Report: Alex and Carlos build our Spa weekend foundations
The team completed a full Friday programme of baseline running, qualifying simulations and race preparation across FP1 and FP2
Published
17 JUL 2026
Est. reading time
3 min
The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix weekend is underway, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz putting in the groundwork across both Friday sessions at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Rain that had been forecast never arrived, with sunshine and temperatures of 26°C greeting Carlos has led the field out of the pit lane for FP1.
Both drivers headed straight out on the medium compound for installation laps and system checks before settling into their first programme.
The pair racked up 21 laps between them in the opening half hour, with Alex working his way steadily up the order on the mediums, finding 1.3 seconds across his early runs to sit just 0.050s outside the top 10 at one stage.
Carlos, meanwhile, fed back on balance across the low and medium-speed sections, and made a brief stop for a front wing flap adjustment. Energy management was a theme throughout at this power-hungry venue, with Carlos at one point kept out on track to recharge the battery pack across Spa's seven kilometres.
Switching to the soft tyre for qualifying simulations, Alex banked a 1:49.337 to end the opening hour P14, 2.267s off the ultimate pace set by Max Verstappen, having completed 24 laps.
It was a trickier session on the other side of the garage, with Carlos having to abort two flying lap attempts. His best effort of 1:50.862, set on flat-spotted rubber, left him P20 at the chequered flag despite logging 25 laps, the most of any driver in the session.
FP2 proved a stop-start affair, with the session twice red-flagged - first for gravel strewn across the circuit and later when Pierre Gasly found the barriers at the Fagnes chicane.
Both drivers began the session on the medium compound before switching to softs for their qualifying simulations once running resumed.
Alex completed 19 laps in the second session, with his best of 1:48.019 placing him P15 by the chequered flag. Carlos also added 19 tours, ending the session P16 with a 1:48.256.
The team recored 87 laps on the first day of running at Spa, one shy of two full race distances.
Paul Williams, Chief Trackside Engineer:
“We knew coming here would be difficult in terms of energy management, so we’ve done a lot of work back at Grove to prepare for this week. This circuit is very energy sensitive, so getting the balance right is key, particularly in the second sector. We made a number of setup changes across the sessions to test various options and we’re generally happy with the balance of the car, although traffic impacted final lap timings. We’ll regroup this evening to review the data and put us in the best position possible for the weekend ahead. Tomorrow will be about managing energy, particularly in low fuel, and getting in amongst the midfield for qualifying.”
Alex Albon:
“The car is feeling marginally better this weekend compared to Silverstone so it’s a step in the right direction. Carlos and I tested multiple different items on the car, which we’ll now go away and analyse this evening to give us the best setup for qualifying and the race. We’ve got a long way to go to the midfield, but tomorrow will be all about maximising the package we have available.”
Carlos Sainz:
“It was a scrappy day today. There was an issue on my car in FP1, so the session wasn’t representative as we couldn’t do the setup work we wanted. In FP2, we made some good progress and got the car to a better window although I picked up some damage somewhere and it wasn’t a clean session either. This evening we’ll look into everything to find solutions, improve our balance and hopefully we will be in better shape tomorrow.”
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