Verstappen Leads FP1; Faces Grid Drop Penalty

Verstappen excels in FP1 despite a looming ten-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race at the Belgian GP.

The final F1 weekend before the summer break kicked off with FP1 under a sun that’s never guaranteed at Spa-Francorchamps. The Belgian Grand Prix looks set to be highly competitive with already fast lap times.

This weekend marks the start of the technical directive on wing flexibility. The Red Bulls, Mercedes, McLarens, Ferraris, Aston Martins, and Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas are equipped with 4K cameras to determine if the wing flexibility exceeds regulatory limits.

Several teams are bringing updates, starting with Mercedes which continues to advance its already high-performance package. The W15 receives a new floor, a new diffuser, a new beam wing, and a new front wing.

Ferrari introduces a new front wing and a new rear wing. McLaren also has updates, specifically a rear wing, a beam wing, and modified rear brake ducts. Alpine has also brought many developments, although this was not initially planned.

The A524 with special liveries for the film Deadpool & Wolverine get a front wing, an engine cover, rear brake ducts, a beam wing, a rear wing, and reshaped mirrors.

RB F1 receives new winglets around the rear wheel, a new beam wing, and a new rear wing. Stake F1 brings a front wing, a rear wing, mirrors, and vertical fins in front of the floor. Finally, Haas introduces a specific rear wing and beam wing for Spa.

Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda will take penalties this weekend for an engine change. RB F1 has decided to send the Japanese driver to the back of the grid with several new components, while the Red Bull driver will only take a new engine, thus incurring a 10-place penalty.

The asphalt at Spa-Francorchamps has been completely redone since the 2023 edition, and forecasts suggest several seconds gained over the old surface. Indeed, Max Verstappen’s initial times of 1’44, one second off the pace from two years ago and three and a half seconds from the track record, confirmed progress.

Esteban Ocon encountered a technical issue early in the session with a hydraulic circuit problem in his Alpine, forcing the Frenchman to retire. Mercedes F1 drivers temporarily took second and third places, just tenths behind Verstappen, on medium tires.

George Russell outpaced Verstappen with soft tires, clocking 1’44″225 just before mid-session. The Dutchman also switched to the fastest tires, posting a time of 1’43″372.

Oscar Piastri was half a second off Verstappen, while Sergio Pérez complained about his car’s handling at corner entry.

Alpine confirmed that Ocon would not be able to continue in the session, as his hydraulic leak required extensive repairs. A frustrating and costly start to the weekend for the future Haas F1 driver.

Lap times saw little change, with drivers focusing mainly on long runs on soft and medium tires. Alex Albon, however, secured the third-fastest time, seven tenths behind Verstappen. Nevertheless, the Dutchman maintained the best time until the end of the session, sending a strong signal despite his grid penalty.

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FP1: Verstappen Tops Grid Penalty Looms FP1: Verstappen Tops Grid Penalty Looms