World championship leader Kimi Antonelli dominated Practice Two at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, setting the fastest lap at a blistering 1:45.944. He cleared McLaren’s reigning world champion Lando Norris by 0.190 seconds. The session ended abruptly when Alpine’s Pierre Gasly suffered a heavy crash, scattering debris across the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and triggering an immediate red flag.
While Antonelli looked untouchable, his Mercedes teammate George Russell hit a wall on pace. Russell spent both Friday practice sessions fighting the car and ultimately finished down in eighth place.
That lack of speed comes at the worst possible time for the British driver. Russell currently trails the young Italian by 25 points in the Drivers’ Championship standings. Finding a setup cure overnight will dictate whether he stays in the title fight through the weekend.
Max Verstappen finished third for Red Bull, clocking in 0.472 seconds off Antonelli’s benchmark. Red Bull arrived in Belgium with a significant mechanical change. The team entirely abandoned their rotating macarena wing following a string of high-speed structural failures in Austria and Silverstone. They opted for a more traditional, stable downforce package for the Spa straights.
Sunday’s grid order is already facing heavy disruption regardless of qualifying results. Norris will take a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his season allowance for electronics components. Antonelli is teetering on the edge of a similar 10-place drop. Mercedes mechanics are still investigating a damaged power unit sustained during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.