Norris and McLaren dominate, with Verstappen closely trailing and Ferraris in the mix for the lead.
Free Practice 2 for the Belgian Grand Prix took place at Spa-Francorchamps under grayer skies than the earlier EL1 session in the afternoon. However, the rain stayed away from the track, allowing teams to optimally prepare for the weekend.
Max Verstappen immediately set the benchmark in this session on medium tires, quickly posting a time of 1’43″456. Lando Norris came close at 0″115 on soft tires, while George Russell was just under three tenths behind on medium rubber.
About ten minutes into the session, Verstappen improved to 1’43″339. Esteban Ocon finally took to the track after being stuck in the garage during the entire first practice session due to a hydraulic leak.
Carlos Sainz then recorded the fastest lap at 1’43″098, also on soft tires. Charles Leclerc, also on the quickest compound, was just nine tenths off his teammate at that point in the session.
Drivers attempted more fast timed laps mid-session, and Oscar Piastri set the fastest time at 1’42″475, also on red-striped tires. The Australian, however, had a scare when he went off into the gravel.
In fine form with his Red Bull RB20, similar to the package before the Hungarian GP, Verstappen improved his time but could only manage second, two milliseconds behind Piastri.
Leclerc then advanced in the standings, moving up to third, three tenths from the benchmark set by the McLaren. Ocon finally did his first lap on softs shortly after mid-session and climbed to sixth.
Norris was also on a fast lap, and the Briton finished with the best time at 1’42″260. Kevin Magnussen moved into the top 10, while Fernando Alonso could not do better than 12th.
The drivers then completed numerous long runs, and this second part of the focused session was very calm. Daniel Ricciardo complained of a handling issue with his car, and his engineer Pierre Hamelin confirmed during his return to the pits that the issue was noted and understood.
Norris retained the top time until the end of the session, ahead of Piastri and Verstappen. Leclerc and Sainz follow, ahead of Russell and Ocon, then Magnussen, Pérez, and Hamilton. Gasly is 15th.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:42.260 | 19 |
| 02 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:42.475 | 23 |
| 03 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:42.477 | 26 |
| 04 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:42.837 | 23 |
| 05 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:43.098 | 25 |
| 06 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:43.290 | 24 |
| 07 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:43.401 | 23 |
| 08 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:43.485 | 21 |
| 09 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:43.504 | 24 |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:43.519 | 25 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:43.532 | 21 |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:43.538 | 24 |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:43.675 | 24 |
| 14 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:43.823 | 21 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:43.829 | 24 |
| 16 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:43.846 | 21 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:43.892 | 23 |
| 18 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:44.226 | 24 |
| 19 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:44.302 | 23 |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:44.348 | 24 |
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