Piastri takes the lead in free practice ahead of Verstappen and Norris. Leclerc finishes fifth with the new suspension.

Oscar Piastri is fastest in the only free practice session of the Belgian GP . On the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, where the Sprint Race format is making its return, the Australian stopped the clock at 1:42.022, showcasing the aerodynamic downforce capabilities of his super McLaren. Behind him is Verstappen's Red Bull – in his first GP without Christian Horner – with the Dutchman still more than four tenths behind Piastri. Norris's McLaren follows, third, half a second behind his teammate, and George Russell's Mercedes. Leclerc's Ferrari is fifth, almost a second off the pace, with Hamilton seventh.

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At Ferrari, the anticipation is high for the new rear suspension, tested during a filming day at Mugello and finally on track at Spa. With the threat of rain averted, the Ferrari drivers spent much of the only available free practice session testing the new rear suspension features: paint on the wing (Leclerc uses a lighter one than Hamilton) and various tweaks to the suspension stiffness, as well as some setup changes. Switching to soft tyres, the two Ferrari drivers achieved fifth (Leclerc) and seventh (Hamilton) times, despite laps that weren't the cleanest.

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After extensive preparation for tomorrow's Sprint Race—scheduled for 12:00 Italian time—the drivers switched to soft-compound tires only in the final ten minutes of the session. Piastri's McLaren was flying, gaining nearly a second on its rivals in the central sector alone, where traction and aerodynamic downforce are crucial. Both MCL39s were then fitted with the new floor tested in Silverstone practice, as well as the fourth-spec power unit. Verstappen's Red Bull followed, still without his race engineer Lambiase, who is absent for personal reasons. George Russell posted a strong fourth-fastest time on medium-compound tires, despite being more than half a second behind the leader. The next round of qualifying is scheduled for 4:30 PM, when sprint qualifying takes place.

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The times of the only free practice session of the Formula 1 Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps: