Max Verstappen of Red Bull topped the timesheets during the first practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing 0.145 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari, who placed second. Charles Leclerc, Hamilton's teammate, secured the third-fastest time.

Isack Hadjar, driving for Red Bull, finished fourth but will incur a 10-place grid penalty due to exceeding his permitted number of engines. He is the second driver to face such a penalty this weekend; Lando Norris, who finished seventh, will also drop 10 places for using too many batteries.

Key highlights from the session include:

• Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes placed sixth, maintaining a 25-point lead in the championship.
• Oscar Piastri from McLaren was fifth, while George Russell, Antonelli's teammate, came in eighth.
• The session saw relatively few incidents, with the closest being Liam Lawson experiencing oversteer at Stavelot.
• Piastri encountered a hydraulic pressure issue late in the session, limiting his performance as the clock wound down.

Verstappen's impressive pace came despite Red Bull reverting to a standard rear wing, which is expected to cost about 0.2 seconds of lap time compared to their newer design, which may return for the next race in Hungary.