Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc avoided any grid position penalties, but Ferrari were instead fined for breaking sporting rules at the Belgian Grand Prix.
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The Italian team was called before the stewards to explain an alleged violation of the rules regarding the return of used Pirelli tires after the opening of free practice.
According to the sport’s strict Formula 1 tire regulations, each team must return all used tires to Pirelli within a specified time frame and before the start of the next session.
Ferrari complied with part of the rules by returning used tires electronically, but not physically on time.
As a result, they were summoned to a meeting with the stewards and fined 10 thousand euros, 5 thousand for each driver.
It was the latest flashpoint in the dramatic first two practice sessions for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Read on for a full overview of each session and the important moments you need to experience!
FP2 WRAP: MAXIMUM SMOKES WITH AN “UNACCEPTABLE” PROBLEM, MERCEDES STAR COMES BACK
World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli led the Mercedes team ahead of defending champion Lando Norris of McLaren in the second free practice.
The 19-year-old Italian set a best lap time of one minute and 45.944 seconds, beating Norris, who has a 10-place grid penalty for Monday’s race after taking a new battery, by 0.190 seconds, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.
The four-time champion was 0.472 seconds behind after a much improved day using the team’s traditional rear wing after ditching the criticized Macarena wing, which Verstappen described as very dangerous.
He crashed at both the Austrian and British Grand Prix but recovered to be fastest in the first session on Friday.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was fourth for Ferrari, ahead of Isak Hajjar in the second Red Bull, Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren and Franco Colapinto, who was seventh in the Alpine.
Antonelli fastest in practice for the Belgian Grand Prix | 01:01
The result dropped George Russell to eighth in the second Mercedes, more than 1.2 seconds behind Antonelli, ahead of Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, the pair relegating Charles Leclerc to 11th in the second Ferrari.
The session ended after a long red flag break after Pierre Gasly crashed his Alpine into the barrier. He was not injured.
After a light shower between sessions, play began with Antonelli setting the pace with a 1:46.911 and Verstappen pushing his time before a short red flag delay to clear gravel from the track.
The Dutchman, showing some frustration, grumbled colorfully about his gearbox.
“Oh my god, those damn gear changes,” Verstappen said.
“Incredible man, why are they such ****?
“This is unacceptable, my God.”
Piastri responds to rumors | 01:14
After the race restarted, several drivers swapped Medium to Soft rims when Piastri joined the fray after being repaired by a hydraulic problem during the qualifying simulation laps.
Hajjar quickly took the lead on the softs before Verstappen and then Antonelli regained the lead, the Italian clocking 1:45.944 to lead by almost five tenths.
In response to Ferrari, both drivers set personal best times in the first and second half of the lap, but Hamilton finished third behind Verstappen and ahead of Hajjar. He trailed Antonelli by 0.747.
Russell, 25 points behind his Silver Arrows teammate in the drivers’ title race, attempted a lap on the softs but was 1.285 seconds slower than the flying Italian and finished sixth.
Like Russell, Piastri struggled to match his teammate, with Norris finishing second in 1:46.134, two tenths off the pace. The Australian, last year’s winner, was sixth but 0.982 behind.
With 15 minutes left, events were red flagged when Gasly lost control of his Alpine and hit the barriers at the Fan chicane. He was uninjured and walked away from his damaged car, which had lost its rear wing.
Play was suspended for 13 minutes, giving the teams just two minutes of action at the end of the session to complete their program and conduct some practice starts on the climb.
COMPLETION OF FP1: TWO PIONEERS CLASH DUE TO “INSULT”, PIASTRI TEMPORARILY STOPPED
Earlier, Verstappen led Red Bull ahead of Hamilton in first free practice, while Piastri suffered a hydraulic setback and the two rival drivers collided.
Verstappen set a fastest lap of one minute and 47.070 seconds, 0.145 seconds ahead of seven-time champion Hamilton, with Leclerc third in the second Ferrari ahead of Hajjar in the second Red Bull.
Piastri was fifth ahead of Antonelli, Norris and Russell, but suffered a problem with a hydraulic leak at the end of first practice, which later required a gearbox replacement.
Australia and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri prepares for a ride in the garage during practice (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“The hydraulic problem that arose at the end of the first practice session on Oscar’s car was devastating and unfortunately cost him valuable track time in the second practice session as the team continued to work in the second session after replacing the gearbox,” said McLaren Technical Director of Application Engineering Neil Holdy.
“Overall the day went well,” added Piastri.
“Unfortunately we were delayed in getting into FP2 as the team worked to resolve the cause of the hydraulic leak that appeared at the end of FP1. Kudos to them for working to get this issue sorted out.
“However, we made good progress in FP2 and our pace looks reasonable. We are moving in the right direction and we are well positioned to build on this in tomorrow’s FP3 and qualifying.”
Kimi wins pole position at the British Grand Prix | 00:53
For the first time this year, neither Mercedes nor Ferrari took the lead in the first session.
Antonelli was unusually off the pace in first practice and collided with Sainz, whom he called an “idiot” after the Williams driver blocked him at the end of the middle sector.
“I think he felt I was in his way, but I don’t feel that way,” Sainz later told The Race magazine.
“I think nowadays with SM (straight mode), if you don’t go off the road exactly the way the other driver wants you to, you can’t turn because you don’t have downforce with the wings open.
“Maybe he felt I could get out of the way in a better way.
“But I don’t think he should call me an idiot, on the radio I think it’s illegal to swear and insult your opponent – so I think he should calm down a little.”
In the opening lap it was Red Bull – reverting to its original conventional rear wing after ditching the Macarena’s rotating wing – who shone with Hajjar, the lone soft-car driver, and then Verstappen in the mediums setting the early pace.
The Dutchman clocked 1:48.237 and was 0.227 seconds ahead after 15 minutes, with Hamilton third ahead of Ferrari teammate Leclerc and Antonelli fifth.
Hajar, who will start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid after Red Bull changed several components of his power unit, returned to the top with another fast lap on the soft surfaces in 1:47.778 before Mercedes responded.
Lewis Hamilton prepares to take the start line during second practice at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa ahead of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix on July 17, 2026. (Photo by Andrey ISAKOVICH / AFP)Source: AFP
Switching to soft, Antonelli clocked 1:47.603 to take the lead until Verstappen overtook him – the Dutchman clocked 1:47.070, with Hajjar second and Leclerc third.
On the longest lap on the calendar, the top five were separated by just half a second as Ferrari emerged as Red Bull’s main threat with 20 minutes remaining.
At this stage Norris, who had been on pole the previous year, dropped to 11th for McLaren and faced a 10-place grid penalty for taking a new battery. He soon entered the top eight of the Big Four teams, with a clear three-tenths advantage over the rest.
As usual, Aston Martin battled for pace with Lance Stroll and rookie Jack Crawford replacing two-time Spanish champion Fernando Alonso in 21st and 22nd.
Alonso, sitting on the pit wall, made it clear on Thursday that his “main goal” this weekend is to get home in time to watch Spain play Argentina in the World Cup final.