Ferrari in race against time to fix Lewis Hamilton's F1 car after Belgian Grand Prix crash

Lewis Hamilton climbs out of the SF-26 in the Ferrari garage at the Belgian GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Belgian Grand Prix

Ferrari in race against time to fix Lewis Hamilton's car after Belgian Grand Prix crash

Hamilton did some serious damage to his Ferrari at Spa

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 18 July 2026 14:27 Updated: 15:00

Make us your Google favorite

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has forced Ferrari into an uncomfortable position at the Belgian Grand Prix as they rush to get his car ready following a major crash.

Hamilton arrived late to the party in the final hour of practice on Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps, eventually going fifth-fastest.

Unfortunately for the Scuderia however, the 41-year-old ended up hitting the barrier in almost an identical fashion to Pierre Gasly who crashed on Friday, with the Brit having taken a wider line at Turn 12, pushed onto a dirty section of the track as a result.

Article continues under video

This appeared to cause a snap which sent Hamilton careering into the gravel before making contact with the barriers, 'destroying' his SF-26 in the process.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton handed FIA penalty verdict after Ferrari mistake, major U-turn confirmed

Ferrari up against the clock for major rebuild after Hamilton crash

Immediately after the crash which happened in the final minute of on-track proceedings before qualifying, Hamilton confirmed he was ok over team radio, telling race engineer Carlo Santi: "Destroyed the car mate, sorry."

"No problem," Santi replied, but with less than three hours to go until the first competitive session of the weekend, Ferrari are under significant time pressure to fix the mess caused by the seven-time champion.

Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft said in response to Santi's message: "But will it be a problem? That's the thing... It was an old engine for Gasly, they changed that, they changed the gearbox as well, is that what Ferrari have got to do in the next couple of hours with the race to get this car ready for qualifying?"

"2 hours, 28 minutes, 10 seconds and counting to get that Ferrari ready for qualifying. That is not the peaceful lunch break they all might have been expecting," added Croft.

Co-commentator Karun Chandhok then joked the mechanics would be better off rushing to grab lunch before Hamilton's smashed up SF-26 returned to the garage.

Following FP3, Sky F1 reporter Craig Slater provided an update as the clock counted down to just two hours before qualifying.

"Lewis himself was there just a few moments ago, he bustled past me with Angela Cullen his trainer," said Slater, reporting from just outside the Ferrari garage.

"He had a pretty serious look on his face, just standing at the back of the garage, as you can see a hive of activity as they tend to the rear of that Ferrari car.

"Will it necessitate an engine and gearbox change? I’ve been in touch with the team, haven’t had any information yet, I think we’re still in the assessment phase," he concluded.

Whether Ferrari are able to get Hamilton's car back in competitive shape or not could have dire consequences for the legend's grid slot on Sunday, and therefore his chances of making up even more ground in the championship.

There is somewhat good news for Hamilton, as although it is still unclear, word from Ferrari is that they 'think the car will be ready' for qualifying.

Hamilton's team are changing his suspension, floor and rear wing - plus the gearbox as a precaution.

F1 Drivers' Championship (Top 4) Pre-Belgian GP

Formula 1 Drivers' Championship (Top 4)
Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	179
2	George Russell	Mercedes	154
3	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	147
4	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	108

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps