Lewis Hamilton Endures Challenging Belgian GP as Ferrari’s Updates Complicate Weekend
Lewis Hamilton managed to secure a seventh-place finish at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, salvaging what had quickly become a highly problematic weekend for the Ferrari driver. The result came in the face of numerous obstacles, including setbacks in qualifying and complications linked to Ferrari’s latest technical updates.
Formula 1 commentator Alex Jacques reflected on the difficulties Hamilton encountered throughout the Spa-Francorchamps weekend. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion faced an uphill battle almost from the start, suffering two early eliminations during qualifying sessions. These results left Lewis Hamilton near the back of the grid for both the Sprint race on Saturday and the main Grand Prix on Sunday.
Ahead of the Grand Prix, Ferrari replaced several elements of Hamilton’s power unit, which forced the British driver to start the race from the pit lane. To further complicate matters, the start of the Belgian Grand Prix was delayed by 80 minutes due to low visibility and persistent rain that had fallen roughly half an hour before the original lights-out time.
Both Hamilton and Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen felt the conditions were safe for racing long before FIA Race Control gave the green light. Once the race did begin, the entire field spent the opening 11 laps on Intermediate tyres before conditions improved enough to allow for a switch to slicks. Lewis Hamilton was among the first drivers to make the tyre change and quickly gained five positions during the transition phase.
That early strategic decision enabled him to emerge in seventh position, where he remained for the following 33 laps. However, the Briton had to manage a fuel-related issue that required him to lift and coast throughout most of the race—an instruction given by Ferrari to ensure he reached the chequered flag.
Despite the complications, Hamilton managed to bring home valuable points. Yet according to Alex Jacques, one particular decision by Ferrari significantly complicated the entire weekend for him.
Ferrari’s Suspension Upgrade Contributes to Hamilton’s Struggles
Ferrari introduced a completely new rear suspension for both cars at Spa-Francorchamps, a major upgrade that had been discussed extensively in the Italian media. During the Thursday press conference, Lewis Hamilton attempted to downplay the significance of the update, but Jacques believed that the timing of its introduction created a major disadvantage, especially considering the Sprint weekend format.
Jacques pointed out that the Belgian Grand Prix featured a compressed schedule, with only a single one-hour practice session before qualifying. In his view, this left insufficient time for Ferrari and Hamilton to fully understand and optimise the new suspension setup. He noted that although Ferrari had already tested the upgrade during a filming day at Mugello, such sessions were not representative of real Grand Prix conditions and served merely to confirm that the new components were functional.
Jacques argued that deploying a major upgrade during a Sprint weekend—with only one hour of practice—was risky. He believed that unless a team was completely confident the update would result in a performance gain, it was unwise to introduce it under such limited testing conditions.
He explained that Ferrari likely hoped for a traditional race weekend with extended practice sessions, allowing them to evaluate the new suspension across various run plans, gather correlation data from the factory to the track, and dial in the ideal setup. Without that luxury, Hamilton and the team were effectively left guessing.
Jacques also suggested that had Lewis Hamilton experienced a full race weekend at a circuit like Budapest—where he has historically performed well and holds multiple victories—the team would have had a clearer picture of the update’s real potential. Instead, the rush to implement the changes at Spa under time constraints meant that Hamilton only began to resemble his usual self by Sunday.
Track Limits Error Adds to Hamilton’s Woes
Hamilton’s compromised grid position was not only due to Ferrari’s technical choices. During Friday’s qualifying session, the British driver saw his lap time deleted at the end of Q1 due to a track limits violation. His final effort had initially knocked out Gabriel Bortoleto, securing Hamilton a place in Q2, but race stewards ruled that he had exceeded the track boundaries at Raidillon with all four wheels.
This infringement mirrored a similar incident earlier in the weekend, where Oscar Piastri also had a lap time invalidated during Sprint qualifying for running wide at the same corner. Motorsport journalist Peter Windsor was especially critical of Hamilton’s mistake, considering it inexcusable given the prior warning provided by Piastri’s error.
Ultimately, a combination of strategic missteps, compromised preparation time, and driving errors left Hamilton facing an uphill battle at Spa. While seventh place was a solid recovery under the circumstances, the weekend exposed the challenges that still lie ahead for Ferrari and Hamilton as they continue their 2025 campaign together.
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