Verstappen and Antonelli Top the Times in Belgian GP First Practices

On Friday, July 25, the first two practice sessions for the Belgian Grand Prix took place at Spa-Francorchamps. In the first session, Red Bull's Max Verstappen was quickest with a lap of 1:47.070, beating Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton by 0.145 seconds and Charles Leclerc by 0.207 seconds.

The second session saw Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli clocking 1:45.944, outpacing current world champion Lando Norris by 0.190 seconds, Verstappen by 0.472 seconds, and Hamilton by 0.747 seconds. Alpine's Pierre Gasly crashed in the second session but emerged unharmed.

Saturday will feature the third practice and qualifying, with the Belgian Grand Prix race on Sunday. Norris will start ten positions lower on the grid after a battery change.

After nine rounds, Antonelli leads the drivers' standings with 179 points, ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell (154), Hamilton (147), Leclerc (108), Norris (97), Oscar Piastri (82), and Verstappen (76). In the constructors' championship, Mercedes has 333 points, followed by Ferrari (255), McLaren (179), and Red Bull (128).

The season originally included 24 rounds, but races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The season will conclude in early December in Abu Dhabi. Last season, Norris won his first drivers' title, while McLaren secured the constructors' championship.