Antonelli spun his Mercedes into the gravel on his first flying run of SQ1, while Hamilton encountered an unusual issue<\/a> that saw him lose control during the final sequence of corners.<\/p>\n Scoring points in the Sprint Race at this point was out of the question, but qualifying for Sunday\u2019s race didn\u2019t go much better.<\/p>\n Damon Hill admitted he was worried about the hype surrounding Antonelli<\/a> after seeing him look visibly upset after he failed to progress to Q2.<\/p>\n Hamilton thought he\u2019d done enough to go through alongside teammate Charles Leclerc, only for his final lap time to be deleted due to track limits.<\/p>\n Mercedes were suffering throughout the weekend<\/a>, and Antonelli needed two pit stops to reach the end of the race and never threatened the top 10.<\/p>\n Hamilton produced a tactical masterclass<\/a>, making up 11 positions to score six unexpected points.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t done there, and journalist Tom Clarkson spotted a moment in the media pen between Hamilton and Antonelli that highlighted that he\u2019s still looking out for his old team and the man who replaced him.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton\u2019s life outside F1 from net worth to family<\/a><\/p>\n Journalists Juan Fossaroli and Clarkson were speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast about the race at Spa.<\/p>\n Fossaroli said: \u201cGeorge, when he arrives at the pen, he likes to talk, and now today he was furious, even though he finished fifth.<\/p>\n \u201cThey won here last year, even though he got disqualified, and now they arrive here and they, as you said, the fifth position, doesn\u2019t even make George happy.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Kimi was struggling a lot, and that was also the case yesterday, no?<\/p>\n \u201cHe arrived very late to the pen and he looked like he was furious, even crying, because his eyes were all red. And I think he\u2019s struggling a lot with the car.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said he had to change a little bit the driving style, and I hope the team can reverse that.\u201d<\/p>\n Clarkson replied: \u201cThere was a lovely moment in the TV pen after the race when Lewis went and gave him some comforting words.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is definitely a connection between those two drivers. Lewis wants Kimi to go well. He wants him to succeed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is the elder statesman, isn\u2019t he? And he\u2019s got that sort of presidential feel about him, and in the way other people react around him, particularly the rookies.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton issue spotted from Kimi Antonelli\u2019s car at the Belgian Grand Prix<\/p>\n Hamilton and Antonelli would have expected to be racing at Spa, but not in the position they found themselves in.<\/p>\n Martin Brundle spotted something \u2018awful\u2019 on Hamilton\u2019s car from Antonelli\u2019s onboard camera<\/a>, with the new updates on his Ferrari taking time to get used to.<\/p>\n Speaking to F1 Oversteer, Alex Jacques questioned why Ferrari brought their updates to Spa<\/a>, knowing they only had an hour of practice to optimise them fully.<\/p>\n Friday 1st August to Sunday 3rd August Hamilton\u2019s performances should improve over the coming races as Fred Vasseur\u2019s<\/a> team get to grips with their new rear suspension and other bits and pieces added to the car.<\/p>\n From Mercedes\u2019 point of view, it appears that the direction they\u2019ve gone in with their recent development since the front wing flexibility rule change has been the wrong one.<\/p>\n![\"Mercedes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2227227889-1024x707.jpg\")
Photo by Mark Sutton \u2013 Formula 1\/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesLewis Hamilton\u2019s \u2018presidential\u2019 moment with Kimi Antonelli at the Belgian Grand Prix<\/p>\n
\n Friday 1st August 11:30 1st Practice Friday 1st August 15:00 2nd Practice Saturday 2nd August 10:30 3rd Practice Saturday 2nd August 14:00 1st Qualifying Saturday 2nd August 14:25 2nd Qualifying Saturday 2nd August 14:48 3rd Qualifying Sunday 3rd August 13:00 Race <\/p>\n