After two high-speed crashes in as many weekends, Max Verstappen needed more than a quick Red Bull at Spa. He needed a car he could trust.
Red Bull responded by shelving its rotating rear wing and returning to the standard arrangement used earlier in the season. The decision produced an immediate result. Verstappen topped Belgian Grand Prix FP1 with a lap of 1:47.070, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.145 seconds and Charles Leclerc by 0.207.
Hamilton and Leclerc placed both Ferraris directly behind the Red Bull. Isack Hadjar completed the top four in the other Red Bull, finishing only 0.252 seconds behind his team-mate.
Friday timesheets can deceive. Teams run different fuel loads, engine settings and programmes. Even so, this was a welcome reset for Red Bull. Verstappen completed 24 laps, found pace on both tyre compounds and avoided the sudden instability that had wrecked his previous two weekends.
Red Bull Returns To Familiar Hardware
The rear-wing change was driven by safety as much as performance.
Verstappen lost control at the penultimate corner during Q3 in Austria, ending his final qualifying attempt with a heavy crash. One week later, another rear-wing problem sent him spinning into the gravel at Stowe while he was fighting for a podium at Silverstone.
Red Bull connected both incidents to its rotating rear-wing concept. Verstappen said the newer assembly could fail to remain fully attached under cornering loads, causing an abrupt loss of downforce and leaving the driver with little chance to recover.
The design was Red Bull’s interpretation of the concept known around the paddock as the Macarena wing. Ferrari had used a similar system since Miami. Its movement was designed to improve aerodynamic efficiency as the 2026 cars switched between corner mode and straight mode, but the failures in Austria and Silverstone forced Red Bull to abandon it at Spa.
Confidence matters everywhere in Formula 1. At the spa, it is essential.
Drivers must commit through Eau Rouge, Raidillon, Pouhon and Blanchimont while trusting that the aerodynamic platform will remain stable. Returning to the conventional wing removed some of that uncertainty and gave Verstappen a more predictable rear end.
“We’ll go back to the old one and then see whenever the latest, or new one, is ready again to be used for us,” Verstappen said.
His driving suggested the change worked. Verstappen led on the medium tyres, improved as the circuit developed and remained fastest when the leading runners moved onto the soft compound.
Hadjar’s fourth place strengthened the early picture for Red Bull. The French driver finished just 0.107 seconds behind Hamilton and 0.045 behind Leclerc, showing that the team’s pace was not built around a single exceptional lap from Verstappen.
His race prospects are more complicated. Red Bull fitted several new power-unit components to Hadjar’s car, triggering a 20-place grid penalty and making a start near the rear almost certain.
Ferrari Proves Its Baseline Pace
Verstappen led the session, but Ferrari left FP1 with plenty of encouragement.
Traffic ruined Hamilton’s first run on the soft compound and cost him time through the opening sector. Once he found clear track, the seven-time world champion produced a 1:47.215 to move into second.
Leclerc followed with a 1:47.277 in the other Ferrari. Only 0.062 seconds separated the team-mates, while both finished within 0.207 seconds of Verstappen.
One quick practice lap can come from a light fuel load, an aggressive engine mode or ideal tyre preparation. Putting both cars inside the same narrow window is harder to dismiss. Ferrari appeared to have found a competitive baseline before making the usual overnight setup changes.
Neither driver completed a perfect lap. Hamilton lost his first attempt to traffic, while Leclerc still had small gains available across the circuit. That left Ferrari close enough to punish Red Bull if Verstappen failed to extract everything from his car later in the weekend.
McLaren And Mercedes Search For More
Oscar Piastri led the group behind Red Bull and Ferrari in fifth. His session ended with concern when McLaren detected a hydraulic-pressure problem near Les Combes.
Piastri briefly stopped away from the racing line before the team instructed him to return slowly to the garage. The issue limited McLaren’s late running and left its engineers with work to complete before the next session.
Lando Norris finished seventh after spending part of FP1 on aerodynamic testing.
McLaren installed a fourth power-electronics unit in Norris’s car, exceeding the permitted allocation of three. The change earned him a 10-place grid penalty and increased the importance of a strong qualifying performance.
Mercedes also struggled to find the sweet spot. Kimi Antonelli placed sixth and reported that the car felt edgy on his faster laps. George Russell followed in eighth, with both drivers more than 0.5 seconds behind Verstappen.
Antonelli remains the Drivers’ Championship leader, but Mercedes did not show the pace expected from its car at Spa. The team shifted attention towards longer runs while Red Bull and Ferrari fought over the quickest laps.
Red Bull Finds Relief, Not Proof
The immediate reaction was simple. Red Bull removed the rotating wing, and Verstappen went fastest.
Inside the paddock, the answer is less tidy. Fuel loads remain unknown. Engine modes can hide performance, while tyre preparation and track evolution can reshape the order within minutes.
McLaren spent part of the session testing. Mercedes focused on longer running. Ferrari finished close enough to overturn the result with a small setup gain.
Still, Red Bull achieved exactly what it needed from FP1. Verstappen drove a stable car, completed his programme and finished at the top of the timesheet. Hadjar supported that result by placing fourth.
Ferrari ensured the session never became a comfortable Red Bull statement. Hamilton and Leclerc stayed within 0.207 seconds, setting up a genuine three-driver contest at the front.
Returning to proven hardware has restored Verstappen’s confidence. Whether it has restored enough speed to hold off both Ferraris will become clear when the fuel comes out and qualifying begins.
READ MORE: Why a Max Verstappen Move to McLaren Makes Perfect Sense but Remains Highly Unlikely
FAQs
Who was the fastest in the Belgian Grand Prix FP1?
Max Verstappen led FP1 with a 1:47.070. Lewis Hamilton finished 0.145 seconds behind, with Charles Leclerc third.
Why did Red Bull remove its rotating rear wing?
Red Bull linked the design to Verstappen’s crashes in Austria and Silverstone. The team returned to its earlier specification for Spa.
Where did Hamilton and Leclerc finish in Spa FP1?
Hamilton finished second and Leclerc third. Both Ferraris stayed within 0.207 seconds of Verstappen.
Why does Lando Norris have a grid penalty in Belgium?
McLaren fitted Norris’s fourth power-electronics unit, exceeding the permitted allocation of three. He received a 10-place grid penalty.
What grid penalty does Isack Hadjar have?
Hadjar received a 20-place penalty after Red Bull fitted several new power-unit components. He is expected to start near the rear.
