Verstappen tops opening practice of F1 Belgian GP
26th July 2024Red Bull’s Max Verstappen returned to the top spot in the opening free practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool
The opening practice session was business as usual as the teams and drivers began dialling in their setups at the iconic, Belgian, Spa-Francorchamps. However, it was not smooth sailing for some.
RB’s Daniel Ricciardo had a spin down in turn one, La Source, after he rode a damp kerb on the corner exit, facing the wrong way. The eight-time race winner could avoid a collision with the barrier and carry on.
At the same time, Esteban Ocon – whose team celebrates the release of Deadpool & Wolverine – had missed a significant amount of track time due to a water leak in his Alpine race car.
How did FP1 ended…
Verstappen topped the timing boards after the first hour with a lap time of 1m 43.372 as the triple-world champion looks to get his weekend off to a good start.
Piastri and Williams’ Alexander Albon rounded out the top three, in second and third and 0.531s and 0.727s off the pace of the leading Red Bull respectively.
Mercedes’ duo, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton completed the opening hour in fourth and fifth. They were followed closely by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, in sixth and seventh.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was the first driver to be off the pace by over a second. The Miami Grand Prix winner’s best lap found him 1.043s off the pace of his championship rival.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll rounded out the top 10 in the order of ninth and 10th.
Alpine’s less problematic car, piloted by Pierre Gasly, completed the session leading the bottom 10 in 11th. He was accompanied by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) and Logan Sargeant (Williams) who finished 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th.
Ricciardo’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda led the bottom five with a lap time which was over two seconds behind – the first driver of the field to be that far behind.
The Haas duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen occupied 17th and 18th, with Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu rounding out the order of 19th.
With his water leak, Ocon was not able to set a representative lap time and finished FP1 down in P20.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Sainz says ‘not really’ about Audi F1 opportunity
- Haas F1 snatch up Esteban Ocon for 2025 on multi-year deal
- Alpine reveal stunning Deadpool livery ahead of Belgian GP
- FIA reveal details of latest Commission Meeting
- Mattia Binotto set to join Audi F1 Project
- A mixed bag for McLaren Racing CEO after three-race weekend
Give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon or on our website!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
