2024 F1 Round 14, Belgian GP FP2: Norris leads a McLaren one-two with 1m42.260s, Verstappen third

Second free practice for Round 14 of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Belgian Grand Prix, began at Spa-Francorchamps at 23:00 China time (UTC+8) on 26 July and lasted one hour. McLaren ended the opening day with a one-two: Lando Norris set the fastest time of 1m42.260s, with Oscar Piastri second, 0.215s behind. Max Verstappen was third, just 0.002s slower than Piastri.

The timesheet does need some context. Norris used two sets of soft tyres, while Verstappen and Piastri used only one each. The Dutchman also set his timed lap later in the session, enjoying clean air through the second sector and a slight tow in the final sector. Even so, McLaren had reason for confidence. With Verstappen’s penalty meaning that he could start the race no higher than 11th, the weekend offered McLaren, already pursuing Red Bull, an opportunity to keep reducing the gaps in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

The leading three were clearly a step ahead. Charles Leclerc led Ferrari in fourth, 0.577s off the pace, with Carlos Sainz fifth (+0.838s). From George Russell in sixth (+1.030s) downwards, everyone was more than a second adrift. Sergio Perez’s struggles continued as he finished only ninth, a full second behind his team-mate. Although dark clouds hung over Spa, the feared rain stayed away and the drivers completed long runs in dry conditions. Rain remained a possibility for Saturday’s qualifying.

Haas compared different downforce specifications across its two cars. Kevin Magnussen was eighth with the higher-downforce version, while Nico Hulkenberg, running the slimmer wing, was only 16th. There was also a marked contrast at Alpine: Esteban Ocon, who had completed no laps in FP1 because of a water leak, bounced back strongly to seventh, while Pierre Gasly was only 15th. Daniel Ricciardo reported an unusual noise with five minutes remaining and returned to the garage. Fortunately, he was able to rejoin after a brief inspection and finished 14th, behind both Aston Martins and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas.

With a complete power-unit change consigning him to the back of the grid, Yuki Tsunoda understandably focused on long runs and ended the opening day last, in 20th. Third free practice was scheduled for 18:30 China time (UTC+8) on 27 July.