Max Verstappen tops the opening practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, setting the fastest time in his Red Bull. Multiple reports from the session state that Verstappen is quickest overall, with Lewis Hamilton second among those mentioned. The key theme across coverage is that Mercedes appears behind the leading pace early in the weekend. According to one report, Mercedes is more than half a second adrift of Verstappen, indicating a significant performance gap in the first practice. Another outlet similarly describes Mercedes as struggling in the session, while highlighting Hamilton’s position behind Verstappen at the top end of the timing. Overall, the reports characterize practice as a strong start for Verstappen and Red Bull, while Mercedes enters the day facing early concerns about pace relative to the front runners. No additional details on tyre choices, technical changes, or incidents are provided in the supplied summaries.