Antonelli tops final practice at Spa as Hamilton crashes out

Kimi Antonelli recorded the quickest time of the day with a 1:45.990 lap, putting him ahead of Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and the Red Bull driver in the final practice session at Spa-Francorchamps. George Russell finished fourth, 0.367 seconds behind his teammate, while Lewis Hamilton was a few tenths slower than Russell before crashing into the wall and ending his run.

Charles Leclerc posted a 1:46.750 lap, placing him just behind Hamilton in the provisional standings, and Oscar Piastri was seventh, 0.795 seconds off Antonelli’s best. Both drivers missed a final push lap due to yellow-flag conditions caused by Hamilton’s incident.

Audi drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto broke into the top ten, ahead of the Racing Bulls, suggesting potential strength for qualifying. Meanwhile, Logan Sargeant’s teammate, Logan Lindblad, improved his sector times on fresh soft tyres but ran wide in sector two, briefly losing time.

"everything is too cold," reported driver Isack Hadjar after abandoning a push lap.

Verstappen set a personal best through the first sector and, after a tow from Leclerc, posted a 1:46.148 lap to move into second place. Russell attempted a second push lap on his second set of softs but aborted it early in the sector. Antonelli’s pit stop after three laps on used softs appeared to be a strategic move before his final fast lap.

The session ended with Verstappen posting a 1:47.167 lap on his first push, while Leclerc’s second flying lap was 1:47.469, keeping him in fifth place. Hadjar later reported a loss of power at the pit exit, prompting marshals to intervene.