Lando Norris Tops Belgian GP Practice; Verstappen Faces Grid Penalty

McLaren Dominates Second Practice at the Belgian Grand Prix

In a powerful display of performance, Lando Norris of McLaren topped the timesheets in the second practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix, outperforming his teammate Oscar Piastri by a margin of 0.215 seconds. As the prestigious race unfolds at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps, McLaren has established itself as the benchmark team in Formula 1.

Verstappen Faces Grid Penalty

Despite McLaren’s impressive showing, current championship leader Max Verstappen managed to stay within touching distance, ending the session just 0.217 seconds off Norris’s pace. However, the reigning champion is set to face a significant challenge as he will incur a 10-grid place penalty for the race, owing to a breach of engine usage limits established for the season.

Opportunity Knocks for McLaren

With Verstappen set to start no higher than 11th, McLaren has a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit in both the drivers' standings and constructors' championship. Norris currently trails Verstappen by 76 points, while Red Bull leads McLaren by 51 points in the constructors' table.

Competitive Field

Chasing after the McLaren duo, Charles Leclerc managed to clock in at fourth position, but he lagged half a second behind Norris. Carlos Sainz followed closely in fifth, 0.8 seconds off the ultimate pace. Notably, Mercedes rolled out several upgrades for the Belgian Grand Prix; however, George Russell found himself a second shy of the McLarens, finishing the session sixth. In contrast, Lewis Hamilton struggled, finding himself in tenth position after aborting his initial laps on soft tires, trailing Norris by 1.2 seconds.

What’s Next for the Weekend

The Belgian GP weekend is set to continue with a series of events leading up to the main race. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, July 27:

8:45 am: F3 Sprint
11:15 am: Belgian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11:30 am)
1:10 pm: F2 Sprint
2:15 pm: Belgian GP Qualifying build-up
3:00 pm: Belgian GP Qualifying
5:00 pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook

Sunday, July 28:

7:25 am: F3 Feature Race
8:55 am: F2 Feature Race
10:40 am: Porsche Supercup
12:30 pm: Grand Prix Sunday - Belgian GP build-up
2:00 pm: The BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
4:00 pm: Chequered Flag: Belgian GP reaction
5:00 pm: Ted's Notebook

Stay tuned for updates and enjoy the thrilling race weekend ahead!