Lewis Hamilton faced a disappointing setback during the qualifying round of the Belgian Grand Prix. Initially thinking he had secured a spot in the next stage of the session, Hamilton’s fastest lap was deleted by Formula 1 stewards. Despite a strong final run that elevated him to seventh place, the stewards determined that he had exceeded track limits at Spa-Francorchamps by crossing the white line at Eau Rouge and Raidillon.
Footage from cameras on Hamilton’s Ferrari was inconclusive, but an off-board camera revealed that all four wheels had gone off the track. This decision by the FIA meant that Hamilton’s lap was invalidated, leaving him in 16th place on the timesheets. This marked the first time a Ferrari had failed to advance from Q1 since Carlos Sainz in 2023.
This setback was not the only qualifying mishap for Hamilton during the weekend. He had also encountered difficulties in the Sprint race grid-setting session, spinning out at the final corner. Hamilton attributed this incident to a new component on his Ferrari that he was unfamiliar with, causing unexpected brake issues. Despite the challenges, Hamilton remained hopeful that the problem could be resolved for the upcoming races.