McLaren’s Oscar Piastri quickest in practice for Belgian Grand Prix

Championship leader Oscar Piastri set the early pace in practice for the Belgian Grand Prix – as Lando Norris finished half-a-second behind his title rival.

Piastri, who holds an eight-point lead over Norris at the midway stage of the season, saw off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by four tenths with Norris 0.504 seconds behind his McLaren team-mate.

George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes, one place ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton was sixth, one second off the pace.

Former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is this weekend absent from a Formula One event for the first time in 20 years following his dramatic dismissal earlier this month.

Horner was released from his position 18 months after he was accused of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female staff member – although he was twice exonerated – and Red Bull’s dramatic slump in form. Four-time world champion Verstappen has won just four of the last 26 races he has competed in.

Occupying Horner’s seat on the Red Bull pit wall is Frenchman Laurent Mekies, and he oversaw Verstappen splitting the McLaren drivers. However, Yuki Tsunoda was only 18th in the other Red Bull.

Norris arrived in Spa-Francorchamps with back-to-back victories after triumphs in Austria and his home race at Silverstone.

But the British driver appears to have his work cut out to stop Piastri at Spa-Francorchamps after the Australian set a blistering pace in the sole practice session on Friday.

Hamilton might have hoped an upgraded rear suspension on his Ferrari will reverse his fortunes. Yet the seven-time world champion was a distant sixth in his Ferrari.

Earlier in the session, Hamilton also courted the wrath of Gabriel Bortoleto after the rookie accused him of driving slowly through the high-speed Radillon.

“Mate what the f*** is Hamilton doing?” he yelled. “He is always in the middle of the track.”

Qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race takes place at 1630 local time (1530 BST).