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Hamilton: Mercedes and McLaren Lead at Spa, Ferrari Searching
Following a surprising opening day at Spa, Lewis Hamilton sees rivals Mercedes and McLaren as the teams to beat, while his own Ferrari team still has work to do.
By Michael de Vries - 2026-07-18T07:14:18.000Z - 2 min read
Lewis Hamilton expects Mercedes and McLaren to be the teams to beat at the Belgian Grand Prix. His assessment comes after a Friday in which Formula 1 teams completed their first laps at Spa-Francorchamps, offering an initial glimpse into the competitive hierarchy. Ferrari, Hamilton's current team, experienced a particularly difficult start to the race weekend.
On day one, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli posted the fastest time. With a lap of 1 minute 45.944 seconds, he set the pace for the rest of the field. This early display of speed from Mercedes appears to reinforce Hamilton's prediction, highlighting his former team as a major contender.
Lando Norris of McLaren followed Antonelli in second place, just two-tenths of a second slower. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull Racing, settled into third position. He trailed Antonelli by half a second, sharpening the battle at the front early on.
The picture was considerably less rosy for Ferrari during practice. Lewis Hamilton finished as the fastest Ferrari driver but could manage no higher than fourth place. His lap time trailed Antonelli's benchmark by 0.747 seconds.
This substantial deficit behind the top three signals a challenging start to the weekend for the Scuderia. The team will need to analyze telemetry thoroughly to bridge the performance gap to Mercedes and McLaren. The pursuit of an improved setup and greater pace began immediately following the opening runs.
Based on Friday's action, the fight for top honors in Belgium looks set to revolve around Mercedes, led by a promising Antonelli, and a formidable McLaren outfit. While Red Bull Racing demonstrated raw speed, they did not showcase the outright dominance often expected of them on opening day.
Hamilton's earlier evaluation—that Mercedes and McLaren are the teams to beat—seems well supported by the opening sessions. As a result, the pressure now rests heavily on Ferrari to close the gap on their rapid rivals in the Ardennes over the coming days.