Max Verstappen made a stunning comeback at the Belgian GP, dominating the FP1 session.
- Verstappen clocked a top time of 1:43.372, leaving competitors in the dust.
- Oscar Piastri and Alex Albon trailed behind in second and third places, respectively.
- Mercedes drivers struggled with their upgraded cars despite some promising moments.
- Fernando Alonso faced mechanical issues, ending his session early.
Max Verstappen shook off recent troubles and Red Bull’s upgrades to dominate the first practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix. His fastest lap, at 1:43.372, was half a second quicker than Oscar Piastri’s best.
Despite forecasts of rain, the session kicked off on a dry track. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton led the pack, flaunting their upgraded W15 cars.
Daniel Ricciardo had a close call with a spin at La Source but managed to avoid any damage.
Verstappen dropped some of Red Bull’s new parts and set a blistering pace early, one second ahead of Piastri. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton grappled with tire issues, lamenting, ‘This tire doesn’t feel great.’
Esteban Ocon’s session was cut short due to a water leak, forcing the Alpine team to remove the floor of his car.
Midway through, Verstappen still led on hard tires, with Russell and Hamilton following closely on medium tires. But as the session progressed, Verstappen switched to soft tires and pulled ahead by eight-tenths of a second.
Sergio Perez experienced issues with his RB20, while Oscar Piastri and Alex Albon trailed behind Verstappen. Fernando Alonso questioned Aston Martin’s setup after ranking twelfth, stating, ‘How can we be slower in the first sector?’
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton faced various complaints. Russell noted ‘no rear end at all,’ and Hamilton mentioned significant ‘bouncing.’ Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant struggled with oversteer and tire issues, respectively.
In the end, times stood with Verstappen in first, Piastri second, and Albon third. The session wrapped up, highlighting Verstappen’s dominance despite the challenges.
Max Verstappen’s performance sets an exciting tone for the rest of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Source: Planetf1
