Antonelli fastest, Hamilton crashes in closing minutes
At Spa-Francorchamps, Kimi Antonelli recorded the fastest time in Free Practice 3 for the Belgian Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton suffered a crash in the final moments that brought his session to an abrupt end and left Ferrari scrambling to repair the car before qualifying.
The one-hour session produced an early lull before activity intensified roughly 20 minutes in under sunny, dry conditions. Hamilton posted an early benchmark on the soft tyre, but Antonelli ultimately produced the defining lap, a 1:45.990, to top the timesheets.
- Antonelli set the quickest lap of the session, leading the field into Saturday.
- Lando Norris and Max Verstappen finished close behind in the top three.
- Hamilton’s afternoon was cut short by a crash that will require repairs ahead of qualifying.
Rising names and team upgrades also featured. Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad showed notable pace after the team introduced an upgrade package, briefly moving to the top of the leaderboard during the session. Red Bull-affiliated driver Isack Hadjar impressed despite earlier power issues and a planned grid penalty for new power unit components; he stopped on track and later required recovery to the garage.
"Antonelli launched himself to the top of the times"
Ferrari must now assess the damage and complete repairs in time for qualifying later on Saturday. Team timing and logistics at a track like Spa — with its long lap and limited quick-repair access — increase the challenge when a late incident occurs.
| Position | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | 1:45.990 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | +0.139s |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | +0.148s |
| 4 | George Russell | +0.367s |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | +0.392s |
Teams frequently use final practice to complete qualifying simulations and check race preparations; Mercedes undertook longer runs while several teams completed short, fast laps to evaluate tyre performance. Spa’s long lap and changing track conditions make FP3 particularly valuable for dialling in setups ahead of qualifying.
For local fans in Hamilton who follow the seven-time world champion, the session underscores the fragility of preparation at circuits where late incidents can jeopardize a driver’s chances before the decisive qualifying runs.
