Max Verstappen set the pace in first practice for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, ending FP1 on top with a 1m 47.070s lap ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton finished second, with Charles Leclerc completing the top three as Red Bull and Ferrari headed the field at the start of the 44-lap event. The session also showed how quickly the order could move, with George Russell setting the opening benchmark of 1m 50.654s before the times dropped sharply in the opening minutes.
How the session unfolded
At the start of FP1, Carlos Sainz led the pack for Williams and Russell posted the first notable time, but Verstappen soon cut into that margin. In the opening 10 minutes, Verstappen reduced his time significantly and Isack Hadjar became the first driver to break into the 1m 48s bracket.
By halfway through the session, Verstappen had moved into first place by two-tenths from his team mate. That gap underlined how competitive the front of the field looked, even with several teams arriving in Belgium with new components and Verstappen running an old specification rear wing after crashes in Austria and Silverstone.
What the order means
By the end of FP1, Verstappen, Hamilton and Leclerc were still the top three. That gave Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes a useful first look at the shape of the weekend, while McLaren, Williams, Racing Bulls, Alpine, Cadillac and Aston Martin also featured in the results.
There was also an extra layer of interest after the session, with Sainz set to be investigated for crossing the line at pit entry. Elsewhere in the field, Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar were handed 10-place and 20-place penalties, adding another wrinkle before qualifying and the main race at Spa-Francorchamps.
For Verstappen, the headline was simple: he was quickest in FP1 and looked comfortable enough to start the Belgian Grand Prix weekend as the early benchmark.
