late hydraulics issue, so was forced to crawl back to the pit lane in the closing minutes.

Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad was ninth in his upgraded car that features new sidepods with Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top 10.

Their respective team-mates of Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg were 11th and 12th with Haas' Oliver Bearman in 13th. Haas have also brought new parts to Belgium including a new front wing and revised beam wing.

Jak Crawford replaced Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin for the session as teams continue to tick off the requirement to run a rookie in at least two practice sessions for both of their cars.

Sky Sports F1's Belgian GP schedule

Friday July 17
2pm: F3 Qualifying
2.55pm: F2 Qualifying
3.30pm: Belgian GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
5.15pm: The F1 Show

Saturday July 18
9am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Belgian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.15pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Belgian GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: BELGIAN GP QUALIFYING*

Sunday July 19
7.30am: F3 Feature Race
9am: F2 Feature Race
10.45am: Porsche Supercup
12.30pm: Belgian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
2pm: THE BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Belgian GP reaction: Chequered Flag

*Also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1's summer run continues with the Belgian Grand Prix at legendary Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Belgian GP: Max Verstappen tops Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes struggle in Spa-Francorchamps first practice