Antonelli hails team for ‘massive turnaround’ to top Belgian GP practice

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium: Series leader Kimi Antonelli hailed his Mercedes team on Friday after bouncing back to top the times in second free practice ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Italian, who also gesticulated at Carlos Sainz for what he said was “a dangerous moment” during the session, was sixth fastest in the earlier opening practice, six-tenths off the pace of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
But he improved dramatically in the second hour to clock a fastest time of one minute and 45.944, nearly-two tenths quicker than second-placed defending champion Lando Norris of McLaren.
Four-time champion Verstappen was third 0.472 adrift while his Mercedes team-mate and main title rival George Russell was down in eighth, more than 1.2 seconds slower.
“It was a massive turnaround with the car because in FP1 we struggled a lot more than we anticipated,” said Antonelli.
“So, it was a good change, but of course we have a lot of work to do because Red Bull is quick and McLaren are up there too.
“So, we just need to put things together.”
- Gasly crashed heavily -

On a day of changing conditions, with light rain and cooler temperatures following an unusually dry and warm morning, Red Bull and Ferrari appeared to be the main contenders in first practice.
But that changed later as Mercedes and McLaren emerged faster as the second session wore on before ending after a red flag interruption when Alpine’s Pierre Gasly crashed heavily. He was unhurt.
“The long run felt quite strong as well,” added Antonelli, who leads Russell by 25 points in the title race after seeing his earlier lead of more than 50 points halved following two retirements in recent races.
“Obviously, the car changed quite a bit between the