Nico Rosberg was the fastest driver in first practice at Spa, with a scrappy session that saw him recover from an engine problem early on. Hamilton was second with Daniel Ricciardo rounding out the top three. Pastor Maldonado spun his Lotus during the session which brought out the red flags. He crashed into the barriers which meant the marshals had to repair the damage before the running could continue.

Jolyon Palmer was in the Lotus car, driving in place of Romain Grosjean, and the reserve driver finished 17th, splitting the two McLarens. Marussia once again propped up the rear end of the timesheets.