Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, and Fernando Alonso will start the Belgian Grand Prix from the pit lane after taking new power units, which pushes them over their 2025 allocation. The trio suffered a mightily disappointing qualifying session on the Spa-Francorchamps track on Saturday afternoon and will enter the race with a further disadvantage.
Antonelli is enduring a dismal weekend so far, exiting Q1 in P18, having also dropped out at the same stage in Sprint qualifying. Both Aston Martin drivers, Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll, also had a nightmare outing, going 19th and 20th fastest.
Hamilton initially looked to have snuck into Q2 before his final lap time was deleted after the conclusion of the session, demoting him to P16.
The seven-time world champion will join his Mercedes replacement, Antonelli, and Alonso as pit lane starters in Sunday’s race.
As part of the work on their cars, the trio gain a new energy store, control electronics, exhaust system, as well as a fresh internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K.
Hamilton will have to get over the disappointment of his qualifying session to try and help Charles Leclerc maintain Ferrari’s status as the ‘best of the rest’ in the Constructors’ Championship.
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McLaren are long gone on 473 points en route to defending their crown. Ferrari sit second on 227 points but face pressure from Mercedes (210) and Red Bull (180).
After his shock Q1 exit on Saturday, Hamilton cut a dejected figure as he spoke to the media. He said: “I’m just really sorry to the team.
“All the hard work, all the testing, the filming day that we did and all the preparation and then you come here and you don’t make it through Q1. It’s just unacceptable from me.”
Verstappen triumped in Saturday’s sprint race but will start the GP on the second row in P4 alongside Leclerc.
Lando Norris sits on pole next to McLaren teammate and world title rival Oscar Piastri ahead of what promises to be an enthralling next chapter of their battle.
Piastri currently leads the Drivers’ Championship on 241 points but is just nine points ahead of Norris after the Brit’s back-to-back victories in the Austrian and British Grands Prix.
Verstappen, on 173, has lots of work to do but will not be giving up on a fifth world title in as many years, which would move him behind only Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, and level with Juan Manuel Fangio.
The Dutchman’s sprint win served as a caution that Christian Horner’s sudden Red Bull exit will not hamper his ability on the track.