What the teams said – Friday in Belgium

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli led the way in Friday practice at Spa-Francorchamps, topping the second session after a productive day of adjustments. While teammate George Russell struggled with car balance and sliding in the morning, the team found significant improvements for the afternoon. McLaren’s Lando Norris showed strong one-lap pace but faces a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday, while Oscar Piastri dealt with a hydraulics issue that limited his track time. Max Verstappen set the pace in FP1, though he continued to work through shifting and energy management nuances. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton remained consistently competitive in the top five, while Alpine saw a split in fortunes: Franco Colapinto impressed by finishing seventh, whereas Pierre Gasly suffered a significant late-session crash that resulted in heavy car damage. Racing Bulls continued their solid form in the midfield, with Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson both finishing in the top 10 as they debuted a new upgrade package. Meanwhile, Audi, Haas, Williams, and Cadillac focused on gathering data and fine-tuning setups. Pirelli noted that while overnight rain hampered grip levels, track conditions are expected to improve as the weekend progresses, with a one-stop race strategy likely for Sunday.