The second day of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix began with the third and final practice session. Friday showed a mixed bag, with many drivers and teams showing potential. This final hour of practice was a prime opportunity for teams to finalise their set up. From final fast laps to prepping for the race, FP3 at Spa-Francorchamps saw a range of strategies. Ultimately, Kimi Antonelli topped the time sheets.
Lower Temperatures And Penalty Confirmations
After blazing heat at the recent rounds, FP3 started with more acceptable temperatures. The air was 20℃ with the track at 36℃. Humidity was the main weather contender for this session, at 62%.
Following his red-flag inducing crash in FP2, Pierre Gasly was facing a challenging practice. The BWT Alpine F1 Team spent a long night rebuilding the No.10, including replacing the engine and gearbox. Luckily, the team did not break the curfew and the replacements were within their allocation, so there is no threat of penalties for Gasly.
In comparison, it has been confirmed that Lance Stroll and Lando Norris receive a 10-place grid penalty, and that Isack Hadgar receives a back-of-the-grid penalty. These three have all taken engine components outside of the allocation. Finally, Oracle Red Bull Racing have reverted back to their previous rear wing following two crashes for Max Verstappen. With the pairing in the top five both practice sessions yesterday, Red Bull could have something up their sleeves this weekend.
Run One Sees Gaps Form
With a range of tyres on show, lap times were quick to give a glimpse of performance. On the C3 medium tyre, Hadjar was the first to set a timed lap: a 1:48.231. However, that benchmark was soon set, with the VCARB Racing Bulls duo and Oscar Piastri going quicker. Despite not having the latest upgrades, Liam Lawson was impressing with purple sectors.
In his first flying lap, Norris was close to Lawson, missing out on the top spot by 0.01 seconds. Lewis Hamilton was the first to beat Lawson, finding three tenths despite being on the same tyre compound. After more warm up laps, Hadjar flew to P2 to split the soft runners up front. Arvid Lindblad briefly held the top spot, but Hamilton went even faster; being the first driver of the day to hit a 1:46 lap time.
Similar to yesterday, gaps were forming between teammates. In contrast to the initial practice sessions, Oscar Piastri was ahead of Norris. But Charles Leclerc was trailing Hamilton by over a second after the first runs. Verstappen opted for an alternate strategy, heading out later than his competitors. His first flying lap saw him go P2, three tenths off of Hamilton.
Mercedes Joins The Picture
The first yellow flag of the session came from Hadjar on the pit lane. Coming out of the pits for his second run, the No.6 stalled at the exit. Being across the line, Red Bull Racing were unable to retrieve the car, causing the stewards to help recover the car. Saying he had no power, it’s a worrying sight for Hadjar, who has brand new engine elements for this race.
With just over half the session left, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team duo decided to head on track. George Russell was out first, going up to P3 on his first lap. But his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, was flying. As the first driver to hit the 1:45’s, Antonelli found 0.799 seconds over Hamilton. In their first runs, the championship leader had 1.296 seconds over his teammate, Russell. The pair each did a flying lap before returning to the pits.
With the first runs complete, drivers were then coming back to the track. Most opted to run a used set of tyres and settled into long-running, doing some final preparation to gather data for the race. Despite showing strong one-lap pace, Verstappen was struggling with tyre degradation in his long-run. Initially, it was looking like the tyres could hold on for a couple of fast laps, but the overall stints were short for the tyre life.
Final Runs Set The Picture
With first flying laps and some brief long runs completed, the final 15 minutes saw drivers coming back out for a final attempt at qualifying preparation. Verstappen was the first to attempt, and his middle sector was less than ideal. Ultimately, he improved to go P2, 0.148 seconds down on Antonelli. Russell was the next to set a lap, finding time overall but still trailing his teammate by nearly four tenths. Norris found the pace he showed in FP2 to go P2.
Despite most improving on this second run, no one was able to truly challenge Antonelli and break into the 1:45 lap times. The performance gaps were becoming clear, with the top 10 separated by over a second. For Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team, their straight line speed deficit was holding them back and the duo were over four seconds adrift.
The session ended under a yellow flag, as Hamilton went through the gravel and clipping the tyre barrier at Turn 14. In a similar incident to Gasly yesterday, Hamilton damaged the rear of his car, meaning Ferrari will face a rebuild ahead of qualifying.
Antonelli Tops Going Into Quali
Overall, Antonelli finished the final practice session in the top spot. In a carbon copy of FP2, he was trailed by Norris in second and Verstappen in third. Up next is qualifying, and the championship leader will be quietly positive about getting another pole position. With two P2 places throughout practice, Norris will be hoping to optimise his qualifying. With a 10-place grid penalty looming, he’ll be looking to start as high up as he can. The top 10 of the session is as follows:
Practice is now over and we head towards the competitive sessions of the weekend. Ferrari is now facing an uphill battle to rebuild Hamilton’s car following his last-minute crash. Will Antonelli run away with it and secure a sixth pole of the season? Or will someone else find an extra something to take the prime starting position?