Hamilton Explains Why He Believed He Could Win at Spa

Pulse Sports Team 09:52 - 24 July 2026

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton clarified his assertion that Ferrari could have won the Belgian Grand Prix, noting that race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli wasn't as "ballistic" as usual.

Ferrari hadn't expected to be contenders at Spa due to the long straights and high top speeds, which typically don't suit their car. However, in Charles Leclerc's hands, the SF-26 managed to finish second, less than two seconds behind Antonelli, after being overtaken for the lead 10 laps from the end.

As for Hamilton, his race effectively ended on the first lap after sustaining significant damage in a collision with George Russell. The left sidepod of his car was destroyed, and he also received a five-second penalty for the incident.

Although he served his penalty during a pit stop under a virtual safety car, Hamilton lost another five seconds and rejoined the track behind Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. He eventually managed to overtake Piastri and finished on the podium, 5.7 seconds behind Verstappen.

Offering an explanation for why he believed the car had the potential to win in Belgium, Hamilton pointed out that Mercedes driver Antonelli wasn't as "ballistic" as usual while charging to his sixth Grand Prix victory in 10 races. This win further solidified his position as championship leader, extending his advantage over Hamilton to 45 points.

"I mean, every weekend the goal is to try and extract the maximum. We've had some really good weekends, and then we went to Silverstone, started strong, and took a step in the wrong direction," Hamilton stated at the Hungaroring.

"That took us out of the fight for the win, and the same happened last week, which just shows how things sometimes unfold in this sport."

"But I'm still grateful that we were consistent and scored points. When I said we could have, I meant that in terms of pure speed, Kimi is usually so fast that he pulls away, but this time he wasn't 'ballistic,' and we were much closer than we thought."

"So, to go to two tracks where we thought we'd be quite a bit behind, and to be so close, with Charles winning the British Grand Prix and finishing second in Belgium, I think it's a really good result and shows we're moving in the right direction."