Ferrari’s Belgian GP qualifying performance largely confirmed the expectations established before the weekend. The Maranello team secured places on the second and third rows of the Spa-Francorchamps grid, helped by Lando Norris’s ten-place penalty, but Charles Leclerc also lost time after encountering a yellow flag during the closing moments of Q3.
Ferrari did not produce any major surprises in qualifying, although that should not be interpreted as a negative assessment of its performance. Instead, the result was broadly consistent with what the team had shown across the three free practice sessions and with the cautious predictions made before the weekend. Both Ferrari drivers and Team Principal Fred Vasseur had warned that Spa would be a difficult circuit to interpret, particularly given the unusual demands of its long straights, high-speed corners and complex hybrid energy management challenge.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ultimately secured positions on the second and third rows of the grid, with Norris’s ten-place penalty improving Ferrari’s starting situation. However, Charles Leclerc lost several hundredths of a second during the final stages of Q3 after being forced to lift because of a yellow flag displayed in the closing moments of the session.
That disruption also cost Charles Leclerc ground against George Russell’s Mercedes, preventing the Ferrari driver from completing what could have been a more competitive final lap. Nevertheless, the outcome remained broadly in line with the expectations Charles Leclerc had outlined before the Belgian Grand Prix.
Ferrari Belgian GP qualifying highlights Mercedes power unit advantage
Spa-Francorchamps is a circuit that significantly rewards power-unit efficiency. That advantage was particularly evident over a single qualifying lap, where Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris both proved difficult opponents for Ferrari. It was a different picture from the previous weekend at Silverstone, where the two red cars had managed to occupy second and third positions.
This time, Ferrari not only had to contend with Mercedes and the Mercedes-powered McLaren but also with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. The Dutch driver placed himself ahead of both Ferraris by securing second position on the grid.
The Belgian circuit’s characteristics exposed the areas in which Mercedes-powered cars were particularly effective, while Ferrari’s strengths were more evident through the technical and heavily loaded sections of the lap. The team had already been studying those contrasting demands through the technical updates introduced across the Belgian Grand Prix pit lane.
Attention will now turn to the race, which has often produced a very different competitive order from qualifying this season. Ferrari’s first objective will be to make a clean and aggressive start, giving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc an opportunity to overtake their immediate rivals and move towards the leading positions.
Although taking the lead will be difficult, Ferrari’s ambition is to reach the front and run in clean air. That would allow the drivers to manage their tyres more effectively and potentially mount a challenge for victory. Energy deployment on Spa’s long straights could also play an important part, an issue that has already prompted Lewis Hamilton to question the influence of battery management on overtaking under the current regulations.
Fred Vasseur: “Spa has historically not been ideal for Ferrari”
Speaking to Sky Sport after qualifying, Fred Vasseur assessed the work completed by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton while also outlining Ferrari’s strategic objectives for the 44 laps of the Belgian Grand Prix. His analysis began with the yellow flag that appeared during the closing moments of qualifying.
“I do not know exactly what happened at the final corner from race control’s point of view, but Charles definitely had to lift off the throttle because of the signal,” the Ferrari Team Principal explained. “For that reason, he lost at least the position to George Russell.”
Fred Vasseur nevertheless underlined that Charles Leclerc had followed the correct procedure and therefore avoided any risk of a penalty.
“The positive aspect is that we are not at risk of penalties because he followed the procedures,” Fred Vasseur continued. “We have to focus on our performance. We still recovered from a weekend that had started uphill. It is a shame about that yellow flag, which once again forced us to lift, but tomorrow’s race will be very long and we are always better over the distance. We made a good step forward after FP3 and found the right rhythm again.”
Looking ahead to the race, Fred Vasseur added: “We will start fourth and fifth on the grid. If we look at the expectations before the weekend, I think it is a fairly good result, considering Spa has historically not been an ideal circuit for Ferrari.”
The assessment reflected the cautious tone Ferrari has maintained despite its recent progress. Fred Vasseur has consistently resisted making exaggerated predictions, a position that has also raised questions over whether Ferrari is deliberately playing down its championship ambitions or simply responding realistically to the strengths and weaknesses of the SF-26.
Fred Vasseur points to traction rather than only engine performance
Ferrari’s season has repeatedly shown that the team tends to be more competitive over a race distance than it is over a single qualifying lap. Asked about that pattern, Fred Vasseur agreed before explaining the strategic element that could define the Belgian Grand Prix.
“Yes,” he replied. “As has often happened this season, we show better pace in race trim than over a single qualifying lap. The strategic situation will be similar to what we saw at previous Grands Prix because there are several options for hybrid management and energy deployment.”
“We will see a good battle between the leading teams to understand where on the circuit it is best to deploy more power to defend or attack on the straights. It will be a complex challenge for everyone, but we will see what happens.”
Spa highlighted the efficiency of the Mercedes power unit, but it also reinforced what was already understood about Ferrari’s package: the team appears to face a power deficit while possessing a highly competitive chassis that performs well through the more technical sections of the circuit.
Fred Vasseur, however, argued that the situation cannot be attributed solely to the internal combustion engine or the overall power unit.
“I do not think it is strictly an engine problem,” Fred Vasseur explained, “but more a question of traction management.”
He concluded by highlighting how the delivery of electrical and engine power can influence acceleration away from Spa’s corners.
“Power delivery is crucial to transmit the energy correctly on corner exit. If we analyse the data, we can see that the mappings used by Mercedes are very different from those used by McLaren or Williams, despite having the same engine.”
Ferrari will therefore approach the Belgian Grand Prix knowing that its starting positions leave Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc within reach of the leading group. A strong opening lap, effective tyre management and the correct use of hybrid energy could allow the team to overcome some of the limitations seen during qualifying and fight much closer to the front over the full race distance.
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