Kimi Antonelli secured the fastest time in Free Practice 3 for the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, posting a 1:45.990s. The Mercedes driver’s performance placed him 0.139 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who finished second. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed the top three, 0.148 seconds off Antonelli’s pace.
The session concluded under yellow flags following a significant incident involving Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver crashed at the Fagnes chicane (Turn 13), causing substantial damage to the rear of his car. Hamilton communicated over team radio, ‘I’ve destroyed the car mate. I’m sorry.’
Antonelli, who also topped Friday’s Free Practice 2, demonstrated strong form throughout the weekend. His fastest lap in FP3 was the only one to dip into the high 1m 45s.
Hamilton’s crash was a near carbon copy of Pierre Gasly’s incident in Free Practice 2, where the Alpine driver also lost control at Turn 13. The Ferrari team now faces a demanding repair schedule to prepare Hamilton’s car for qualifying later today.
Lando Norris, despite securing second place, will incur a 10-place grid penalty for qualifying due to a new battery fitted to his McLaren.
George Russell, Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate, finished fourth, 0.367 seconds behind. Charles Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, secured sixth position.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren placed seventh, followed by Nico Hulkenberg for Audi in eighth. Gabriel Bortoleto, also for Audi, was ninth, with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar rounding out the top ten.
The session began under cloudy skies at 12:30 PM local time, with no immediate threat of rain. Williams was observed making last-minute checks on Carlos Sainz’s car before the pit lane opened. [source text]
Sergio Perez, driving for the new Cadillac team, reported ‘hesitations’ with his Ferrari power unit early in the session. Cadillac, which joined the grid as the 11th team this season, fields Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Isack Hadjar experienced a power loss at the pit exit, requiring marshals to push his Red Bull RB22 back to the garage. He later reported that ‘nothing is ready’ and that components were ‘too cold’. Hadjar is already set to start from the back of the grid due to new power unit components. [source text, 36, 43]
Ferrari also received a €10,000 fine on Friday for failing to physically return electronically declared used tyres for both Hamilton and Leclerc after Free Practice 1.
The full results for Free Practice 3 at the Belgian Grand Prix are as follows:
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1:45.990
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:46.129
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:46.138
4. George Russell (Mercedes) 1:46.357
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1:46.382
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:46.750
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:46.785
