Stavelot: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton will commence the Belgian Grand Prix from the pit lane on Sunday, July 27, 2025. This decision by his team came after a "horrible" qualifying performance on Saturday, which prompted the installation of a new power unit in his car. Hamilton had a particularly challenging qualifying session, failing to progress beyond Q1, and was initially slated to start 16th on the grid after his fastest lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. Ferrari officially confirmed the change on X, stating: "An updated grid for the Belgian GP @LewisHamilton will start from the pit lane with a new power unit."

This setback followed a similarly difficult outing in Saturday's sprint race. Hamilton started 18th in that event after a spin during sprint qualifying, ultimately managing only a 15th-place finish.

Despite being a five-time winner at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, where he is just one victory shy of matching Michael Schumacher’s record (his win last year came after then-teammate George Russell's disqualification due to an underweight car), Hamilton did not mince words about his recent form. "We made some changes, the car didn't feel terrible," Hamilton told Sky Sports after qualifying. "And then from my side, another mistake... I've got to apologise to my team because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s (first qualifying for the sprint and main race). It's a very, very poor performance for myself." He also expressed pessimism about the pit lane start improving his situation, adding, "I don't think there's really much we can do. So I just try and start from where I am and see where I can get from there. I don't agree, no, but I'm out."

Meanwhile, Lando Norris of McLaren secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, delivering an impressive lap at Spa-Francorchamps. Norris topped the Q1 session, though his teammate Oscar Piastri briefly outpaced him in Q2. However, Norris set an unbeatable time of 1m 40.562s in Q3 during his first run, securing the pole. Piastri will start alongside him in second place, just 0.085s adrift, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in third and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in fourth.

With inputs from IANS