The first day at Spa-Francorchamps offered a chance to analyse both one-lap and long-run pace. RacingNews365 technical expert Paolo Filisetti takes a look at the top teams and explains their performances.
The first two free practice sessions for the Belgian Grand Prix gave a clear picture of the balance of power on the track.
McLaren was on top with both cars, followed by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Both MCL38s used a new configuration from the first practice with a modified rear wing and a low-downforce front wing.
At Red Bull, it was interesting to see what was done with both RB20s. Perez did not drive with the new low-downforce configuration in the second practice session, nor was the new, narrower nose, with the new front wing no longer on the Mexican’s car.
The team wanted to test and compare the maximum efficiency of Verstappen’s car to gather data for the race, as the Dutchman has to contend with a 10-place grid penalty for taking a new internal combustion engine.
Additionally, it was noticeable that Red Bull tested a different rear wing with Verstappen.
In FP1 he drove with a straight rear wing. In FP2 there were several notches in it. A clear sign that Red Bull is looking for the optimal set-up for Sunday’s race.
McLaren ahead of Red Bull in grand prix trim
Verstappen’s times were just two-tenths of a second slower than Lando Norris in his McLaren and almost identical to Oscar Piastri
It was clear on the long runs, though, McLaren easily achieved very competitive lap times, while Red Bull seemed to have trouble.
As for Ferrari, its main issue was in confirming the progress made in Hungary and thus it used the same floor configuration.
There was concern at the Scuderia about more bouncing, which was indeed more present than in Budapest, but performance was better than expected.
Analysis of Leclerc’s sector times showed he could have been closer to Verstappen on an ideal lap. However, the Ferrari’s race pace was erratic with the different sets of soft tyres, which requires further analysis after the third practice.
