Will Ferrari be able to take a step forward?
The two free practice sessions confirmed Ferrari’s pre-race fears: the Spa-Francorchamps track could prove rather challenging for the current qualities of the SF-26.
Obviously, it is only Friday’s day and Ferrari will work to try to reverse the not positive trend that emerged especially in FP2.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, 0.747 seconds behind leader Antonelli, with Charles Leclerc eleventh, 1.524 seconds behind.
Read more Mercedes changes setup and Antonelli flies: Ferrari (for now) on the defensive
Hamilton: “The others really seem strong”
“The day was quite good and overall positive,” Lewis Hamilton summarized in statements released to Sky Sports UK, adding: “We made some progress and the sessions were relatively calm. We made a couple of changes during FP2. The gap seems a bit wider than expected, especially in FP2, but we hope to close it tomorrow.”
Hamilton emphasized the need for progress in the second sector of the circuit: “The others really seem strong. Red Bull looks very strong, Mercedes has gained a lot in terms of pace and McLaren also seemed fine. So I really don’t know. The car seems quite okay, but for some reason we are a bit struggling in the middle sector. We are just trying to understand why and we’ll see if tomorrow we can recover.”
Read more Hamilton paves the way: “We need to improve in the second sector”
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A Spa-Francorchamps a bit different from the past
With the new 2026 cars, Spa-Francorchamps is a bit less challenging for the drivers. Hamilton again: “The track is fantastic and I love driving on this circuit. But it is a bit different compared to previous years, because the engine loses power on the straights. As for the chassis and the corners, it’s fine.”
Read more Sainz invites Antonelli to calm down: “He shouldn’t have called me ‘idiot’ over the radio”
