Lewis Hamilton has identified Spa-Francorchamps’ second sector as the main area Ferrari must improve after finishing fourth in Belgian Grand Prix FP2, nearly eight tenths behind Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Although the seven-time world champion was the faster of the two Ferrari drivers, the size of the gap underlined how much work remains before qualifying.
Ferrari had anticipated a potentially complicated weekend for the SF-26 because of the power-unit demands at Spa, and Friday’s running largely confirmed those concerns, particularly during the afternoon session. After both cars had finished inside the top three during an encouraging opening practice, Ferrari struggled more significantly when the pace increased in FP2.
Lewis Hamilton trails Mercedes in Belgian GP FP2
The comparison with Mercedes proved one-sided for the time being. Andrea Kimi Antonelli made a substantial setup adjustment between the two sessions, helping Mercedes take a significant step forward and move to the top of the timesheets.
Lewis Hamilton remained the best-placed Ferrari driver and completed FP2 in fourth position, but the deficit to the young Mercedes talent was concerning. The Ferrari driver finished more than seven tenths behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with the margin approaching eight tenths over a single lap.
It represented a clear reversal from the morning session, when the Ferrari SF-26 had displayed encouraging pace in Belgian GP FP1. The afternoon picture was less positive, as detailed by the Belgian Grand Prix FP2 results and analysis, with Mercedes raising its performance level while Ferrari lost ground.
Lewis Hamilton calls for Ferrari gains in Spa’s second sector
Despite the substantial gap, Lewis Hamilton felt the SF-26’s overall balance provided Ferrari with a reasonable foundation. His attention is now focused on extracting more performance through the middle sector, the section of Spa where aerodynamic stability, cornering performance and driver confidence are especially important.
“Today we completed our work programme and gathered a lot of useful information over the two sessions,” Lewis Hamilton said at the end of Friday’s running. “I would say the balance of the car is good, but there are still some areas in which we can improve, particularly in the second sector.”
“This evening, we will analyse all the data together with the engineers, refine the setup and look for those small improvements that can make the difference ahead of qualifying.”
Lewis Hamilton’s comments offer Ferrari a clear direction for its overnight work. However, the team must now turn that analysis into measurable performance if it is to reverse the course of a weekend that, after FP2, appears to be moving firmly in favour of Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes number 12.
Ferrari faces important overnight setup work
The challenge is not limited to finding more grip through Spa’s middle sector. Ferrari must also understand how much of its FP2 deficit came from setup and how much was connected to the SF-26’s power-unit and energy-deployment limitations around the high-speed Belgian circuit.
The Ferrari hybrid deficit seen during Belgian GP FP2 adds another layer to the team’s overnight analysis. At the same time, the engineers must determine whether further changes to the SF-26’s Spa-specific technical configuration can help Lewis Hamilton close the gap before qualifying.
The path Lewis Hamilton wants Ferrari to follow is therefore clear: preserve the promising overall balance while finding more performance in the second sector and refining the setup around Spa’s unique demands. Whether those small gains will be enough to challenge Mercedes will become apparent when the competitive action resumes.
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