Lewis Hamilton has tipped Mercedes and McLaren to impress at Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix after Ferrari struggled in Friday practice at Spa‑Francorchamps. The Italian 7‑time world champion, driving the Silver Arrow, was 0.747s adrift of the top time, showing the gap.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli set a 1m45.944s lap, leading McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by two tenths and half a second respectively. Hamilton noted the advantage of the long straights and praised Mercedes as “always the team to beat.”

On the second sector, Hamilton said Ferrari was losing fast‑curve performance, likely downforce‑related. He added the car feels good but needs more load in the middle sector, and the team will deep‑dive tonight to pick up that speed without sacrificing top speed.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur warned that Friday practice is not always representative of qualifying, citing different modes and fuel loads, and urged patience until tomorrow afternoon.