F1 2026 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying Results
July 19, 2026
Felipe Nasr led a Porsche 1-2-3 sweep in Roar Before the Rolex 24 test session 1, setting the tone for an intense weekend of preparation ahead of the 2026 IMSA season opening 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race.
The 75-minute session unfolded on a crisp Friday morning in January 2026, drawing teams from across the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship grid as they fine-tuned their machinery for the opening round of the season.
Felipe Nasr, piloting the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, unleashed a best time of 1:36.327 after delivering 30 hot laps, showcasing the German manufacturer’s razor-sharp development for the 2026 regulations.
His effort edged out Nico Pino in the 2025-spec JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 by a mere four thousandths of a second, highlighting the ultra-competitive margins in GTP class where Pino’s 33 laps included consistent mid-1:36s, demonstrating the customer’s ability to match factory pace.
Laurens Vanthoor rounded out the top three in the sister No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, just 0.108 seconds adrift, after a strategic run heavy on long stints to validate fuel mapping and energy deployment strategies critical for the 24-hour grind ahead.
Chasing the Porsches, Louis Deletraz mounted a strong challenge in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, slotting into fourth nearly six-tenths off Nasr, while Filipe Albuquerque followed closely in fifth aboard the No. 10 WTR Cadillac.
The two WRT-operated BMW M Hybrid V8s took sixth and seventh with Marco Wittmann leading the charge in the No. 24, while the sister No. 25 mirrored that effort in the hands of Rene Rast.
Trouble brewed for Meyer Shank Racing’s Acura ARX-06 duo as technical gremlins—described by team sources as electronics-related glitches—sidelined both cars until the session’s dying minutes, forcing a frantic push that left Renger van der Zande’s No. 93 in ninth.
The No. 60 MSR Acura fared worse, trailing the entire LMP2 field by six seconds after minimal track time, a setback that highlighted the risks of pre-event testing where reliability trumps speed in the lead-up to the Rolex 24’s grueling endurance test.
The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R slotted in eighth, while Heart of Racing Team’s lone Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro rounded out the top ten in GTP.
Down in LMP2, Charles Milesi’s No. 11 TDS Racing entry topped Roar Before the Rolex 24 test session 1 with a class-leading 1:38.395.
Pietro Fittipaldi elevated the No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports Oreca to second in class, while Mikkel Jensen held third in the No. 2 United Autosports LMP2 entry.
The GTD and GTD Pro classes buzzed with GT3 machinery, where Spencer Pumpelly’s No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo topped the combined timesheets at 1:47.304.
In GTD Pro, Dean McDonald’s No. 59 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo led class with 1:47.766, edging out Andrea Caldarelli who slotted the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 in second.
The No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini rounded out the top five in the overall GTs classification.
IndyCar superstar Will Power triggered the only red flag of the session with 13 minutes remaining after spinning the No. 75 Riesling Express Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 at Turn 1. However, he gathered it up without contact and resumed his run.
Manthey Racing’s iconic Grello-liveried No. 911 Porsche 911 GT3 R limped to just five laps due to a stubborn transponder malfunction, a minor hiccup for the German powerhouse but one that tested their crew’s resolve ahead of later sessions.
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