Isack Hadjar Tops Belgian GP FP1 With 1m48.918s Lap at Spa

1 articles · Updated · Motorsport.com · Jul 17

Hadjar led the opening practice at Spa with a 1m48.918s lap, setting the early benchmark in dry, sunny conditions with a 43C track.
Soft tyres helped shape the order: Verstappen briefly went fastest before Hadjar and then Mercedes drivers improved, with Antonelli reaching 1m47.603s and Hamilton later splitting the Mercedes on a 1m47.711s.
McLaren’s session was disrupted as Norris spent much of FP1 running aero rakes and did not post an early representative time, while he is also due to take a grid penalty for a new-spec Mercedes engine.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz came under scrutiny after crossing the pit-entry line and later losing a lap for track limits, while Aston Martin handed Jak Crawford Fernando Alonso’s car for a mandatory rookie FP1 run.
The session opened a Belgian weekend already carrying technical intrigue, with Red Bull dropping its 'Macarena' wing after two failures and teams reverting to Pirelli’s C2, C3 and C4 compounds.