Lewis Hamilton crashed during the qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, with Ferrari mechanics up in a race against time to repair damage to his car.
The seven-time Formula 1 champion clipped a barrier with the rear-right side of his car during Saturday’s qualifying session.
As a result, the bars holding the wheel in place snapped, causing significant damage to the car’s corner and rear wing.
The Ferrari ultimately bounced back onto the track, as Hamilton looked to attempt to nurse the car back to the garage with care.
However, it immediately became apparent that was not possible.
As a result, he pulled over at the side of the track and waited for assistance.
Hamilton was heard confirming that he was unharmed over the radio, but sounded disappointed as he apologised to race engineer, Carlo Santi.
He said: “I’ve destroyed the car, mate, I’m sorry,” as Santi replied: “No worries.”
However, the reality is that Ferrari’s mechanics how have a big job on their hands.
The team were forced to wait to retrieve the stricken car, as the wreck needed to be recovered before it could be transported back to the pit lane.
With less than two-and-a-half hours remaining until the start of qualifying, the clock was already ticking, setting Ferrari’s mechanics a gruelling deadline to have Hamilton’s car race-ready in time for the session – something they seemingly have managed to sort in miraculous fashion.
If the car wasn’t ready for qualifying, or even if it was but the setup remained slightly off, then Hamilton’s race would have became considerably harder due to a lower grid position than he might have secured had he not wrecked his car at the close of practice.
Matters proceeded far more smoothly for championship leader Kimi Antonelli who, as in FP2 on Friday evening, topped the timesheets once again.
He’ll be the favourite for pole position, with Mercedes teammate George Russell needing to discover additional pace if he’s to stand any chance of preventing the Italian teenager from claiming top spot in qualifying.
Max Verstappen could prove a genuine threat, however, having featured in the top three across all three practice sessions.
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of Formula 1.
Sky broadcasts every practice, qualifier and race throughout the season, as well as exclusive coverage of the Premier League, EFL, darts and golf.
Red Bull have removed the ‘macarena’ rear wing from his car following safety concerns after it was identified as the cause of his high-speed crash at Silverstone last time out.
However, this doesn’t appear to have significantly hampered his performance.
Lando Norris also showed strong pace throughout practice, although he won’t be challenging for pole.
McLaren have already confirmed Norris will take a 10-place grid penalty this weekend after opting to introduce new control electronics parts here, pushing him over his annual allocation.
