Piastri Shines Brightest in Belgian GP Practice as Verstappen Trails Behind
The first and only practice session ahead of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps has wrapped up, and Oscar Piastri has certainly stolen the spotlight. If there was any doubt about his momentum going into the second half of the Formula 1 season, it’s quickly fading. Piastri topped the timesheets with a blistering 1:42.022 lap, finishing four-tenths of a second clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and further ahead of his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris.
The session, held under dry skies at the legendary Spa circuit, was all about maximizing limited time. With just one hour of practice before Sprint Qualifying later in the day, drivers were seen hitting the track aggressively right from the start. Nico Hulkenberg was first out of the pits, eager to build on his recent podium finish. But not everything went smoothly—Carlos Sainz ran into fuel system trouble early on, crawling back to the pits in what he described as "limp mode."
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Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc also had issues in the early minutes, while Verstappen briefly set the benchmark time on medium tires, showcasing Red Bull’s new upgrades, which included tweaks to the front suspension and cooling systems. However, the drama really began once drivers started bolting on the soft tires for their qualifying simulations in the final 10 minutes.
Piastri had already gone under the 1:45 barrier on hard tires, which was impressive enough—but once the softs were fitted, he went faster still. He wasn’t just quick; he looked completely at ease on a track where so many others struggled to find grip. Norris, who trails Piastri by eight points in the championship, had a rough opening lap and couldn’t quite match his teammate’s pace, ending the session in third.
Verstappen, who’s now driving under the watch of new Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies after Christian Horner’s surprise dismissal, showed strong early pace. But despite his upgrades, he couldn’t close the gap to the flying McLaren. He lost crucial time in the middle sector and settled for second.
Meanwhile, Mercedes showed decent form with George Russell in fourth and rookie Kimi Antonelli in sixth, while Ferrari’s upgrades didn’t seem to make a massive impact—Leclerc and Hamilton finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
In short, the McLarens look sharp, Piastri looks sharper, and the rest of the field has work to do before Sprint Qualifying. All eyes will be on whether this practice form carries through when things get even more serious later this afternoon.
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