Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheets during FP3 at the 2026 F1 Belgian GP, view the full report here.
The Spa-Francorchamps weekend began with Max Verstappen setting the pace in FP1, finishing ahead of the Ferraris. FP2 then saw Kimi Antonelli go fastest, while teammate and championship rival George Russell could only manage P8, finishing over 1.2s off Antonelli’s pace. The session also featured a late red flag after Pierre Gasly crashed heavily at Fagnes, causing significant damage to his Alpine.
Green light for FP3 at the 2026 F1 Belgian GP
The one-hour FP3 session began slowly, as no team rushed to get out on track first when the green light was displayed. Five minutes into the session, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto was the first driver to head out on track, as the Cadillac, Haas, and Racing Bulls drivers followed.
The field quickly set their first flying laps, with Isach Hadjar taking the top with a 1:48.231. Drivers took turns topping the timesheets, with Arvid Lindblad putting in a 1:47.343 in his upgraded Racing Bulls machinery. His lead didn’t last long as Lewis Hamilton went 0.554s quicker.
Verstappen finally made his way onto the track 20 minutes into the session while the Mercedes teammates remained in the garage with no time set.
Russell’s struggles continue
After completing his first flying lap, Verstappen made his way up to P2. In the meantime, teammate Hadjar stopped at the end of the pit lane as he reported that he had “no power.” The Red Bull Racing mechanics managed to quickly push him back to the garage.
While Hadjar stalled in the pit lane, Mercedes finally released Russell and Antonelli onto the track. Antonelli wasted no time, jumping to the top with a 1:45.990 as Russell returned to the pits after taking P5, 1.3s off Antonelli’s time.
With 30 minutes left, Antonelli led the 2026 F1 Belgian GP FP3 session, followed by Hamilton and Verstappen.
Hadjar resumes his FP3 session
Despite the earlier issue, Hadjar made his way back out onto the track, running on fresh soft tyres. Meanwhile, running on his original set of softs, Russell managed only minimal improvement, taking P4 while he still remained 1.051s behind Antonelli. He briefly returned to the garage while Hadjar took P5.
As track conditions improved, Verstappen made his way up to P2 before being knocked down by reigning World Champion Lando Norris. Russell’s sector times began to look better as he briefly slotted into P3 before being demoted to P4.
Drama in the final moments
Heading into the final 10 minutes, Antonelli began to make minor mistakes, sliding on track, while going beyond the limits. Meanwhile, sat P10 on the timesheets, Charles Leclerc was forced to abort two laps due to traffic. On his final run, Leclerc managed only P6.
Drama struck on Hamilton’s final lap as he went off track, sliding across the gravel and into the wall. The session ended under yellow flags with Antonelli finishing on top ahead of Norris and Verstappen.
2026 F1 Belgian GP FP3 results
