Max Verstappen and his team have made a clear statement. © APA/afp / JOHN THYS

Verstappen surprises Antonelli and Hamilton

Former world champion Max Verstappen set the fastest lap in the first Formula 1 practice session ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

July 17, 2026

From: dpa/apa

The Dutchman prevailed in his Red Bull at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday, clocking a time of 1:47,070 minutes, 0,145 seconds ahead of record champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton's Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, finished third. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli had to settle for sixth place in his Mercedes.

Antonelli was more than half a second behind Verstappen. However, there are still two more practice sessions before Saturday's qualifying to fine-tune the car's setup.

Ahead of Sunday's tenth race of the season, Antonelli leads the World Championship standings by 25 points over his teammate George Russell. Hamilton is a further seven points behind. Verstappen, in seventh place, is already 103 points behind Antonelli.