Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in a rain-hit opening practice at Spa-Francorchamps, clocking a 1m43.372s on intermediates as teams grappled with tricky conditions for the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix.
The session started under grey skies, with light drizzle turning into heavier showers midway through, forcing most drivers to switch from slicks to inters. Red Bull’s Dutch ace set the pace early, edging out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by 0.531s, while Lando Norris slotted into third, just 0.057s adrift of his teammate.
Ferrari’s new pairing showed promise despite the weather chaos. Lewis Hamilton, in his first Spa outing for the Scuderia, posted the fourth-fastest time at 1m44.085s, with Charles Leclerc close behind in fifth. Mercedes, now led by George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli, struggled for grip; Russell managed sixth, but Antonelli spun at La Source on his out-lap, bringing out a brief red flag.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished seventh and eighth, sandwiching Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in ninth. Sergio Perez, under pressure at Red Bull, could only manage 10th after a lock-up at the Bus Stop chicane.
Haas duo Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen ran conservatively, ending 11th and 12th, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon in 13th. Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu followed in 14th and 15th, with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo in 16th and 17th.
Kick Sauber’s rookies, including Oliver Bearman, rounded out the field, with Bearman 18th ahead of Logan Sargeant at Williams and Esteban Ocon at Alpine, who both sat out much of the session due to setup tweaks.
Visibility dropped as rain intensified late on, limiting running and leaving teams with incomplete data ahead of a forecasted drier FP2. Verstappen’s lap stood unchallenged, signaling Red Bull’s edge in the mixed conditions that could define this Ardennes weekend.
