Verstappen top in first practice as Hadjar takes grid penalty

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Four-time world champion Max Verstappen is seventh in the drivers' standings By Andrew Benson F1 Correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps Published 7 minutes ago Red Bull's Max Verstappen headed Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton at the top of the times in first practice at the Belgian Grand Prix. Verstappen was 0.145 seconds clear of Hamilton, with the seven-time champion's team-mate Charles Leclerc third fastest. The second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar was fourth fastest, 0.252secs slower than Verstappen, as it emerged that he Frenchman will have a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his permitted number of engines. Hadjar is the second driver to receive a grid penalty for engine-related issues this weekend - world champion Lando Norris, who was seventh fastest, will also drop 10 places for using too many batteries . Norris to have 10-place grid penalty in Belgium Published 21 hours ago Red Bull to change wing after Verstappen crashes Published 1 day ago How to follow Belgian Grand Prix on the BBC Published 1 day ago World championship leader Kimi Antonelli was sixth fastest for Mercedes, one place behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri. The Italian's title rival and team-mate George Russell was eighth quickest, 0.356secs behind Antonelli. Antonelli leads the championship by 25 points as the season heads into what could be its halfway point, depending on whether the two Middle Eastern races due to finish the season can take place in the context of the war between the US/Israel and Iran. Verstappen's pace came despite Red Bull reverting to a standard rear wing while they refine the the 'flip-flop' or 'somersault' design that caused high-speed crashes for the Dutchman in the past two races. The wing is the one with which Red Bull started the season, on which the flap opens for straight-line mode in the style of last year's DRS overtaking aid, rather than rotating on its axis by more than 180 degrees. The old wing is said to cost about 0.2secs of lap time around Spa-Francorchamps compared to the newer design, which may return for the next race in Hungary next weekend. The session was relatively incident-free. The closest to an incident was Liam Lawson running a little wide after a big oversteer moment at Stavelot early in the session. Piastri suffered a hydraulic pressure issue late in the session, forcing him to limp around the track with a minute remaining in the session. Related topics Formula 1