STAVELOT, Belgium – The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel swept a pair of Formula One practice sessions on Friday at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Each of the Ferrari drivers led a practice session on Friday, but it was Leclerc’s top time in the second practice that proved to be the benchmark for the rest of the field on the opening day of Belgian Grand Prix action.
Leclerc’s fastest lap from the second practice, 1:44.123, gave him the top spot on the combined practice charts over Vettel’s fast lap from the first practice, 1:44.574.
Valtteri Bottas was third overall on the day, with his best lap coming in the second practice session. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was fourth overall on the combined charts, followed by an impressive lap from Racing Point’s Sergio Perez.
Despite going fifth fastest overall, Perez’s Racing Point entry slowed late in the second practice with flames coming from the side of his car after an unknown engine issue.
The remainder of the top-10 on the combined charts saw Max Verstappen go sixth fastest, followed by his new Red Bull Racing teammate Alexander Albon in seventh. Kimi Raikkonen, Lance Stroll and Daniel Ricciardo followed.