Lewis Hamilton’s Belgian GP Sprint Qualifying Disaster: Technical Glitch Exposed as Russell Faces Steward Scrutiny

The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps on July 25 delivered a dramatic twist for Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, whose hopes of a strong weekend were shattered by a shocking spin in SQ1, relegating him to 18th on the grid. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri stormed to a dominant pole, outpacing Max Verstappen and teammate Lando Norris, while Mercedes’ George Russell faced a steward summons for driving too slowly, compounding a chaotic day for the Silver Arrows. As Ferrari’s new rear suspension upgrade failed to deliver for Hamilton, Sky Sports F1 analysts Martin Brundle and Anthony Davidson pointed to a technical issue—rear axle lock-up under braking—as the culprit, sparking debate and frustration. With Russell under investigation and Red Bull’s Verstappen poised to capitalize on McLaren’s slipstream, Spa’s Sprint race promises high drama.

Hamilton’s nightmare unfolded at the Bus Stop chicane, the final corner of Spa’s demanding 7km layout, during his last SQ1 lap. After a mistake at Stavelot left him in the drop zone, the seven-time champion was on pace to advance, posting personal bests in sectors one and two. However, as he braked for the chicane, his Ferrari SF-25 suffered a sudden rear lock-up, sending him spinning into the runoff area. Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle called it “highly unusual,” suggesting the engine “stalled out,” locking the rear axle with each gear shift, a view echoed by Anthony Davidson, who noted “clunking” gearbox backlash and absolved Hamilton of blame, stating, “Something’s going on in the downshift phase of that Ferrari”. Hamilton, visibly dejected, told Sky Sports F1, “It’s the first time in my career,” referring to the rear-locking incident, adding, “The car doesn’t feel great. Tomorrow’s a new day”. Ferrari’s highly anticipated rear suspension upgrade, aimed at fixing ride height issues, showed promise with Charles Leclerc’s P4 but left Hamilton struggling, as reported by Motorsport.com.

McLaren’s Piastri, meanwhile, dominated, setting a pole time nearly half a second faster than Verstappen’s Red Bull and six-tenths ahead of Norris, per Sky Sports F1. Despite a lap deletion in SQ2 for exceeding track limits at Raidillon, Piastri’s pace in the sole practice session and SQ3 underscored McLaren’s 2025 supremacy, with the MCL38 thriving at Spa. Piastri acknowledged the car’s “mega” handling but warned of Verstappen’s straight-line speed advantage due to Red Bull’s lower wing setup, telling Sky Sports F1, “Spa’s probably the worst track to have pole at”. Verstappen, capitalizing on Red Bull’s upgrades despite the team’s loss of Christian Horner, secured P2, setting up a potential overtake on the Kemmel Straight, as noted on X by @F1_Newsletter. Norris, hampered by track evolution in SQ2, salvaged P3 but admitted his lap was “not clean enough”.

Mercedes’ woes deepened with Russell’s SQ2 exit and steward investigation for unnecessarily slow driving, alongside Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, who also faces scrutiny for a potential impeding incident involving Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, per the YouTube transcript. Russell blamed his struggles on gravel kicked up by teammate Kimi Antonelli’s SQ1 spin at Stavelot, which damaged his car and disrupted his laps, telling Sky Sports F1, “It felt terrible after that gravel”. Antonelli, starting last after his own spin, compounded Mercedes’ dismal day, with both cars out early despite their 2024 Spa dominance, where Russell’s disqualification handed Hamilton the win, per AP News. Posts on X, like @JunaidSamodien_’s, highlighted Russell’s frustration, pinning his woes on Antonelli’s incident.

Ferrari’s upgrade, combining revised rear suspension geometry and corner winglets, aimed to address the SF-25’s instability, but Hamilton’s 18th-place finish—0.238s off SQ2 progression—marked Ferrari’s first SQ1 exit since Sprint qualifying began in 2023, per RacingNews365. Leclerc’s P4 offered some hope, but X posts like @Sue99126139’s questioned the upgrade’s effectiveness, citing persistent rear-locking issues. The midfield capitalized, with Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman securing P5 and P7, Williams’ Carlos Sainz in P6, and Alpine’s Gasly, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounding out the top 10, per Sky Sports F1. As the Sprint race looms on July 26, 2025, at 11am on Sky Sports F1, Hamilton faces a steep climb from 18th, while Russell’s potential penalty adds intrigue. With Piastri and Verstappen set to duel and Red Bull’s straight-line speed threatening McLaren’s lead, Spa’s 15-lap Sprint promises a thrilling clash amid Ferrari’s technical woes and Mercedes’ mounting troubles.