The 2026 F1 Belgian GP's Friday practice session was a rollercoaster of emotions, with Red Bull showing promise amidst a sea of uncertainty. The Milton Keynes outfit, led by Max Verstappen, seemed to have found a vein of extra speed during the second half of the lap, but the overall performance was a mixed bag. The team's recent struggles, including the removal of their 'Macarena' wing, have sparked rumors about Verstappen's future, but for now, he's sticking it out at Red Bull.
One thing that immediately stands out is the performance of Kimi Antonelli, who set the pace in the second practice session (FP2). His time of 1m45.944s on medium tires was faster than Verstappen's FP1 benchmark, and he was the only driver to drop below the 1m46s mark. This is particularly fascinating, as it suggests that Mercedes might be making a step forward, and Antonelli is the early favorite once again in Belgium.
However, the session was not without its surprises. Pierre Gasly's shunt at Turn 13 interrupted the long runs, and his car shed its rear wing on impact. This red flag and clean-up operation wiped out over 10 minutes of the session, effectively cutting out the long runs entirely. With the incomplete runs from FP2, it's hard to draw clear conclusions about the performance of the cars.
One thing that is clear is that Verstappen showed race pace that could theoretically match Antonelli. In FP1, he logged a six-lap stint on the mediums, while Antonelli did an eight-lap stretch. Verstappen was, on average, 0.220s faster through the stint per lap in the first session. However, in FP2, Antonelli was 0.365s faster per lap on average over the Dutchman, but with a shorter stint overall.
This raises a deeper question: Can Ferrari challenge for a third win this weekend? While Hamilton's average 1m51.871s stint from FP1 was quicker than Verstappen's average 1m52.045s stint from the same session, Ferrari has yet to unlock its qualifying pace on a single lap. Leclerc and Hamilton seemed to struggle with the rear end through the sessions, which suggests that Ferrari might not be able to play a significant role in the race.
In conclusion, the 2026 F1 Belgian GP's Friday practice session was a mixed bag of emotions and performances. While Red Bull showed promise, the session was interrupted by Gasly's shunt, and the incomplete runs from FP2 make it hard to draw clear conclusions. However, one thing is clear: Antonelli is the early favorite, and Verstappen showed race pace that could theoretically match him. The question remains: Can Ferrari challenge for a third win this weekend?
