logo
Hamilton suffers unprecedented spinning knockout in Belgian GP sprint qualifying

Hamilton suffers unprecedented spinning knockout in Belgian GP sprint qualifying

France 242 days ago
But the gloomy seven-time world champion was cleared of blame by veteran commentator and former F1 driver Martin Brundle, who said the rear axle of Hamilton's Ferrari "broke up under braking".
Brundle said it was "highly unusual", adding: "I don't think there's anyone more surprised at that than Lewis Hamilton.
"It looks like a technical issue. Nobody will be more surprised than Lewis. It's almost like the engine sort of stalled out and every time he pulled another shift, it's just locked the rear axle."
Hamilton ended up qualifying 18th on the 20-car grid just 24 hours after his highly-charged comments about winning a championship at Ferrari and not suffering the plight of fellow former multiple champions Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.
He struggled throughout the day at the sprawling and majestic Spa-Francorchamps circuit -- one of his favourites -- and ran wide at Stavelot early in SQ1 before his spin at the chicane.
Hamilton said he had never experienced that kind of spin before.
Facing reporters later, he was asked what had gone wrong and responded: "I spun."
He added that it was "the first time, I think, in my career" that he had spun in that way.
"There's not really a lot to say," he added. "Obviously, I'm massively frustrated.
"A lot of work has gone in and to be there is not really great. So hopefully tomorrow will be better."
© 2025 AFP
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Piastri holds off Norris at Spa, extends championship lead
Piastri holds off Norris at Spa, extends championship lead

France 24

time42 minutes ago

  • France 24

Piastri holds off Norris at Spa, extends championship lead

The 24-year-old Australian managed his tyres expertly to remain out of reach in the closing laps as the Briton, 25, who had started on pole, closed in on a harder-wearing compound, finishing 3.415 seconds clear as McLaren reeled off their sixth 1-2 in a dominant season. It was Piastri's first win at the classic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, his sixth this season and the eighth of his career, extending his lead in the drivers' championship to 16 points after 13 of this season's 24 races. For McLaren, it was a 10th win this year. Charles Leclerc came a solid third for Ferrari ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, under the race leadership of new team boss Laurent Mekies for the first time, and Mercedes George Russell. Alex Albon clung on to finish sixth for Williams ahead of chasing seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, who started from the pit lane, and Racing Bulls' rookie Liam Lawson. Gabriel Botoleto was ninth for Sauber ahead of Pierre Gasly of Alpine. "That was lively!" said the cool Piastri, who swept past Norris on lap one. "Very lively. I knew that lap one was probably my best chance of winning the race. I lifted a little as I went through Eau Rouge and then it was enough. "The rest of the race we managed really well. Maybe the medium wasn't the best in the last five-six laps, but we had it almost under control! I was disappointed after yesterday, but it turns out that starting second was not too bad." Norris conceded he couldn't have won. "Oscar just did a good job – there's nothing much more to say. He was committed a bit more in Eau Rouge and that was it. Oscar deserved it today." Leclerc said: "Max was behind me all race within two seconds so it's never easy. I knew the first part was the trickiest and I'm pretty happy we managed to keep that third place." The race began, after an 80-minute delay due to heavy rain, with the entire field on intermediates to run for four laps behind a safety car, clearing standing water. Piastri's craft and calm Four drivers started from the pitlane – Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton – having made changes to their power units or set-up overnight. They began at the rear of the field ahead of the rolling start at the start of lap five. As the lights went green, Norris powered away to lead through La Source, but he was unable to resist when Piastri sneaked out of his slipstream to take the lead going into Les Combes chicane. "Why do I have no pack?" asked Norris, realising he lacked electric power. "We used a lot on the safety car re-start," McLaren responded. On lap 12, Hamilton was the first in for medium slick tyres, rejoining 18th, followed by Piastri, Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell and more. Norris stayed out one lap longer for hards, hoping to profit if his rival's rubber degraded in the closing laps. He was the only one. By lap 15, everyone else had switched to mediums and it was Piastri on top ahead of Norris by 9.3 with Leclerc third leading Verstappen, Russell, Albon and… in flying form, Hamilton. As Norris closed in, Piastri said his tyres were already degrading. "I think it will be tough to get to the end," he told race engineer Tom Stallard, raising the prospect of a dramatic finale. On lap 26, Norris slid wide at Puhon, falling back to nine seconds adrift before remounting his charge. It was a process of marginal gains as Piastri managed his tyres. Norris was close but Piastri's craft and calm prevailed.

Piastri wins Belgian GP, extends championship lead
Piastri wins Belgian GP, extends championship lead

France 24

time44 minutes ago

  • France 24

Piastri wins Belgian GP, extends championship lead

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc came third as Piastri stretched his lead in the drivers' standings over Norris to 16 points. Heavy rain delayed the 13th round of the season by 80 minutes, with organisers eventually allowing a rolling start after four laps behind the safety car as the sun finally appeared. Pole sitter Norris was quickly passed by Piastri as Norris complained he had a problem with his car's battery. Piastri then produced a controlled race from the front to lead home McLaren's sixth 1-2 of the season. "I knew lap one was going to be my best chance of winning the race," said Piastri. "Rest of race we managed really well," the Australian added. "Oscar did a good job, nothing more to say," said Norris. Max Verstappen, winner of Saturday's sprint, took fourth in Laurent Mekies' first race weekend as Red Bull team principal after the sacking of Christian Horner a fortnight ago.

Euro 2025: Lionesses of England take on la Furia Roja of Spain
Euro 2025: Lionesses of England take on la Furia Roja of Spain

France 24

time2 hours ago

  • France 24

Euro 2025: Lionesses of England take on la Furia Roja of Spain

03:51 27/07/2025 Pogacar leads peloton into Paris for Tour de France final stage Sport 27/07/2025 Tour de France: Kaden Groves wins solo, peloton arrives in Paris Sport 27/07/2025 Football: Spanish harmony to battle English resilience in Women's Euro final Sport 26/07/2025 Meet Karolien Florijn, who won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics a year ago Sport 26/07/2025 Tour de France: How to be a good supporter? Sport 26/07/2025 One year on, what is the legacy of the Paris games? Sport 24/07/2025 Tour de France 2025 : 171 km to the Col de la Loze in Courchevel Sport 14/07/2025 Chelsea beats PSG 3-0 for Club World Cup title as Palmer scores twice Sport 12/07/2025 Chelsea to take on irresistible Paris Saint-Germain in Club World Cup final Sport

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store