The 2026 cars got their first proper look at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday, and two things stood out: Mercedes are quick here, and everything is a lot slower than it used to be. Kimi Antonelli topped second practice with a 1:45.944, edging Lando Norris by 0.190s, with Max Verstappen third and Lewis Hamilton fourth. Verstappen had led a rain-affected FP1 earlier with a 1:47.070.
Those numbers tell the bigger story of this rules era. RaceFans reported the field lapping around five seconds slower than last year's Spa, a startling gap on a circuit that usually rewards raw power and low drag. The heavier, less potent 2026 machinery simply cannot carry the same speed through Spa's fast sequences.
Norris, second on the timesheet, poured cold water on any idea McLaren had suddenly found form. "I think we probably turned up with the Mercedes and the rest of them didn't, so I think we're still probably the fourth fastest," he said. He has learned to distrust a good Friday. "We seemed reasonable but there's been quite a few times this season where we seem good enough in FP2 and we're off come Qualifying," Norris added, and he expects the picture to change once Red Bull show their hand. "Red Bull don't normally turn up on Friday, so we're going to get two tomorrow, they'll be just as quick or if not quicker, so let's wait and see."
Red Bull's afternoon was not without friction. Verstappen fumed over the radio about his gearbox, complaining that the shifts were "unacceptable" - an unusual public gripe from a driver who was third on the timesheet.
Conditions muddied the read. Pirelli's chief engineer Simone Berra said overnight rain "significantly reduced track grip, increasing lap times," and reported tyre degradation "slightly higher than initial expectations" on the softer compounds, though he expected the surface to improve as it rubbered in.
For Mercedes, the pace is timely. Antonelli leads the championship but has endured a rough recent run, and George Russell - chasing his own teammate for the title - had a scrappy Friday, ending up well over a second off Antonelli and down the order. The session was cut short when Pierre Gasly crashed his Alpine at Fagnes, bringing out a red flag, while Oscar Piastri lost track time to a hydraulic problem on his McLaren.
Saturday will sort the sandbaggers from the strugglers. If Antonelli's pace is real, Mercedes could start the weekend that resumes their title fight exactly where they want to be, on the front row of a track where overtaking, even in these slower cars, is never in short supply.
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*Originally published on [Newsformula.one](https://newsformula.one/article/antonelli-leads-at-spa-as-2026-cars-lap-five-seconds-slower). Visit for full coverage.*