magic win

Max Verstappen, despite facing a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race, led the times for Red Bull in the opening free practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix, outpacing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Verstappen’s best lap time of 1:43.372 minutes put him 0.531 seconds ahead of Piastri, who recently won his first Formula One race in Hungary. This strong performance comes just days after Verstappen’s frustrated radio outbursts during the Hungarian Grand Prix. He aims to break his three-race winless streak and secure his fourth consecutive victory in Belgium.

Williams’ Alex Albon posted the third-fastest time, followed by Mercedes drivers George Russell and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, Sergio Perez of Red Bull, and McLaren’s Lando Norris rounded out the top positions, with Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completing the top ten.

On a warm, cloudy day with earlier rain showers in the Ardennes, Russell was the first to take to the track, but it was Verstappen who initially set the pace on hard tyres with a time of 1:44.706. Piastri soon followed, seven-tenths of a second behind. Norris, both Ferrari drivers, and Hamilton started on soft tyres, while Esteban Ocon, who recently announced his move to Haas next year, remained in the garage due to a suspected water leak.

As Verstappen improved his time, his 10-place grid penalty for taking a new engine was confirmed, along with a penalty for RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, who will start from the back of the grid after taking additional power unit components.

By the session’s midpoint, Perez joined Verstappen on the track, switched to soft tyres, and took fifth place but expressed frustration with his car’s responsiveness. Verstappen led the times ahead of Piastri, Albon, and the Mercedes drivers, with Leclerc and Perez trailing.

With nine minutes left, most drivers were on soft tyres for qualifying simulation laps. Hamilton ran wide at Les Combes and reported severe bouncing, forcing him to pit. Russell had earlier complained about his car’s rear end, but despite these issues, both drivers showed inconsistent pace in conditions more suited to their package.

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