Max Verstappen set the pace in Free Practice 1 for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver finishing 0.145 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at Spa-Francorchamps.
When the lights went green a queue of cars formed at the pit exit with Sergio Pérez leading the field out on Hard tyres, followed by Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon on Mediums, as teams began installation checks and gathered early data around the 7.004-kilometre circuit.
Most drivers started on the Medium compound, while Pérez, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg ran on hards. Isack Hadjar began on softs, with the Red Bull driver expected to follow a different programme as power unit component changes leave the Frenchman facing grid penalty later in the weekend.
Verstappen quickly moved to the top on mediums with a 1m48.237s, two tenths clear of his team-mate, before lowering the benchmark to 1m47.859s. Hadjar then used the advantage of the soft tyre to take over at the front with a 1m47.778s.
The order changed again as teams began their qualifying-style runs. Kimi Antonelli was among the first front-runners to switch to softs and briefly claimed top spot with a 1m47.603s. George Russell showed strong pace in the opening sector of his lap but lost time towards the end of the circuit and finished behind his team-mate.
Verstappen then produced the fastest lap of the session, stopping the clock at 1m47.070s. Hadjar also improved, while Antonelli was pushed down the order as Ferrari and McLaren began their soft-tyre efforts.
Hamilton’s first attempt was affected by traffic, particularly through the opening sector, and initially left him fourth. He found a cleaner lap later in the session and climbed to second with a 1m47.215s, just 0.145s behind Verstappen. Charles Leclerc also delivered a competitive run for Ferrari, taking third place, 0.207s off the lead.
Hadjar ended the hour fourth and within a quarter of a second of Verstappen. Oscar Piastri was fifth for McLaren, although his session was disrupted late on when he slowed near Les Combes with a hydraulic-pressure issue. After appearing to lose power and briefly drifting towards a stop, the Australian was instructed to continue slowly while the team monitored the problem.
Antonelli finished sixth, ahead of Lando Norris and Russell. Norris’ best lap left him 0.861s off Verstappen, with McLaren appearing to lose time through the middle sector.
Arvid Lindblad led the midfield in ninth for Racing Bulls, while Bortoleto completed the top 10 for Audi. Jak Crawford finished 22nd for Aston Martin, 6.129s off the pace.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:47.070 24 235.494
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:47.215 0.145 22 235.176
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:47.277 0.207 22 235.040
4 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:47.322 0.252 23 234.941
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:47.522 0.452 21 234.504
6 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:47.603 0.533 23 234.328
7 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:47.931 0.861 19 233.615
8 George Russell Mercedes 1:47.959 0.889 22 233.555
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:48.234 1.164 24 232.961
10 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:48.406 1.336 18 232.592
11 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:48.432 1.362 24 232.536
12 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:48.962 1.892 23 231.405
13 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:49.010 1.940 21 231.303
14 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:49.337 2.267 24 230.611
15 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:49.403 2.333 23 230.472
16 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:49.449 2.379 21 230.375
17 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:49.712 2.642 23 229.823
18 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:49.839 2.769 21 229.557
19 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:50.226 3.156 22 228.751
20 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:50.862 3.792 25 227.439
21 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:52.808 5.738 19 223.516
22 Jak Crawford Aston Martin/Honda 1:53.199 6.129 22
