Kimi Antonelli was one again fastest after a dominant display in FP3 at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix
In an almost incident free session, Antonelli finished a tenth and a half ahead of the two World Champions, as Norris held off Verstappen for second. While a trip through the gravel for Lewis Hamilton left Ferrari with lots of work to do ahead of Qualifying.
So far this Weekend…
Formula 1 returned to Belgium and the drivers were out in force at the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. In an unusually dry session for Free Practice 1, it was Max Verstappen topped the timesheets. The former World Champion was followed closely by the Ferrari duo with Lewis Hamilton slotting into second ahead of Charles Leclerc.
For Free Practice 2, it was the Championship leader who was back on top. Kimi Antonelli edged out Lando Norris in a chaotic session. Vertsappen was once again in the top three, while a spin left Pierre Gasly in the barriers near Turn 14.
Green Lights on Final FP
The lights were out on the final Free Practice of the weekend and it was Isack Hadjar who was quick to the top of the timesheet with a 1:48.231. However, not every driver was in a hurry to get on track. After ten minutes of practice, both Mercedes, Verstappen, Leclerc and the Williams duo were still in the garage.
With the times starting to drop, it was Hamilton who led Liam Lawson and Norris around the seven kilometre circuit. VCARB teammate Lindblad was briefly at the top of the timesheet, clocking a 1:47.342 and claiming the fastest third sector before Hamilton went fastest.
After 20 minutes in the garage, Verstappen was finally on track and quick to show why the Red Bull Ford engine was considered one of the strongest. The four-time World Champion jumped up to second after his opening laps, setting himself up for a string third practice.
Slow start for Mercedes
With 35 minutes on the clock in FP3, Mercedes were finally on the board. While George Russell and Antonelli were on their out laps, there was drama in the pit lane as Hadjar came to a stop at the entrance. Bringing out a brief yellow flag, the Frenchman was able to restart his Red Bull before being pulled into the garage for inspection.
Back on track, Russell jumped up to third, before Antonelli secured three purple seconds to go eight tenths clear of Hamilton in second.
Twenty minutes to go
In a fairly quiet practice round the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, it was Antonelli who led the field with less than a third of the session to go. Clocking a 1:45.990, the Mercedes driver was virtually untouchable on track.
Further back, Hadjar was back on track and slotted himself ahead of Leclerc and into fifth. Racing Bulls continued their stellar performance, with Lindblad and Lawson sitting in seventh and ninth respectively.
However, the order quickly reshuffled. With many drivers opting for qualifying practice on soft tyres to was Norris and Verstappen who both came within a tenth and a half of Antonelli. Piastri and Russell also moved up the timesheets while Lindblad made a trip through the gravel.
With Antonelli struggling to improve on his first time, Hamilton began to charge for the top of the timesheet. With less than seven minutes remaining, the Ferrari driver slotted himself into fifth with three green sectors.
Final Quali Preparations
With five minutes on the clock, Russell and Leclerc began to test qualifying setups. The Monegasque, who claimed his first race win in a season and a half in Silverstone, was forced to abort his first flying lap before slotting into sixth after his second.
As the session ticked down to zero, it was Hamilton who brought out the first flag of the session. Running into the gravel, Hamitlon’s Ferrari was sent into barrier, gaining significant damage too the rear suspension. The incident, which was extremely similar to Gasly’s yesterday, leaves Ferrari with a mammoth task ahead of Qualifying later today.
With Hamilton stranded on track, the other drivers began to practice their race starts. With nobody able to improve it was Antonelli who led Norris and Verstappen in the final Free Practice session of the weekend. Out of the top three, Russell leads both Ferraris. Oscar Piastri outpaces both Audi’s for seventh, while Hadjar slops himself into tenth.
Formula 1 will return this afternoon at 4:00pm track time for Qualifying at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix
Feature Image Credit: Formula 1