Anthony Davidson could ‘hear’ telling clue for Lewis Hamilton’s costly mistake at the Belgian Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton produced his worst Sprint Qualifying performance in two years at the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, as his spin during SQ1 left the Ferrari star down in only P18.

The 40-year-old had not qualified as lowly for an F1 Sprint since he also only achieved P18 in Austria 23 months ago. Only Alpine gem Franco Colapinto and Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli set slower lap times than Hamilton in the first phase of Sprint Qualifying on Friday.

Like Hamilton, Mercedes saw his successor pay the price for a spin after Antonelli took a trip through the gravel trap at Stavelot on the 18-year-old’s first flying lap. Hamilton almost took a trip through the same gravel trap on his first flying lap, but he collected his SF-25 on entry.

Charles Leclerc proved that the Scuderia had more pace to show around Spa than Hamilton managed in SQ1, as the 27-year-old finished the opening stage in P8 with a lap time 0.645s quicker than his partner. Hamilton’s moment at Stavelot accounted for a lot of his lost time.

Anthony Davidson could ‘hear’ a gearbox issue before Lewis Hamilton’s SQ1 spin at Spa

His spin at the climax of SQ1 even ensured Hamilton could not utilise Ferrari’s upgraded rear suspension at Spa. The Scuderia hope that the upgrade can unlock the SF-25’s potential by lowering the car’s ride height, along with making its problematic rear end more predictable.

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Hamilton was 0.155s up on Alex Albon’s benchmark lap time to progress to SQ2 through the second sector before he span under braking at the Bus Stop Chicane. But Anthony Davidson does not ‘blame’ the seven-time champion for his exit in SQ1 after he heard a gearbox issue.

Davidson said on Sky Sports F1 (25/07, 15:48): “That sound, I hear a lot of locking in the rear axle there. You hear that clunking? That’s backlash in the gearbox.

“So, I don’t blame the driver in that moment. Something is going on there in the downshift phase in that Ferrari. I give Lewis the benefit of [the] doubt with that one, at least.”

Lewis Hamilton’s best results as a Ferrari driver so far have come in F1 Sprints

Had Hamilton not had a kick of oversteer into Stavelot on his first flying lap of SQ1 on Friday, potentially thanks to a gust of wind, then the Ferrari star would likely have made it into SQ2 in Sprint Qualifying at the Belgian GP regardless of the Briton’s spin at the Bus Stop Chicane.

Instead, the Stevenage-born star must fight his way through the rear of the field to have any chance to score a point in the Sprint on Saturday. F1 Sprints have also been where Hamilton has shone the brightest since he joined Ferrari ahead of the 2025 F1 season from Mercedes.

Hamilton won the Sprint in China from pole position, which remain his only pole and victory in any race format for Ferrari. Thanks to his decision to pit early for slick tyres after the early rain, Hamilton sealed P3 in the Sprint in Miami, as well, for his only other podium for Ferrari.