Verstappen crashes during practice for Belgian Grand Prix

Sports Desk, Aug 27 (EFE).- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) drove the fastest lap in Friday’s second practice for the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix before bringing the session to a premature end with a crash.

The Belgian-born Dutchman made it around the track at Spa in 1:44.472, 0.041 seconds quicker than Finland’s Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), reversing the order of finish in Free Practice 1.

With a few minutes left in FP2, Verstappen lost control on a corner and ended up backing into the tire wall to set up a busy evening for the Red Bull mechanics inspecting the car for damage.

British seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who leads Verstappen by 8 points in the 2021 driver standings, was third in FP2.

Fourth place went to Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Alpine), a two-time F1 champion making his return to the circuit after a spell in endurance racing that included two victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

France’s Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) was fifth, ahead of Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), and Alonso’s French teammate, 2021 Hungarian GP winner Esteban Ocon.

Rounding out the top 10 were German quadruple champion Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), Briton Lando Norris (McLaren) and Mexico’s Sergio “Checo” Perez, who announced Friday that he had signed up for another year with Red Bull.

The drivers will get a third practice session Saturday ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s race. EFE

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