– Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton only managed to qualify in sixth position for the Belgian Grand Prix (here in the live ticker!). The Briton had crashed in the third free practice at noon and apparently struggled with the consequences of the incident, which prevented a better starting position for the race on Sunday.
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“I think something was wrong with the rear suspension, so the balance was not the same as in the third practice, where the car really felt great,” is Hamilton’s initial analysis, who thanked his Ferrari team for the quick repair of his heavily damaged SF-26.
“We did a pretty good job. The guys repaired the car really well, and these things happen. You move on and make the best of it. I gave my best in qualifying, and I think my lap times were pretty decent.”
In the end, Hamilton was only 0.002 seconds slower than teammate Charles Leclerc. “But I definitely think that with the car we had in the third practice, we might have been third or so,” added the record world champion on Sky UK.
“So I was missing a few tenths when I went into qualifying,” Hamilton believes that the crash in the third practice cost him a better starting position, but not the pole position. “We wouldn’t have fought for pole because I think [Mercedes] is just too fast.”
Ferrari team principal: no time for a complete set-up
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur emphasizes the Briton’s statements. “He had a very strong pace from the start of the weekend, but of course: after such a crash, we only finished the car 30 seconds before the session started.”
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“And we also didn’t have time to do a complete set-up,” explains the Frenchman that Hamilton’s car was indeed not in optimal condition. “I don’t know if we wasted potential, but it is not the ideal preparation for qualifying.”
As the reason for the self-inflicted crash, Vasseur says his driver was “really at the limit.” “And the track is now a bit different, corner by corner, with deployment and so on. And drivers also crash in places where they haven’t crashed in the past.”
In Friday’s practice, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly had already crashed at the same spot. What does Hamilton, who moves up to fifth on the grid due to the penalty against McLaren driver Lando Norris, now hope for the race?
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“In the third practice, the car really felt good,” the Ferrari driver believes he can make up some positions on Sunday. “I did a longer stint, and the car felt great. The car’s set-up is a bit different, only minimal, so I hope it goes well tomorrow.”
