What we learned from disrupted Belgian GP practice as Antonelli tops times

Pierre Gasly's crash into the barriers during second practice at Spa brought out the red flag and spoiled long-run data for much of the Formula 1 field. Despite the interrupted session, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli delivered a remarkably consistent stint to top the times, while Ferrari's programme ended before it could reveal any real clues about its true Spa potential.

Why it matters:

With teams running wildly different energy deployment strategies, Friday's incomplete picture leaves genuine uncertainty over the competitive order ahead of qualifying. The session also confirmed costly grid penalties for Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar that will shake up Sunday's grid and force alternate race strategies.

The details:

• Mercedes edge: Antonelli's four-lap run kept all laps within three tenths after the team made "massive changes" from an "edgy" FP1 balance. George Russell remained a step behind on both single-lap and long-run pace, losing much of his 1.2s deficit to his teammate on the straights in a potential energy harvesting inefficiency.
• Red Bull reality: Max Verstappen completed the longest stint of anyone and looked solid despite "unacceptable" gear shifts traced to a software calibration issue. Isack Hadjar was further back and already faces a back-of-grid penalty for exceeding his 2026 power unit component allowance.
• Ferrari unknown: Charles Leclerc had completed just one lap when the red flag flew, while Lewis Hamilton hadn't started his long run. Fred Vasseur highlighted that Ferrari was trading 20km/h to rivals before Les Combes for a 20km/h advantage on the final straight, confirming the true picture remains masked by divergent approaches.

What's next:

Deployment strategies are expected to converge on Saturday, finally offering a clearer read on where Ferrari and the midfield truly stand. If Antonelli carries his Friday speed into qualifying, Mercedes could control the weekend, but Spa's unpredictable weather and mixed grid penalties mean the competitive order remains wide open.