The Ferrari Belgian GP team radio captured two contrasting reactions after the chequered flag at Spa-Francorchamps. Charles Leclerc celebrated a hard-earned second place while acknowledging that Ferrari had benefited from the Virtual Safety Car, whereas Lewis Hamilton accepted responsibility after completing a difficult weekend in fourth.
Ferrari collected 30 points from the Belgian Grand Prix through Charles Leclerc’s P2 and Lewis Hamilton’s P4, a result that exceeded the team’s cautious expectations before the race. Although Mercedes ultimately proved too fast for Ferrari, both SF-26 cars finished inside the top four and delivered a valuable haul for Maranello.
Ferrari collects 30 points at the Belgian Grand Prix
Ferrari had warned before the race at Spa-Francorchamps that it expected a particularly complicated weekend because of the recognised limitations of its power unit. The circuit’s long full-throttle sections and demanding energy-management requirements were expected to place the SF-26 under considerable pressure.
Charles Leclerc had already outlined Ferrari’s cautious expectations for Spa, while the FIA’s changes created an additional MGU-K management challenge at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Despite those concerns, Ferrari left Belgium with reasons to be satisfied. Charles Leclerc secured second place and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, earning a combined total of 30 points for the team.
The Virtual Safety Car temporarily placed Charles Leclerc ahead of Kimi Antonelli, but the Mercedes driver gradually closed the gap and eventually overtook the Monegasque. Mercedes was ultimately too quick for Ferrari in Belgium, particularly across the sections where straight-line performance and energy deployment were most important.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, was disappointed by the five-second penalty he received following his opening-lap contact with George Russell. The seven-time world champion was also frustrated by a weekend that had not developed as positively as he had hoped, despite his recovery to fourth place.
Charles Leclerc’s Belgian GP team radio after finishing second
After Charles Leclerc crossed the line in second place, race engineer Bryan Bozzi congratulated him on a strong and valuable result.
Bryan Bozzi: “And P2. Good race, Charles. Well done.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur also joined the radio conversation to praise the Monegasque driver.
Fred Vasseur: “Well done, Charles. Well done.”
Charles Leclerc responded by recognising both the intensity of the race and the fortunate timing of the Virtual Safety Car. However, he immediately turned his attention towards a handling problem that Ferrari needed to analyse.
Charles Leclerc: “Good job. It was a close race, but we were lucky with the VSC. We need to analyse Turns 6 and 7 because there was a lot of understeer.”
Bryan Bozzi: “In any case, a good race and some good points.”
Charles Leclerc’s message reflected the mixed nature of Ferrari’s afternoon. The team had taken advantage of the strategic opportunity offered by the VSC and maintained competitive race pace, but the SF-26 still displayed weaknesses that required further investigation.
Lewis Hamilton accepts responsibility after difficult Spa weekend
Lewis Hamilton’s post-race radio was more subdued. Ferrari informed him that he had finished fourth behind race winner Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.
His engineer also suggested that the five-second penalty had prevented an otherwise straightforward podium finish.
Carlo Santi: “Well done, Lewis. You finished P4. Kimi Antonelli won the race, Charles Leclerc was P2 and Max Verstappen was P3. Without the penalty, it would have been an easy podium.”
Lewis Hamilton responded by accepting responsibility and admitting that he had never felt fully comfortable during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Lewis Hamilton: “Yes, difficult weekend, guys. Ultimately, it was my fault. It didn’t feel like my day today. I wasn’t in the position I should have been in. But thank you for continuing to try.”
The response was notably honest from Lewis Hamilton, who did not attempt to shift responsibility elsewhere despite the circumstances surrounding the incident. His comments also reflected the frustration of a weekend in which he had struggled to maximise his potential before recovering strongly during the race.
Lewis Hamilton had already raised concerns before the event about battery-driven overtaking under the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, an issue that became especially relevant at Spa because of the long Kemmel Straight and the importance of electrical deployment.
Ferrari leaves Spa with a positive result
Although neither Ferrari driver won, the Belgian Grand Prix represented a productive afternoon for the team. Charles Leclerc converted a favourable strategic opportunity into second place and remained in contention near the front, while Lewis Hamilton overcame his penalty to recover fourth.
The 30-point total offered Ferrari encouragement after a weekend that had initially been expected to expose the team’s technical limitations. At the same time, the post-race radio messages showed that both drivers understood there was still work to complete.
Charles Leclerc immediately highlighted the understeer he had experienced through Turns 6 and 7, while Lewis Hamilton accepted responsibility for his own difficult result. Ferrari therefore left Spa with important championship points, but also with clear areas to analyse before the next Grand Prix.
Leave a Reply