Antonelli Tops FP2 as Gasly Crashes at Spa

Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in the second practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix while Alpine's Pierre Gasly crashed heavily, causing a red flag. The incident occurred on July 17, 2026, as Gasly lost control on the exit of the Fagnes medium-speed chicane, hitting the barrier and tearing off his right rear wheel. This crash halted the race-simulation runs during the final part of the session, leading to a challenging night for Gasly's team. After the crash, Gasly commented, "Overall it was a good day of testing. Just need to work on what happened in the P2. I just had a big snap, lost the car, but it was a huge snap and it took a lot longer to recover. By the time I recovered, I was already off the track and could not get back on track." Team principal Steve Nielsen viewed the incident as a small mistake that would typically be manageable on other tracks but was penalized at Spa.

Antonelli, leading the drivers' championship by 25 points over teammate George Russell, aimed to bounce back from recent performance declines, where Russell reduced Antonelli's championship lead from 68 points to 25 over the last three races. The 19-year-old Italian clocked a time that was 0.190 seconds faster than McLaren's Lando Norris and a significant 1.285 seconds ahead of Russell. During the session, Russell reported issues with tire temperatures, stating, "Rears [tyres] felt too cold, sliding a lot. But not 1.2 seconds cold."

While both Antonelli and Russell struggled in the first session, with Antonelli only sixth fastest and Russell eighth, Antonelli remarked on the significant improvement in his car's performance, noting, "It was a good change but of course a lot of work to do because Red Bull is quick, and McLaren was up there. Long run felt very strong as well."

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explained that their first session was messy, but the drivers expressed happiness with the car's performance during the afternoon. He emphasized that it was just one lap for Russell, who miscalculated the grip level in several corners. Meanwhile, Antonelli also demonstrated impressive performance during long-run laps, emerging faster than both Norris and Russell on average.

McLaren's Norris expressed dissatisfaction with his car setup, declaring, "P1 not great. P2 a little bit happier, I am still not very happy with the car." He noted the challenges posed by the energy-hungry nature of the Spa circuit, causing cars to run low on electrical energy on the straights.

Verstappen, who topped the opening session and finished third in the single-lap qualifying simulation runs, acknowledged the difficulties posed by energy management on this challenging track, stating the gap to competitors was not shocking but expected.

Norris also faced a grid penalty due to exceeding the allowable number of batteries, joining other drivers facing similar penalties this weekend. Antonelli's recent performance issues, including a retirement and a near-victory impacted by penalties, have contributed to the narrowing championship gap.

Overall, the first two practice sessions at Spa prepared the teams and drivers for the challenges ahead in the Belgian Grand Prix. Reported by Andrew Benson.