Kimi Antonelli led the timesheets in the second practice session (FP2) of the 2026 Formula 1® Belgian Grand Prix, setting the fastest lap with a time of 1m45.944s on soft tyres. His performance placed him just under two tenths of a second ahead of Lando Norris, who finished second in the session.
The FP2 session at Spa-Francorchamps was interrupted twice by red flags. The first stoppage was due to gravel on the track, while the second was triggered by a heavy crash involving Pierre Gasly at Les Fagnes. Gasly’s crash damaged his rear wing and brought an early end to his running in the session.
Max Verstappen briefly held the fastest time before Antonelli’s lap, ultimately finishing third overall. Lewis Hamilton’s lap time was initially deleted for track limits but was later reinstated. Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar posted a competitive time but will face a grid penalty due to power unit changes. Oscar Piastri missed the first 20 minutes of FP2 as his McLaren was repaired following a hydraulics issue encountered in FP1.
Charles Leclerc had a lap deleted for exceeding track limits at Raidillon, while George Russell finished eighth, notably behind his Mercedes teammate Antonelli. The session saw teams running qualifying simulations after the delays caused by the red flags, adjusting their programmes accordingly.
The interruptions and incidents during FP2 highlighted the challenges teams face at Spa-Francorchamps, where track conditions and the demanding layout often test both driver skill and car stability. Antonelli’s pace in this session underlines Mercedes’ ongoing efforts to find performance, while Norris and Verstappen showed McLaren and Red Bull Racing remain competitive.
Overall, the FP2 session provided valuable data for the teams as they prepared for qualifying and the race, with the red flag interruptions affecting the flow but not preventing drivers from setting representative lap times. The incidents involving Gasly and the track conditions will be factors for teams to consider moving forward in the weekend.