Hamilton Wall Impact Puts Ferrari on the Back Foot
The smell of hot brake dust and cooling carbon hung over Turn 13 at Spa-Francorchamps as Lewis Hamilton climbed out of his Ferrari SF-26, inspecting a ruined right-rear assembly. A late off-track slide through the gravel ended with a glancing impact against the barriers—an incident that mirrored Pierre Gasly's Friday crash and prompted an immediate apology from Hamilton over team radio: "I've destroyed the car mate... I'm sorry."
The incident leaves Ferrari mechanics facing an intense turnaround ahead of qualifying. Hamilton had shown competitive pace throughout the final practice hour, setting the fifth-fastest time and outpacing teammate Charles Leclerc by nearly four tenths of a second. With the car stranded on track due to structural rear damage, the team must assess gearbox and suspension integrity before the grid-setting session begins.
Antonelli Sets the Benchmark Amid Championship Pressure
At the top of the timing sheets, championship leader Kimi Antonelli maintained control for Mercedes, leading a second consecutive session. The Italian driver, whose standings advantage has narrowed to 25 points following recent rounds, demonstrated immediate baseline speed by going 0.7 seconds clear on his initial mid-session run before settling with a weekend-best lap.
While Antonelli did not improve during his final soft-tyre attempt, his early benchmark held off late charges from McLaren and Red Bull:
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – P1, leading the field into qualifying.
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – P2 (+0.1s), showing strong raw pace.
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – P3 (+0.1s), closely matched at the sharp end.
- George Russell (Mercedes) – P4 (+0.3s), backing up the Silver Arrows' pace.
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – P5, sidelined late by Turn 13 barrier contact.
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – P6, trailing his teammate's baseline.
Grid Penalties Reshape the Belgian Grand Prix Qualification Picture
Despite Norris slotting into second place, McLaren's frontline grid strategy shifts toward Oscar Piastri. Norris carries a mandatory 10-place grid penalty into the weekend following power-unit changes, complicating his pursuit of Antonelli in the championship table. Piastri concluded the hour in seventh, nearly 0.8 seconds adrift, placing immediate focus on setup adjustments before qualifying (a crucial factor around the Ardennes layout, where grandstands cling steeply to ancient pine slopes).
Further down the order, Audi registered an encouraging double top-ten showing with Nico Hulkenberg in eighth and Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten despite a brief stoppage at the pit exit; Hadjar is already confirmed to start Sunday's race from the rear of the grid due to multiple power-unit component replacements.
Suspension.