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Lewis Hamilton Dominates Final Belgian GP Practice Session
Highlights
- Lewis Hamilton crashed Ferrari SF-26 during final Belgian GP practice.
- Rear wheel and wing heavily damaged; session ended early.
- Crash disrupted Ferrari’s qualifying preparations for Spa-Francorchamps.
- Qualifying started 3 pm UK time; crucial due to overtaking difficulty.
- Kimi Antonelli set strong pace, becoming pole position favorite.
- Ferrari mechanics faced tough challenge repairing Hamilton’s car swiftly.
Lewis Hamilton crashes his Ferrari SF-26 in final practice at Spa, hours before 3pm UK qualifying, creating a major Ferrari setback during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Exiting Fagnes, he ran wide, skated across gravel, and struck the barrier rear-first. The impact tore the right-rear assembly and heavily damaged the rear wing.
“I’ve destroyed the car! Sorry!” — Hamilton on team radio.
The incident mirrored Pierre Gasly’s Friday FP2 off for Alpine, though Hamilton avoided multiple spins and continued briefly before stopping on track.
Race control threw a red flag, ending FP3 early and truncating final setup runs for qualifying simulations and long-run balance work.
In Maranello red, Ferrari’s mechanics face an immediate rebuild: rear suspension, floor edges, gearbox fittings, and wing. Repairs must be swift yet conservative ahead of parc fermé after qualifying.
Track position at Spa still matters despite long straights and DRS. A compromised baseline risks tyre management issues and straightline drag through the race’s first stint.
Qualifying at Spa is disproportionately decisive, even with multiple overtaking zones.
Kimi Antonelli set the most convincing FP3 pace, establishing early pole favoritism as teams refine final details in the Belgian GP results that follow.
Hamilton’s radio apology underscored the damage and the need to reset mentally before qualifying out-laps validate the rebuild.
Spa’s high-speed sweeps and fast chicanes punish marginal errors. Gravel traps offer limited retardation and barriers sit close, explaining frequent off-track moments through the weekend.
Ferrari’s turnaround speed could shape its entire Spa weekend.
The setback also intersects with Ferrari’s broader pressure at Spa, with rivals sensing opportunity and strategy margins thin, as explored in Ferrari’s Belgian GP threat earlier this week.
All eyes remain on the garage. A clean repair restores Hamilton’s grid prospects; delays risk compromised balance and tyre warm-up, amplifying recovery work on Sunday.
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Visual Summary
“I’ve destroyed the car! Sorry!”
Hamilton crashes SF-26 & halts Ferrari progress!
Final practice at Spa ends early—Ferrari’s challenge now: rebuild before qualifying.
⚡Mechanics face race against the clock
💥
FP3
crash
ends session
crash
ends session
REPAIRS
⏱️
Qualifying
at 3pm UK
at 3pm UK
Spa-Francorchamps: High-speed corners, risky chicanes, and close barriers punish small errors.
Mechanics scramble. Hamilton & Ferrari’s weekend hangs in the balance.
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Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.
