Antonelli tops Belgian Grand Prix practice as Hamilton crashes at Spa

Kimi Antonelli ended final practice for the Belgian Grand Prix at the top of the timesheets, while Lewis Hamilton crashed at Spa-Francorchamps and pushed Ferrari into a race to repair the car before qualifying. Antonelli’s speed and Hamilton’s trouble framed the last meaningful running before the grid began to harden for the weekend.

Antonelli’s best lap in FP3 was 1m45.990s, and he again finished ahead of Lando Norris. That followed a Friday in which the Mercedes driver had already shown the same pace in practice, including FP2, where Formula 1’s session report said Antonelli led Norris and Max Verstappen. Reuters also noted that Antonelli had been fastest earlier in the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, making the pace look less like a one-off and more like a driver settling quickly into Spa.

The contrast with Hamilton was immediate. Hamilton’s crash in final practice interrupted Ferrari’s preparation and raised the stakes for a team already under time pressure at a circuit where setup choices matter from the first lap. Spa-Francorchamps rewards straight-line speed but punishes any compromise in downforce and tire management, so losing track time in the last session before qualifying can upset the entire balance of a weekend.

The session also fit a pattern of instability across Friday running. Pierre Gasly crashed earlier in the day, and FP2 was interrupted by red flags, leaving teams with limited clean laps at one of Formula One’s fastest and most demanding circuits. That matters at Spa because every run is useful for reading tire wear, checking whether the car can carry speed through the high-speed corners, and deciding how much risk to take before qualifying.

Antonelli’s repeated place near the top changed the tone of the Belgian Grand Prix outlook. A driver who led FP2, then topped FP3, entered qualifying with momentum and a car that appeared to be working on a demanding track. Hamilton’s crash carried the opposite message: a veteran driver and a major team suddenly had to absorb repair work, lost laps and the pressure of getting back on plan before the session that would set the race order.

By the end of final practice, Spa had already drawn a line through the weekend’s main storylines. Antonelli had put Mercedes in the spotlight with sustained pace, while Hamilton’s mistake left Ferrari counting hours rather than lap times, and qualifying now looked like the moment that would separate the new speed from the damage.