The first day of running at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit offered the initial clear indications regarding team performance levels and early setup choices made by drivers and teams. However, it is important to bear in mind that the sprint format this weekend means the parc fermé regulations—applied between Sprint and Grand Prix—allow for significant variation in strategic approaches even within the same event.
McLaren Dominates on Soft Tyres Thanks to Efficient Downforce and Tyre Compound Jump
McLaren, and especially young Australian driver Oscar Piastri, appeared to be in a league of their own compared to the rest of the field—particularly once the softest compound of the Pirelli tyres was fitted to the MCL39. For this weekend, Pirelli has chosen a compound selection that includes what is referred to as a “compound step,” meaning that the medium and soft tyres are both two steps softer than the hardest compound. This unusual selection seems to have significantly enhanced McLaren’s competitive advantage, primarily due to the massive aerodynamic load generated by the MCL39.
Having a high-downforce car through the lengthy, sweeping corners of the middle sector at Spa translates into greater grip and stability, which not only provides better traction but also helps to control tyre temperatures ahead of the next set of corners. This thermal management becomes an important multiplier of performance, and it was particularly evident in how well the soft compound tyres lasted on the McLaren—a car that is now easily recognizable in its bright papaya livery.
McLaren Runs the Highest Downforce, Red Bull the Lowest
The McLaren’s strong downforce setup left little room for doubt, as confirmed by telemetry data. In the middle sector, no driver came close to matching Oscar Piastri’s pace. The closest contender was Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was still trailing by a massive 817 milliseconds. Top-speed readings tell a contrasting story: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, who was clearly running the lowest downforce configuration among the top drivers, achieved significantly higher speeds—between 5 to 10 km/h faster than McLaren—in all major straights. These included the end of the Kemmel Straight and the approach to the Bus Stop chicane.
At the end of the Kemmel Straight, Oscar Piastri’s car showed significant energy clipping, suggesting he was deploying a large portion of the electrical energy during acceleration phases and continuing to push hard on the straights to compensate for the increased drag. This strategy forces the system to switch to energy recovery by the end of the straight.
In stark contrast, Max Verstappen’s data—much like what was observed at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone—suggests that the optimal balance of the RB21 Formula 1 car this season continues to come with a lower downforce setup. This may be a method of counteracting the understeer experienced in high-speed corners. The reigning World Champion reached a top speed of 345 km/h at the end of Kemmel and 322 km/h before the Bus Stop, making him the fastest of all drivers in these straight-line sectors. Verstappen gained approximately half a second over Oscar Piastri in the first and third sectors but lost nine-tenths of a second in the middle sector.
It is unlikely that setup changes ahead of the Sprint Qualifying session will completely close this performance gap, particularly in the twisty middle portion of the track. This balance may remain the defining trait of this opening phase of the weekend. It will be important to assess performance in the long runs on harder compounds to determine whether McLaren’s one-lap advantage on soft tyres remains insurmountable over race distance. As always, unpredictable Belgian weather could alter the equation for Max Verstappen, just as it has in past editions of this Grand Prix, including what occurred at Silverstone.
Mercedes Strong on Mediums, Ferrari Not Yet Fully Optimised
One of the standouts of the Free Practice session was George Russell, who set the fourth fastest lap time using the medium compound Pirelli tyres. Considering the compound step mentioned earlier, this result carries substantial significance. Interestingly, the Mercedes team seemed to perform best in the first and third sectors—not necessarily due to outstanding top speed, but rather because of excellent traction. This continues a trend seen throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season, where traction out of corners has often been one of the car’s strengths. In this particular run, George Russell recorded the best time in the third sector, while Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli managed the best sector three time overall during the session.
The overall setup compromise chosen by Mercedes, along with the cooler ambient and track temperatures at Spa, appear to be keeping the team in contention for a solid result. This would not be a shock given their one-two finish at this circuit last year.
Turning attention to Scuderia Ferrari, the sensation is that there remains considerable untapped potential in the SF-25 car. The lap times show that Charles Leclerc, after initially running a low-downforce setup, increased the aerodynamic load significantly in subsequent runs. Eventually, his car became the second most downforce-heavy on the grid—still trailing the McLaren, however.
Charles Leclerc clocked the best middle sector compared to Max Verstappen and George Russell, yet the gap remained too narrow to recover the time lost on the straights. Furthermore, his lap did not appear to be flawless, suggesting there may be more performance to extract—possibly enough to bring him into a close battle with Max Verstappen and George Russell.
Lewis Hamilton opted early on for a higher-downforce configuration than Charles Leclerc, but he continued to struggle with so-called “snaps” in high-speed corners—clear signs that the rear of the car remains more unstable than desired. Still, there is a growing sense that Ferrari might be able to extract more performance from the SF-25 compared to their immediate rivals, especially when running on harder tyre compounds. These harder tyres are expected to aid in race pace performance, though they might offer fewer advantages in qualifying.
Pouhon Corner Still Not Taken Flat Out by Most Drivers
A final technical observation from the session focuses on the iconic Pouhon corner. Despite modern cars’ high downforce levels, most drivers are still not taking this corner flat out. The only driver among those analyzed who came close was Oscar Piastri, who maintained 62% throttle through the high-speed bend. This data point reinforces both the confidence level of the young Australian driver and the strength of the McLaren MCL39 package under these specific track and weather conditions.
Interestingly, despite running lower downforce, Max Verstappen actually traveled faster through this section—reaching 286 km/h compared to Oscar Piastri’s 283 km/h. It was a small but revealing display of the Dutchman’s skill and confidence behind the wheel, once again reminding everyone of the quality of the reigning World Champion.
All eyes now turn to the upcoming Sprint Qualifying session, which will help determine whether these early trends and performance hierarchies will be confirmed or overturned. The famously variable Belgian weather may once again shake things up, and it remains important to consider that tyre compound differences—especially with the very soft qualifying tyre—may distort the true performance order when compared to race trim.
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