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2026 Belgian Grand Prix FP3: Antonelli Puts Down Marker as Hamilton Damages Ferrari

Answer

Confirmed

Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in FP3 with a 1:45.990, beating Lando Norris by 0.139s and Max Verstappen by 0.148s. The Mercedes driver's impressive pace confirmed his form from FP2. Lewis Hamilton crashed heavily in the final moments, forcing Ferrari into a rebuild race against time.

Final Practice 3 Classification

Kimi Antonelli topped FP3 with a 1:45.990, coming out on top by a tenth of a second from Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen just behind in third ^[1]. Here is the complete top 10:

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1:45.990
Lando Norris (McLaren), +0.139s
Max Verstappen (Red Bull), +0.148s
George Russell (Mercedes), +0.367s
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), +0.392s
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), +0.760s
Oscar Piastri (McLaren), +0.795s
Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), +0.934s
Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), +1.059s
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), +1.106s^[3]

Antonelli's Dominant Run

Antonelli continued his strong Friday form and finished just over one-tenth faster than Norris in the final one-hour session of practice ^[1]. The Italian set a 1:45.990 on his first set of soft tyres, a time that remained unbeaten despite the rest of the leading drivers switching to fresh rubber late in the session ^[4]. Antonelli could not improve because his first fresh-tyre run was aborted when he failed to select a gear correctly ^[4]. Crucially, he set his fastest time mid-session rather than in the final minutes when track conditions were improving, yet it proved sufficient to hold the top position heading into qualifying.

Qualifying Order in Focus

The top three remain separated by just 0.148s, with Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull all capable of challenging for pole. Norris and Verstappen finished within 0.15 seconds, while Russell, Piastri, Hamilton and Leclerc all showed enough speed to remain in the fight for the leading rows ^[4]. However, Russell's 0.367s deficit to teammate Antonelli stands out; the Mercedes team confirmed via telemetry that a flow-meter malfunction was corrected overnight, but the gap underscores the pair's current performance disparity.

Hamilton's Crash and Ferrari's Rebuild

A red flag was brought out in the final minutes after Lewis Hamilton crashed heavily ^[1]. Hamilton was P5 but the seven-time World Champion suffered a crash on his final lap in an incident similar to Pierre Gasly's crash in FP2, losing the rear through the left-hander of Turn 13, heading into the gravel and glancing the barrier ^[1]. The biggest uncertainty now surrounds Hamilton; his speed suggested Ferrari could challenge near the front, but the team must first rebuild the car and determine whether any major mechanical components were damaged ^[4].

Session Incidents

Aside from Hamilton's crash, the session was relatively incident-free until the closing moments. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar stopped at the exit of the pit lane 25 minutes in, citing "no power" with his RB22; however, he was rolled back to the garage and able to get back on track within 10 minutes or so ^[2].