The rain hoped for by some did not fall on Friday afternoon during the second free practice, but that did not bother Kimi Antonelli as the fastest driver at all. Max Verstappen, still the fastest in the first session, finished the practice in third place. It offers perspective for Saturday.
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From time to time it rains during the day on Friday at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. But every time the Formula 1 drivers get into their cars, the weather turns out to be dry. This was also the case at the start of the second free practice. The excitement in the early phase was mainly caused by a slip by Lewis Hamilton in the chicane and shortly after by a red flag due to gravel on the track.
At that moment Verstappen is not satisfied with how the RB22 shifts, but at least he is still driving. This was not the case for Oscar Piastri until then after the hydraulic problems in the first free practice. The Australian later gets in and can therefore also start making laps after the session restarts. Kimi Antonelli is the fastest at that moment, ahead of Isack Hadjar and his Red Bull teammate Verstappen.
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Crash Gasly
Antonelli then shows why the result of the first session says little to nothing. The Italian World Championship leader is extremely fast on soft tires and leads halfway through the practice by almost half a second over Verstappen. In the last part of the session, Lando Norris comes within two-tenths, but then it is time for the long runs. Verstappen made a good impression in those, as did Antonelli.
The session comes to an abrupt end after Pierre Gasly damages the Alpine; he causes a red flag. Only the formation laps remain, as well as the conclusion that Antonelli will also be the man to beat at Spa this weekend.
Read more Second Free Practice (FP2) Results Belgian GP
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