Third Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Belgian F1 Grand Prix
Event: Belgian Grand Prix
Track: Spa-Francorchamps Circuit
Weather: dry 21°C / 69°F
Tarmac: dry 34°C / 93°F
Humidity : 40%
Wind : 1.2 km/h South
Antonelli Sets Spa Benchmark As Hamilton Crash Rocks Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton's preparations for Belgian Grand Prix qualifying were thrown into doubt after the Ferrari driver crashed at Fagnes in the closing stages of final practice, leaving his mechanics with a race against the clock before Q1. While Ferrari's garage burst into action, Kimi Antonelli quietly strengthened his credentials by completing a practice double at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Mercedes driver topped FP3 with a 1:45.990, but the headline time tells only part of the story. Antonelli failed to improve on his second set of soft tyres after one flying lap was aborted and another compromised, yet nobody managed to beat his earlier benchmark. With less than two tenths covering Antonelli, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, qualifying remains finely poised.
Antonelli carries momentum into qualifying
Antonelli has now finished fastest in both of Spa's representative practice sessions after also leading FP2 on Friday.
His quickest lap in FP3 came on his first set of soft tyres. A later attempt was abandoned after he reported missing a gear, while a subsequent run failed to improve on his earlier benchmark. Even so, the Italian remained comfortably ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who improved to fourth after a difficult Friday.
Mercedes has claimed every Grand Prix pole position so far this season, and Antonelli heads into qualifying in impressive form after once again leading the field.
Verstappen remains within touching distance
Max Verstappen never allowed Antonelli to escape.
The Red Bull driver finished just 0.148 seconds off the fastest time despite continuing to report balance and gearbox concerns over team radio. Having topped FP1 before finishing third in both FP2 and FP3, Verstappen has remained consistently among the frontrunners throughout the weekend.
Those margins suggest Red Bull remains firmly in contention once qualifying begins.
Hamilton crash changes Ferrari's focus
The final minutes of practice dramatically shifted Ferrari's attention from performance to repairs.
Hamilton lost the rear of his Ferrari through Fagnes, the same corner that caught out Pierre Gasly during Friday's FP2, before clipping the tyre barriers.
"Yeah, I have destroyed the car, mate," Hamilton reported over team radio.
The rear wing was visibly damaged, while Ferrari also needed to inspect the rear suspension and gearbox before qualifying. Whether any additional components require replacement will only become clear once the car has been fully assessed.
Hamilton still finished fifth on the timesheets, while Leclerc ended sixth. However, the Monegasque never completed a representative final qualifying simulation after abandoning two consecutive flying laps because of traffic, making Ferrari's true one-lap pace difficult to judge.
Norris quick, but penalty limits reward
Lando Norris again demonstrated strong pace by finishing second, splitting Antonelli and Verstappen.
The McLaren driver, however, already carries a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit allocation. Regardless of where he qualifies, that penalty will significantly reshape his starting position on Sunday's grid.
Everything points to a close qualifying battle
Three practice sessions have gradually narrowed the picture without producing a runaway favourite.
Antonelli has led the final two sessions, Verstappen has remained within striking distance throughout, Norris has consistently featured near the front despite his impending grid penalty, and Ferrari's final preparations were disrupted by Hamilton's accident and Leclerc's traffic.
Practice has provided the first clues, but little certainty. With Spa-Francorchamps traditionally rewarding drivers who deliver when it matters most, qualifying now promises to decide far more than the practice times ever could.
FP3 Times Table 2026 Belgian GP
| P | No | Driver | Team | Time | Laps | Tyres |
| 1 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:45.990 | 13 | S |
| 2 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.139s | 21 | S |
| 3 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.148s | 14 | S |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.367s | 12 | S |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.392s | 17 | S |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.760s | 17 | S |
| 7 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.795s | 20 | S |
| 8 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | +0.934s | 20 | S |
| 9 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.059s | 18 | S |
| 10 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1.106s | 19 | S |
| 11 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.186s | 23 | S |
| 12 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.700s | 23 | S |
| 13 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.914s | 20 | S |
| 14 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.930s | 23 | S |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.959s | 21 | S |
| 16 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | +2.000s | 19 | S |
| 17 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +2.654s | 22 | S |
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2.702s | 20 | S |
| 19 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +2.740s | 22 | S |
| 20 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | +3.000s | 21 | S |
| 21 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +4.165s | 17 | S |
| 22 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +4.641s | 15 | S |
The quickest sector times during this FP3 where:
- 30.527 sec. by Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17.
- 46.646 sec. by Lando Norris, McLaren MCL40.
- 28.294 sec. by Max Verstappen, Red Bull RB22.
The quickest lap time of two years ago during a wet FP3 was a 2:01,565 min, set by Max Verstappen with the McLaren RB20.
Check out our: 2026 Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix preview.
What's Your Next F1 Grand Prix Podium Prediction?
São Paulo Grand PrixSao Paulo · round 20 of 23The Predictor F1-Fansite data model
Championship form and recent form. The starting grid joins in after qualifying, then the chances update.
Kimi AntonelliMercedes · #1235%to win
Max VerstappenRed Bull · #316%to win
Lewis HamiltonFerrari · #4412%to winWho's on the podium?
Pick your top 3, then drag the number (or use the arrows) to set the order. You can edit until the race starts.
Scoring: 3 pts for a driver in the exact spot, 1 pt for the right driver in the wrong spot. A perfect podium earns the Oracle badge.
A free account locks it in. We keep your picks while you sign up.
Everyone's picks stay hidden until lights out, so no one can copy.
All 22 drivers: win, podium and points chances
| # | Driver | Win | Podium | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi AntonelliMercedes | 35% | 78% | 100% | P1 in the championship · 4 podiums in the last 5 |
| 2 | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 16% | 48% | 99% | P2 in the championship · 5 podiums in the last 5 |
| 3 | Lewis HamiltonFerrari | 12% | 39% | 98% | P3 in the championship · 2 podiums in the last 5 |
| 4 | Charles LeclercFerrari | 11% | 38% | 98% | P5 in the championship · 2 podiums in the last 5 |
| 5 | George RussellMercedes | 6.5% | 23% | 92% | P4 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5 |
| 6 | Lando NorrisMcLaren | 5.4% | 20% | 87% | P6 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 7 | Oscar PiastriMcLaren | 2.9% | 11% | 68% | P7 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 8 | Isack HadjarRed Bull | 2.3% | 9.7% | 66% | P8 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5 |
| 9 | Liam LawsonRacing Bulls | 1.9% | 7.1% | 52% | P9 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 10 | Nico HülkenbergAudi | 0.9% | 3.1% | 28% | P15 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 11 | Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls | 0.7% | 2.9% | 27% | P11 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 12 | Ryo HirakawaHaas | 0.6% | 2.2% | 18% | P21 in the championship · no podium in the last 1 |
| 13 | Pierre GaslyAlpine | 0.6% | 2.5% | 22% | P10 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 14 | Oliver BearmanHaas | 0.6% | 2.1% | 20% | P13 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 2 DNFs |
| 15 | Sergio PérezCadillac | 0.6% | 1.6% | 14% | P22 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 16 | Fernando AlonsoAston Martin | 0.5% | 1.9% | 16% | P16 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 2 DNFs |
| 17 | Franco ColapintoAlpine | 0.5% | 1.8% | 16% | P12 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 3 DNFs |
| 18 | Carlos SainzWilliams | 0.4% | 2.1% | 19% | P17 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 19 | Gabriel BortoletoAudi | 0.4% | 2.0% | 20% | P14 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 20 | Lance StrollAston Martin | 0.4% | 1.5% | 14% | P24 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 3 DNFs |
| 21 | Alex AlbonWilliams | 0.3% | 1.3% | 13% | P19 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 3 DNFs |
| 22 | Valtteri BottasCadillac | 0.3% | 1.0% | 11% | P23 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 3 DNFs |
Podium = chance of a top-three finish, Points = chance of a top-ten. Rounded; the win column adds up to 100%.
Season standings · 2026
How the Predictor works
No bookmakers, no odds: every number comes from the F1-Fansite results database. Each driver gets a strength score from the factors below; the race is then simulated 10,000 times and we count how often each driver wins, finishes on the podium or scores points. It does not know about weather or reliability, and it says so. Grid penalties count as soon as the official starting grid is in.
Before qualifying the model is honest about the odds: three or four candidates share most of the chance. After qualifying the grid takes over and the call sharpens.
Calibration this season: when it said 8%, it happened 5% of the time; when it said 16%, it happened 6% of the time.
