17:08
As Mercedes and McLaren improved, Red Bull went in the opposite direction.
Verstappen at Spa
© XPB Images
F1 Belgian GP LIVE: Antonelli tops FP2 after heavy crash for Gasly
Live coverage of Friday at the F1 Belgian Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Norris, Hadjar and Stroll take grid penalties
- Red Bull ditch 'Macarena' wing after Verstappen crash
- Verstappen fastest in FP1
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
18:57
Pierre Gasly explains the cause of his heavy Spa F1 shunt
Pierre Gasly explains the cause of his heavy Spa F1 shunt
Pierre Gasly has explained the cause of his session-ending shunt in second practice at the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
The Frenchman lost the rear of his Alpine through the second part of the Fagnes chicane, causing him to run out onto the gravel on the exit. Despite attempting to wrestle back control, Gasly was unable to prevent the rear of the car from slamming into the barrier, causing significant damage, with the rear wing and right-rear tyre ripped from the chassis.
Full story here...
Gasly at Spa
© XPB Images
18:11
Antonelli cautious of Spa threats after Mercedes' "massive turnaround" to top FP2
Antonelli cautious of Spa threats after Mercedes' "massive turnaround" to top FP2
Kimi Antonelli hailed the "massive turnaround" to put Mercedes back in the game at the Belgian Grand Prix after the Italian topped second practice, but remained cautious about the looming threats from behind.
Antonelli finished the opening session of the Spa-Francorchamps weekend in sixth place and over half a second behind pace-setting Max Verstappen.
Antonelli at Spa
© XPB Images
17:53
Ferrari under investigation for bizarre practice tyre infringement at F1 Belgian GP
Ferrari under investigation for bizarre practice tyre infringement at F1 Belgian GP
Ferrari is under investigation for an alleged tyre infringement following the opening Formula 1 practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Shortly after the conclusion of second practice at Spa-Francorchamps, an FIA document confirmed that Ferrari had been reported to the stewards by F1 technical delegate Jo Bauer for failing to return the correct sets of tyres for both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after FP1.
Ferrari faces an investigation
17:23
Kimi Antonelli puts Mercedes back on top in red-flagged F1 Belgian GP practice after Pierre Gasly crash
Kimi Antonelli puts Mercedes back on top in red-flagged F1 Belgian GP practice after Pierre Gasly crash
Formula 1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli put Mercedes back on top in a disrupted second practice at the Belgian Grand Prix, but team-mate George Russell struggled.
Antonelli was 0.190 seconds clear of reigning world champion Lando Norris, who will serve a 10-place grid penalty after McLaren fitted a new control electronics unit in his MCL40, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen 0.472s adrift in third.
Antonelli set the pace in second practice
17:22
2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix - Friday Practice Results
2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix - Friday Practice Results
Kimi Antonelli ended Friday as the fastest driver, setting the pace in a Belgian Grand Prix session twice halted by red flags.
The Formula 1 championship leader topped the order with a 1m45.944s effort, with Lando Norris punching an unexpected time to go second fastest on a day that, to that point, had been dominated by Red Bull.
Antonelli at Spa
© XPB Images
17:07
A strong afternoon as, similarly to Mercedes, McLaren turn a so-so FP1 into an impressive FP2.
17:06
After an underwhelming FP1, what a turnaround that was from Antonelli. More to do for Russell.
17:03
Top 10
At the end of that interrupted session, the top 10 are:
- Antonelli
- Norris
- Verstappen
- Hamilton
- Hadjar
- Piastri
- Colapinto
- Russell
- Lindblad
- Lawson
17:00
Chequered flag
The flag falls, and Bortoleto is the first driver to cross the line. Colapinto, Bottas and Perez made it around in time to complete a timed lap, but none are pushing on.
16:59
Green light
The session resumes, albeit briefly.
16:57
Out come the drivers. Only one or two will be able to get a timed lap, but the main point of this will be to get a practice start from the grid.
16:56
The session will resume at 17:58 local time.
16:56
Four minutes remain, and no indication yet of a restart.
16:54
The Alpine is now on the back of a low loader. We might get 3-4 minutes of running if we're lucky. There's also a chance that this could be it.
16:54
A closer look at the damage. Time for Alpine to cancel the dinner plans.
16:52
Apline provides an update on the situation.
16:51
Red flag
A huge smash for Gasly with 10 minutes remaining. He gets onto the gravel and is sucked into the wall. His rear wing has been ripped off the car and Gasly walks away after inspecting the damage.
16:43
Medium tyres are being run by most of the field, and this is where engineers will be poring over the data, as the long runs indicate the best strategy plans for Sunday.
Spoiler...it'll be a one stop. It's always a one-stop at Spa.
16:38
Top 10
With 25 minutes remaining and the qualifying simulations seemingly over, the top 10 is:
- Antonelli
- Norris
- Verstappen
- Hamilton
- Hadjar
- Piastri
- Colapinto
- Russell
- Lindblad
- Lawson
16:36
A lot of drivers are now heading to the pits, preparing for the long runs that will take the session to a close. After Piastri completes the final quali sim, we'll bring you the top 10.
16:32
Out of nowhere, Norris showed his hand to go second, 0.190s off Antonelli. Side note, this is a very cool picture!
16:31
Talking of cars with no pace, Russell ends his soft tyre win and goes 1.285s shy of team-mate Antonelli. That will not please him. And the Mercedes driver is pushed down further, as Franco Colapinto forces him back, and Norris then goes second, forcing Russell down to seventh place.
16:30
To add further woe to Aston Martin, the times are only four seconds clear of the F2 pole lap, which was set in damp conditions. The cars are closer in pace to F2 than F1. Wow.
16:28
Aston Martin cannot wait for its upgrade to appear. In the lead car, Stroll is 6.3s off the pace.