Hamilton crashes during final practice at Spa-Francorchamps
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari mechanics are working frantically to repair his SF-26 after the seven-time world champion crashed during the closing stages of final practice at Spa-Francorchamps, reports BritPanorama.
The British driver ran wide through the gravel at Turn 13 while pushing for a quick lap, with his right rear wheel striking the barrier in an incident remarkably similar to Pierre Gasly’s Alpine crash at the same corner on Friday.
Unable to return to the pits due to the damage sustained, Hamilton climbed from his cockpit and examined the stricken car himself. “I’ve destroyed the car mate,” Hamilton told his engineer over team radio. “I’m sorry.”
Ferrari have confirmed they expect to complete repairs before qualifying begins at 3pm. Kimi Antonelli heads into this afternoon’s qualifying session as the overwhelming favourite for pole position after topping the timesheets for a second consecutive session at the sun-drenched Belgian circuit.
The Mercedes driver demonstrated remarkable speed throughout, initially lapping seven-tenths of a second faster than his rivals during the middle portion of the hour-long session. His advantage narrowed to just over a tenth of a second by the chequered flag, with Lando Norris and Max Verstappen finishing second and third respectively. George Russell completed the top four, trailing his teammate by approximately three-tenths of a second.
The championship leader currently holds a 25-point advantage over Russell as the season reaches its tenth round. Despite finishing second in the session, Norris will drop ten places on the grid due to power unit component changes, significantly hampering McLaren’s race prospects. The burden of challenging for the Woking outfit falls to Oscar Piastri, though the Australian struggled for pace and ended the session nearly eight-tenths adrift in seventh position.
As the clock ticks down to qualifying, the tension is palpable. Hamilton’s misfortune casts a long shadow over his team’s preparations, and it serves as a reminder of the razor-thin margins that define this sport — where triumph and disaster often sit on a hair’s breadth. The upcoming session will reveal just how costly this crash has proven to be for a driver who has always thrived under pressure.
