Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari will have several opportunities to fight for a podium in the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, despite qualifying sixth at Spa-Francorchamps after an accident disrupted his preparations. Lando Norris’s ten-place grid penalty promotes Lewis Hamilton to fifth for the race, while Charles Leclerc also gains an important position.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion felt Ferrari could have achieved an even stronger qualifying result before his crash during the closing minute of the third practice session. Although the team repaired the SF-26 in time, the car did not provide exactly the same feeling when qualifying began, leaving Lewis Hamilton to adapt and maximise the machinery available to him.
Lewis Hamilton’s FP3 crash changes Ferrari’s qualifying preparations
Lewis Hamilton’s day in Belgium did not begin in the best possible way. During the final minute of FP3, the British driver hit the barriers and damaged the right-rear section of his SF-26.
Ferrari’s technicians managed to repair the car before qualifying, but the accident left little time to return it to the configuration and balance Lewis Hamilton had enjoyed earlier in the day. The incident added another complication to a weekend in which teams were already studying the latest technical developments and setup choices at Spa.
Once he reached the media pen, Lewis Hamilton explained how competitive the Ferrari had felt before the crash and reflected on the opportunity that may have been lost.
“The car was fantastic in FP3 and I felt really confident. I’m not saying we would have been fighting for pole position because, honestly, I think Mercedes are too fast for us at the moment. But I firmly believe that, with the car we had in FP3, we probably could have taken third position or something like that.”
The feeling changed after the repairs, however, and Lewis Hamilton was unable to extract the same level of performance during qualifying.
“I was missing a couple of tenths once we got into qualifying. It is clear that we did not have time to return to the ideal setup. The car was definitely not identical to the one we had before the accident, but I tried to adapt and did the best I could with what I had available.”
Lewis Hamilton identifies Ferrari’s deficit to Mercedes at Spa
Asked what Ferrari was missing compared with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton pointed towards the first and final sectors of the Spa-Francorchamps lap. Both sections place a considerable emphasis on straight-line performance, energy deployment and power-unit efficiency.
“I don’t really know what it is. We definitely seem to lose more ground in the final sector, and that is down to pure power, and a little bit in the first sector as well. But they are quite fast. That was to be expected at this circuit. We expected them to be very, very fast this weekend, and they are fast everywhere.”
The largest part of Ferrari’s deficit to Mercedes appears to come from the SF-26’s power unit, which is not yet performing at the level of its leading rivals in this area. Spa’s long full-throttle sections make that weakness particularly visible, while the FIA’s revised limits have also created an additional MGU-K energy-management challenge at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton believes a Belgian GP podium is possible
Despite the difficulties encountered in qualifying, Lewis Hamilton remains confident that Ferrari can perform more strongly in the race. Starting fifth gives him a realistic opportunity to remain close to the leading group and potentially take advantage of the strategic possibilities that emerge at Spa.
“I really believe we can do better tomorrow. We are giving everything to try to catch them. There are several possibilities to get onto the podium. That would be fantastic.”
Ferrari will therefore enter the Belgian Grand Prix with both drivers in improved starting positions following Lando Norris’s penalty. While Mercedes appears to hold a clear performance advantage, Lewis Hamilton’s confidence and the competitive feeling he experienced before the FP3 accident offer Ferrari encouragement ahead of the race. Charles Leclerc had already outlined Ferrari’s expectations for the Spa-Francorchamps weekend, with the team now aiming to convert its grid positions into another strong result.
Leave a Reply