12:52
Grid penalties have been confirmed for Hadjar and Stroll, with both taking new power unit components. More on that as we get it.
The iconic Eau Rouge
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Belgian GP LIVE: Red Bull lead Ferrari in Spa FP1
Live coverage of Friday at the F1 Belgian Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Norris takes 10-place grid penalty
- Red Bull ditch 'Macarena' wing after Verstappen crash
- Aston Martin fear toughest weekend of the season
The tenth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Belgian Grand Prix.
One of the most famous tracks on the F1 calendar, Spa-Francorchamps has played host to some truly iconic moments.
As ever, teams have brought a number of updates to the track, with McLaren bringing a new rear wing to test on Friday, making use of the long Kemmel Straight for data gathering. This wing, however, is understood not to be McLaren's 'Macarena' wing, which was taken to Austria but not used.
After Max Verstappen's crash at Silverstone, Red Bull has also elected to bring a more conventional wing to Belgium. In the wake of his off, the Dutchman branded the wing "super-dangerous", with Red Bull committing to a full investigation into the underlying problem.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has warned that the Silver Arrows must fix their reliability woes, with Ferrari now breathing down the neck of points-leader Kimi Antonelli after taking two wins from the last three weekends.
Finally, with the new Mercedes power unit, Lando Norris will take a 10-place grid penalty on Sunday, after also taking power electronics, his fourth set of the season. This exceeded the maximum of three permitted to complete the campaign.
2026 Belgian Grand Prix Friday schedule
FP1 12:30pm BST - 1:30pm BST
FP2: 4:00pm BST - 5:00pm BST
17 Jul 2026
12:48
Back to the pits for Antonelli as he bails on the lap, having dropped to 10th place. It's two-by-two at the front, with Red Bull leading Ferrari leading Racing Bulls.
12:47
Hadjar moves back to the top, with a 1m47.778s on his used softs.
Antonelli is starting his latest effort, but it's no better in the first sector. However, Lindblad in fifth IS improving.
12:45
Norris on softs. Maybe he will be taking further new parts to add to his pool this weekend.
12:44
An early one-two for Red Bull. Verstappen always goes well at Spa, and this is a very strong start.
12:42
Antonelli has also now found some time and is up to fifth place, but he remains behind the Red Bull and Ferrari pairings. It's very early, but Mercedes will be concerned if this trend continues.
12:40
In the early times, the pace of Racing Bulls is again impressive. Currently, Lindblad is fifth, and Lawson is seventh, this after Verstappen moved to the top with a 1m48.237s.
12:39
Back into the pits for Norris. They'll remove the rakes, and he will be back out soon for a more regular run.
12:36
Out comes Norris, and all 22 drivers are now on the track. Aero rakes are fixed to the rear of his McLaren.
12:36
A 1m50.654s is Russell's first time, but he is quickly bettered by Hamilton, and then Verstappen.
Now Hadjar moves to the top with a 1m48.918s effort. However, that was set on softs, while the rest were on mediums.
Hadjar is expected to take a back-of-the-grid penalty with a significant PU change, so he may not need these tyres on Saturday.
12:34
Sainz and Albon return to the pits after completing installation laps. Most other drivers continue on. Only Norris is yet to take to the track.
12:33
It was a busy pit lane at the start of the hour!
12:31
Aside from Jak Crawford at Aston Martin, we have the regular field in FP1. The American replaces Fernando Alonso.
12:30
Green flag for FP1
FP1 is go! Sainz and Perez lead the field out.
12:29
The cars are firing up and heading to the end of the pit lane. There is not a moment to spare!
12:28
The chance of rain is 20% for the session. Remember, this is Spa. The rain could come from nowhere!
12:26
The music has played, and now it's time for the serious stuff. FP1 gets underway in just three minutes. Are we all sitting comfortably?
12:24
Ahead of FP1, we pause for a moment to remember Jules Bianchi.
12:20
NASCAR solution suggested as F1 safety car finish fix before crunch meeting
The Silverstone weekend saw an uncomfortable end to the British Grand Prix, with the safety car leading the cars to the chequered flag.
After giving the matter some thought, Liam Lawson believes he has an answer as to how to avoid this situation in the future.
The British Grand Prix ended behind the safety car
12:17
We're now just 15 minutes away from the cars heading out onto the track. On the 7km layout, the lap count will be minimal, adding to the importance of hitting the ground with a suitable setup.
12:09
Fernando Alonso’s World Cup priority offers grim Aston Martin Spa F1 outlook
Tell us what you really think, Fernando. Aston Martin fears this could be the most difficult weekend of the season for the team, and Alonso has his priorities clear for a weekend that also sees Spain take on Argentina in the World Cup final.
Alonso is braced for another tough weekend for Aston Martin
12:00
It's not just the drivers that the fans want to see either. Toto Wolff gets his moment in the sun.
11:55
Not a moment of rest for the drivers as they make their way into the paddock for the first day of on-track action. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will take to the track in just over half an hour.
11:45
Martin Brundle shares “gut feeling” about Max Verstappen’s F1 future at Red Bull
It wouldn't be an F1 weekend in 2026 without talk about Max Verstappen's future. Will he stay at Red Bull? Does he have another option on the F1 grid? Will he simply walk away from the paddock?
Commentator Martin Brundle has his thoughts on the matter.
Verstappen's future remains the hot topic in F1
11:43
Nico Hulkenberg makes cheeky offer to Carlos Sainz amid Audi F1 gossip
Bringing you up to speed on some paddock chatter, we have this rather cheeky comment from Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg, after Williams driver Carlos Sainz was linked with a move to the team - likely taking the German's seat.
It's fair to say that Hulkenberg is taking the gossip in his stride!
Hulkenberg jokingly offered a reserve drive to Sainz