Lewis Hamilton was left deflated after a rare spin at the final chicane derailed his Sprint Qualifying session at the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
The British driver labelled the outing “massively frustrating” after a lacklustre showing at Spa-Francorchamps.
Hamilton, who had arrived at Round 13 of the 2025 season with high hopes, endured a troubled SQ1.
An early off left his first lap below par, putting him on the back foot from the start. With elimination looming, the Ferrari driver began piecing together a stronger final run, setting personal bests in the opening sectors in a bid to salvage his session.
However, he locked the rear axle as he braked for the Bus Stop chicane and spun round, bringing his lap to an end and destroying the laps of others.
In the end, Hamilton finished the session down in 18th place, alongside the only other Sprint polesitter of the year in Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Speaking to the media after the session, the seven-time World Champion, not for the first time this season, cut a downbeat figure following another disappointing outing.
Asked to explain what happened at the final chicane, he gave a terse response: “I spun,” before adding it was the “first time” in his career he’d done so in that manner.
Hamilton: Car struggles and cautious optimism for race day
When pressed on how the car had felt throughout the day, Hamilton didn’t mince his words: “Not great. Yeah, there’s not really a lot to say.”
On whether the latest suspension upgrade had made the car any more driveable, he simply shook his head.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the weekend, he added: “Tomorrow’s a new day, so we’ll try to… obviously, I’m massively frustrated, so… a lot of work’s gone in, and to be there is not really great, so yeah, hopefully tomorrow will be better.”
His team-mate, Charles Leclerc, finished fourth for Ferrari but still remained over half a second off polesitter Oscar Piastri, as the Scuderia continues to lag behind its rivals McLaren and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.
The race weekend for Hamilton this season came at China, where he secured his first victory in red in the Sprint race.
A return to the format this weekend should have brought a welcome break from the misery and disappointment felt over the last few months.
But instead, Hamilton will have to work his way through the order to salvage his Sprint record on Saturday.
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