Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, two tenths of a second off Charles Leclerc in fifth and just over half a second behind pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli. On paper, it looks like a reasonable afternoon. In practice, it probably should have been better.
Hamilton lost control of the SF-26 in the final stages of FP3, with the cardrifting off the racing line at Turn 12 before the rear end broke away and sent him into the barriers at Turn 13, leaving the car heavily damaged. Despite having to swap out the floor, rear wing, suspension, and gearbox between FP3 and qualifying – a comprehensive fix carried out under the tight constraints of a race weekend – Ferrari‘s crew managed to have Hamilton ready for Q1, where he clocked the fourth-best time.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying, Hamilton was explained what the crash had cost him.
“It did (feel different). The boys did a mega job to fix my damage after P3.
“The car was feeling amazing P3 and I really felt confident, not that we’d be fighting for pole because I think Mercedes are too fast, but I definitely think with the car that we had in P3 we probably could have been third or something like that.
“I was missing a couple of tenths once I got to qualy. The car wasn’t identical to what we ended up having in qualifying, but I did the best I could with what I had.”
What the Grid Looks Like for Sunday
Antonelli’s pole was comfortable – three-tenths clear of Max Verstappen in second, with Lando Norris third despite carrying a ten-place grid penalty that will push him down the order. George Russell qualified fourth for Mercedes, Leclerc fifth, and Hamilton sixth. Norris’s penalty will promote Hamilton at least one spot before the lights go out.
Ferrari has genuine momentum heading into Belgium. The team claimed two victories across the previous three races, including a Leclerc win and Hamilton podium at Silverstone, and Hamilton occupies third place in the drivers‘ standings with 147 points, leaving him 32 adrift of championship leader Antonelli, who holds a 25-point advantage over Russell in second. The gap is closeable, but Mercedes have been the class of the field for most of 2026, and Spa’s long, fast layout won’t flatter the Ferraris which struggle to deploy their energy.
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