Kimi Antonelli reasserted Mercedes' competitive position at the Belgian Grand Prix by setting the pace in Friday's second practice, capitalizing on substantial car improvements between morning and afternoon sessions. The Italian driver's commanding display—over half a second ahead of his nearest title rival on single laps and leading on long-run pace—comes as he seeks to rebuild an eroding championship buffer that has shrunk considerably against team-mate George Russell over the previous three race weekends.

The session was disrupted when Alpine's Pierre Gasly lost control through a medium-speed corner in the middle sector and struck the barrier, tearing away his right rear wheel and triggering a red flag that curtailed race-simulation work. Across the grid, teams struggled with Spa's demanding electrical layout, where the circuit's energy consumption forces hybrid systems into recovery mode along multiple straights, causing vehicles to lose momentum significantly before corners and complicating tactical preparation for qualifying.