Max Verstappen gave the large contingent of Dutch fans that have made the trip to Belgium for this weekend's Formula 1 race something to cheer by leading second practice at Spa on Friday afternoon.
Hailing from the neighbouring Netherlands, Verstappen treats the Belgian Grand Prix as his home race and is set to enjoy raucous support throughout the weekend.
Verstappen edged out Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo by three-tenths of a second at the top of the timesheets, heading up a one-two for the Austrian team.
After dominating FP1, Mercedes opted to focus on its race simulations throughout second practice as Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton failed to rival the Red Bulls. Rosberg finished the session sixth, while Hamilton – already set to start last at Spa – was P13.
Instead, it was Nico Hulkenberg who put up the most stringent challenge to Verstappen and Ricciardo, finishing third as Force India continued its strong start to the race weekend. Teammate Sergio Perez was fifth as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel split the duo.
Four-time Belgian Grand Prix winner Kimi Raikkonen was seventh ahead of Romain Grosjean, who led Haas' charge into the top 10. Teammate Esteban Gutierrez was P10 behind McLaren's Jenson Button.
