Hamilton hopeful of closing 'bigger than anticipated' Ferrari Spa deficit

Lewis Hamilton says he is hopeful Ferrari can close on their rivals as the Belgian Grand Prix weekend progresses despite admitting the Italian team's deficit in Friday practice was "bigger than anticipated".

Hamilton was close to the pace in first practice as he finished little more than a tenth behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen, but was a concerning seven tenths down on Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli when the world championship leader topped the second session.