Kimi Antonelli set the pace in Free Practice 3 at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap time of the session. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s final run ended in a crash at Turn 13, leaving Ferrari with limited time to repair the car ahead of qualifying later the same day.
Antonelli topped the timesheets with a 1:45.990, narrowly ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.139 seconds. Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was third, just 0.148 seconds behind Antonelli. George Russell finished fourth, trailing his Mercedes teammate by 0.367 seconds and reporting difficulties with straight-line speed. Hamilton managed fifth place before his crash, which caused damage to his Ferrari and forced the team into urgent repairs. Charles Leclerc completed the top six.
The session began slowly, with most drivers waiting nearly 20 minutes before hitting the track under sunny and dry conditions. Rookie Arvid Lindblad showed early promise by briefly leading the timing charts. Isack Hadjar experienced a stoppage at the pit lane exit and later locked up, nearly colliding with Lance Stroll. Hadjar is set to serve a grid penalty due to new power unit components. Carlos Sainz is under investigation for a yellow flag infringement.
Hamilton initially set the fastest time early in the session on soft tyres, but Antonelli improved significantly to claim the top spot. Verstappen also improved late in the session despite a minor off-track moment. Antonelli aborted a second flying lap after running wide and encountering a gear issue but maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard.
Russell’s comments about lacking straight-line speed highlight ongoing challenges for Mercedes in certain areas of the track. Meanwhile, Ferrari faces the task of repairing Hamilton’s car quickly to ensure he can compete effectively in qualifying. The crash mirrored a similar incident involving Pierre Gasly in the previous session.
The session underlined the competitive nature of the field, with several drivers and teams showing strong pace in preparation for qualifying. The repair work on Hamilton’s car will be closely watched as the team aims to have it ready for the decisive session later in the day.
Overall, Free Practice 3 at Spa-Francorchamps provided a clear indication of the drivers and teams to watch, while also presenting challenges that could influence the qualifying order. The developments from this session set the stage for an important qualifying session at the Belgian Grand Prix.
