Red Bull tests wings but Verstappen struggling for race pace

The first two free practice sessions for the Belgian Grand Prix gave a clear picture of the balance of power on the track.

McLaren was on top with both cars, followed by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Both MCL38s used a new configuration from the first practice with a modified rear wing and a low-downforce front wing.

At Red Bull, it was interesting to see what was done with both RB20s. Perez did not drive with the new low-downforce configuration in the second practice session, nor was the new, narrower nose, with the new front wing no longer on the Mexican's car.

The team wanted to test and compare the maximum efficiency of Verstappen's car to gather data for the race, as the Dutchman has to contend with a 10-place grid penalty for taking a new internal combustion engine.

Additionally, it was noticeable that Red Bull tested a different rear wing with Verstappen. 

In FP1 he drove with a straight rear wing. In FP2 there were several notches in it. A clear sign that Red Bull is looking for the optimal set-up for Sunday's race.

In the images below you can see the difference in the rear wing. The text continues after the pictures.

McLaren ahead of Red Bull in grand prix trim

Verstappen's times were just two-tenths of a second slower than Lando Norris in his McLaren and almost identical to Oscar Piastri

It was clear on the long runs, though, McLaren easily achieved very competitive lap times, while Red Bull seemed to have trouble.

As for Ferrari, its main issue was in confirming the progress made in Hungary and thus it used the same floor configuration. 

There was concern at the Scuderia about more bouncing, which was indeed more present than in Budapest, but performance was better than expected. 

Analysis of Leclerc's sector times showed he could have been closer to Verstappen on an ideal lap. However, the Ferrari's race pace was erratic with the different sets of soft tyres, which requires further analysis after the third practice.

Mercedes set for difficult weekend

A notable fact from the first day at Spa-Francorchamps was Mercedes' difficulty in adapting to the track. 

Despite a new package to increase downforce, the W15 suffered from severe bouncing, which affected performance. 

So, it does not look like the Silver Arrows will play a major role this weekend, although the long runs were not bad. Indeed, in terms of times, they were similar to Verstappen, although given his 'testing', it offered very little certainty. 

In short, McLaren seems to be the fastest team again, but Red Bull is not far behind this weekend.

It will also be important as to how quickly Verstappen can hit the front from the midfield during the race itself.

The circuit is long, but the pit lane is relatively short, so an undercut is powerful. 

Mercedes and Ferrari seem unlikely to play a significant role again, although Leclerc could still provide a surprise in qualifying.