In the second free practice session held at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday, July 17, 2026, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli topped the standings with a lap time of 1:45.944. Lando Norris was second, 0.190 seconds behind, and Max Verstappen was third, 0.472 seconds behind.
The red flag was raised twice during the session.
When practice began, the air temperature was measured at 24°C and the track surface temperature at 36°C. Drivers took to the track with medium compound tires as soon as the green light came on. Antonelli took the lead early on with a time of 1:46.911; however, a red flag was issued ten minutes into the session due to excessive gravel on the track. After a five-minute break, the session resumed, and Antonelli switched to soft tires, reducing his time to 1:45.944. Verstappen was in second place at this stage, while Norris was approximately 0.3 seconds faster than the Dutchman.
With 15 minutes remaining in the session, the second red flag was waved. Pierre Gasly's Alpine suffered a massive rear-end slide at the Fagnes chicane (turn 13), crashing violently into the barriers. The track was reopened with one minute to spare, and the drivers completed their final laps in the remaining time.
Results and full ranking
The order was finalized with the checkered flag: Antonelli first, Norris second, Verstappen third. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari took fourth place; followed by Isack Hadjar of Red Bull Racing in fifth, and Oscar Piastri of McLaren in sixth. Franco Colapinto of Alpine was seventh, while Antonelli's teammate George Russell finished eighth, 1.285 seconds behind.
The top ten was completed by RB drivers Ayumu Lindblad and Liam Lawson. Charles Leclerc was eleventh, Oliver Bearman twelfth, Gabriel Bortoleto thirteenth, and Esteban Ocon fourteenth. Alexander Albon was fifteenth, Carlos Sainz sixteenth, and Nico Hülkenberg seventeenth. Gasly, who only completed fifteen laps after the crash, finished eighteenth, 3.011 seconds behind. Cadillac-Ferrari drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were nineteenth and twentieth respectively, while Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso shared twenty-first and twenty-second places with Aston Martin.