Kimi Antonelli Goes Fastest On Friday In Belgium

Kimi Antonelli was the fastest driver on the opening day of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, setting a time of 1:45.944. The Mercedes driver recorded the lap on Soft tyres, finishing ahead of Lando Norris, second in 1:46.134, and Max Verstappen, third in 1:46.416.

During FP2, held with track temperatures of 37°C and air temperatures of 25°C, drivers used only the Medium C3 and Soft C4 compounds. The number of laps completed was generally lower than usual due to the red flag caused by Gasly, which interrupted the second free practice session. Antonelli and Norris stopped at 17 laps, while Verstappen reached 20.

In the first session, some teams also used the Hard C2. Audi, Alpine and Cadillac opted for this choice, before switching to Softs later in FP1. The rest of the field focused exclusively on the C3 and C4. Max Verstappen set the fastest time with a 1:47.070, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Temperatures were higher, with a peak of 43°C on track.

Max Verstappen – Fastest in FP1

“The practice sessions were pretty decent for us today. The balance was good straight away and we were mainly working on fine-tuning the car, which hopefully unlocked a little more pace. In FP2 we were perhaps seeing the real gap a bit more clearly, but we cannot be disappointed with our performance and are focusing on ourselves. It is quite a challenging track with the energy management, and during the session we were also looking at the downshifts as it took some time to get them working properly. From a balance perspective, the car felt okay too and hopefully we can find some more pace before Qualifying. There are some areas we still need to improve, but all in all it was a good day.”

Kimi Antonelli – Fastest in FP2

“After a tricky FP1, we made several changes to the car that improved things. That gives us a positive direction to follow as we head into the rest of the weekend. There is still lots of work for us to do, both in terms of set-up and also with my driving. Whilst we ended the day quickest, we know just how competitive the field is looking on both the single lap and the long run. Overall, though, we’re happy that we enjoyed a much better second hour of practice and we’re looking forward to the weekend.

‘Our goal as always is to maximise our points scoring and fight for the win. Whilst Silverstone was disappointing for me, it’s already behind us and I feel in a good place. Our pace was strong there and whilst Spa presents a different challenge, after today, we can be confident of getting ourselves in the fight at the front.”

Simone Berra – Pirelli Chief Engineer

“The rain that fell overnight and throughout the day significantly reduced track grip, increasing lap times compared to both our and the teams’ expectations. If there is no further precipitation, the track will gradually rubber in and return to the anticipated levels. Despite the interruption in the second hour of free practice, teams should have gathered sufficient data to tackle the weekend.

“Degradation was slightly higher than initial expectations on the two softest compounds, on both axles: on the front due to abrasion, and on the rear due to thermal effects. We do not expect this phenomenon to recur over the coming days, when temperatures will be lower and the track conditions improved. The delta between Medium and Soft is between four and five tenths, in line with simulations.

“The Hard compound was used by only a few teams in FP1. Many teams therefore chose to preserve two sets of the hardest compound. It is interesting to consider the reason, given that a one-stop race on Sunday appears very likely. The additional set could represent a valuable joker in the event of a neutralisation during the Grand Prix, should a first stop have already been made.”

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Written by

Jarrod Partridge

Jarrod Partridge is the Co-Founder of F1 Chronicle and an FIA accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following Formula 1. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered F1 races at circuits around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every race report, driver profile, and technical analysis he writes.

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