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Verstappen Tops First Free Practice Session at Spa
Max Verstappen set the pace during the opening session of the Belgian Grand Prix, narrowly edging out Lewis Hamilton.
By Michael de Vries - 2026-07-17T12:41:00.000Z - 1 min read
The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps got underway with Max Verstappen as the fastest man on track. The Red Bull driver posted the top time in the first free practice session, laying down a marker right from the start.
Right behind Verstappen finished Lewis Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari, in second place. The gap was just over a tenth of a second, pointing to a competitive start to the weekend. Red Bull's early pace certainly looks promising.
In the early phase of the session, the two Red Bull drivers, Verstappen and Hadjar, traded fastest lap times between themselves. Verstappen ran his laps on the medium compound, while his teammate opted for the softer compound.
Only towards the end of the session did Verstappen definitively seal the top spot. He demonstrated that he has the pace to challenge right at the front on the high-speed Ardennes circuit.