Lewis Hamilton ended the Belgian Grand Prix FP3 in the wall after a spectacular off-track excursion. Ferrari now has to urgently repair its SF-26 before qualifying.
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The third free practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix ended in the worst possible way for Lewis Hamilton. While he was on his final flying lap at Spa-Francorchamps, the Ferrari driver went off track at the Fagnes corner before hitting the barriers.
The accident occurred in the very last seconds of FP3 and strongly recalls that of Pierre Gasly during FP2 on Friday. In both cases, the drivers lost control of their cars exiting the Fagnes chicane before ending their run against the barriers.
For Ferrari, this setback comes at the worst possible time, just a few hours before qualifying.
A heavily damaged Ferrari
After running wide at the exit of Fagnes, Lewis Hamilton tried to regain control of his SF-26 on the gravel trap. Despite his efforts, the car ended its run against the wall, with the impact occurring at the rear of the car.
The crash caused significant damage. The rear wheel was left only held by the safety cables, while the rear wing was seriously damaged.
Unlike Pierre Gasly, who spun several times before coming to a stop on Friday, Hamilton managed to keep his car straight before stopping a few meters further due to the damage.
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“I destroyed the car”
Moments after the accident, his race engineer checked via radio that the Briton was okay.
Lewis Hamilton immediately admitted his responsibility for the incident.
“I destroyed the car! Sorry!” he told his team.
This mistake now puts Ferrari’s mechanics under intense pressure. They have very little time to replace the damaged parts and get the SF-26 ready before qualifying begins.
A race against the clock for Ferrari
Beyond the visible damage to the rear wing and suspension, Ferrari will also have to check that the chassis and gearbox were not affected by the impact.
Every minute will be precious before qualifying starts, where Lewis Hamilton hoped to confirm the good feelings shown since the start of the weekend.
If the Scuderia manages to get the car back on track in time, the seven-time world champion will have to quickly move on to re-engage in the fight for a good spot on the Belgian Grand Prix starting grid.
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