Antonelli Leads Spa FP2 After Mercedes Finds 'Massive Turnaround' from FP1 Struggles

Kimi Antonelli finished Friday's second practice at Spa-Francorchamps on top after Mercedes engineered a dramatic turnaround from a difficult FP1, where the championship leader had ended up sixth and over half a second off the pace.

Why it matters:

Antonelli's form is under constant scrutiny at the sharp end of the title fight, and Mercedes' rapid recovery from a sluggish opening session demonstrates the team's sharp problem-solving. The single-lap resurgence keeps them in the hunt, but Spa's unpredictable conditions and track evolution mean Saturday remains wide open.

The details:

• Session turnaround: After struggling with excessive sliding and poor balance in FP1, Antonelli switched to soft tyres in FP2 and delivered the only lap below 1m46s, narrowly edging Lando Norris.
• Quick fixes: Mercedes compressed significant setup work into the break between sessions. Antonelli said the car felt completely different, though he admitted there is "a lot of work to do" before qualifying and the race.
• Sainz incident: An early flying lap was ruined when Carlos Sainz slowed exiting a high-speed corner, forcing Antonelli to abort and gesture in frustration. He later conceded his radio comments were made in the heat of the moment after a "dangerous moment."
• Russell's gap: George Russell finished over a second behind his teammate, but Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin played down the deficit, blaming tyre preparation and a single imperfect qualifying simulation rather than any deeper concern.

What's next:

Friday ended with Mercedes optimistic but cautious. Antonelli was encouraged by strong long-run pace, yet expects further overnight tweaks to fend off Red Bull and McLaren when the competitive sessions begin.