Max third in final practice at Spa

Published on 18 July 2026 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen finished third in the third and final free practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix. The Dutchman was one and a half tenths slower than Kimi Antonelli, who set the fastest time of the session with his very first flying lap. Lando Norris ended the session in second, ahead of Verstappen, while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton completed the top five at Spa-Francorchamps.

Conditions are slightly cooler than on Friday, with a temperature of 19°C and a track temperature of 34°C. At the start of the session, most teams take their time before sending their cars out. After fifteen minutes, Lewis Hamilton is the first to dip below the 1:47 mark. On soft tyres, he posts a 1:46.789 to move to the top of the timesheets, more than half a second clear of Arvid Lindblad. On the medium tyres, Isack Hadjar is the quickest, placing fourth overall.

With forty minutes remaining, Max heads out for his first run. His opening flying lap on the soft tyres immediately puts him in second place, just over three tenths behind Hamilton. George Russell, who also takes to the track after spending some time in the pits, slots into third behind the Dutchman. Meanwhile, Verstappen's teammate Isack Hadjar has some issues. The Frenchman comes to a halt at the end of the pit lane and reports over the radio that he has no power, despite running a fresh power unit. His car is pushed back into the Red Bull garage.

Halfway through the session, Kimi Antonelli climbs to first place. His very first flying lap produces a 1:45.990 on the soft tyres, putting him almost eight tenths clear of Hamilton and an impressive 1.3 seconds ahead of teammate Russell. Verstappen then improves to within five hundredths of Hamilton's time but remains more than eight tenths behind Antonelli. After six laps, Max returns to the pits. Hadjar rejoins the track, although the issues are still there. The Frenchman voices his frustration over the radio, complaining that his tyres are too cold. He manages to improve but remains three tenths slower than Verstappen.

With fifteen minutes to go, Verstappen returns to the circuit on a fresh set of softs, as does George Russell. Max sets a 1:46.138, moving to within one and a half tenths of Antonelli's benchmark. Russell once again slots in behind Verstappen, three and a half tenths slower than his Mercedes teammate. Lando Norris then climbs to second, pushing Max back to third.

In the closing seconds of the session, Hamilton gives Ferrari plenty of work ahead of qualifying. Like Pierre Gasly on Friday, the Brit runs wide at Fagnes and clips the barriers with his right-rear wheel. The impact breaks the rear suspension, leaving Ferrari with significant repairs to complete before qualifying. That means Kimi Antonelli remains fastest, with his single flying lap proving enough to top the timesheets. Lando Norris finishes second, ahead of Max Verstappen in third, while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton complete the top five at Spa-Francorchamps.

Results third free practice Belgium: