Karun Chandhok sees Lewis Hamilton’s ‘important’ error from Belgian Grand Prix crash onboard footage

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Karun Chandhok claims Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton crashed during FP3 at the 2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix purely from making a slight mistake that carried big consequences.

Hamilton dealt his hopes ahead of qualifying for the Belgian GP a blow in the last seconds of the last practice session at Spa on Saturday. The 41-year-old had to park his Ferrari SF-26 at the exit of Stavelot, after tagging the same barrier that Alpine ace Pierre Gasly had hit in FP2.

Gasly crashed during FP2 at the Belgian GP on Friday when he clipped the end of the barrier on the outside of Turn 14 after running wide in the Fagnes chicane. Hamilton had an almost identical crash at the close of FP3, after he hit the same barrier but avoided a complete spin.

Antonelli tops FP3 at the Belgian GP with Russell 0.367s adrift in P4 🇧🇪 How alarmed should George be?

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Lewis Hamilton running wide at Turn 14 caused his FP3 crash at the Belgian Grand Prix

Hamilton, like Gasly on Friday, ran wide out of Turn 14 and had to run into the gravel trap on the outside of the Fagnes chicane. The seven-time F1 champion’s momentum meant he also tagged the same barrier as Gasly with his tyre, which snapped his rear-right suspension.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, plus the weather forecast for Spa

Former HRT driver Chandhok believes Hamilton’s crash was different to Gasly’s, however, as the Ferrari star’s shunt could be traced back to how he entered the Fagnes chicane. He feels Hamilton crashed after running wide turning in for T14, after watching the onboard footage.

Chandhok said on Sky Sports F1 (18/07, 12:43): “Let’s first look at Lewis’ best lap, because this is where I think we could start to see some differences.

“So, he’s gone into the Fagnes chicane – this is on his best lap – and he gets up to that inside kerb on the left-hand side. He’s over the white line, and he’s got the car on that inside kerb, and that gives him the rotation, gives him less understeer, and he’s able to then get out of the corner in the trajectory that he would like.

“So, just that positioning, I think, is really important. Now, let’s contrast that with the lap in which he crashed. As he goes into the left, turns in, and he doesn’t quite hook up.

“He’s got a little correction. Watch his hands as he turns across. He turns in, gets a little correction, doesn’t quite get the car onto that kerb. He’s now outside the white line. He’s not even on the white line. He’s just slightly wide.

“And then we get the knock-on effect of that as he then starts to understeer as he comes through. And I think because he’s slightly wide, the trajectory compared to the previous lap is now slightly wider. He was just ever so little bit wider.

“But it now means he’s ended up on the dusty bits here, and that the right-hand tyres are now on the dust. And that’s given that snap of oversteer, then he hits the barriers and the contact. And that the effect of what’s happened in the later part of the corner started earlier by not getting the front-end bite that he needed to get onto the apex.”

Hamilton crashed exactly as the chequered flag started to be waved to mark the end of FP3 at the Belgian GP on Saturday. He was attempting a late flying run on the soft C4 compound Pirelli tyres, but had already gone slower through the first sector than on his best lap time.

The 41-year-old had already registered a 1:46.382 lap of Spa earlier in FP3 using the soft C4 tyres, which was enough for him to end the session in fifth place. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc finished FP3 in sixth place with a 1:46.750 lap, with both far from the fastest times.

Mercedes gem Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped FP3 at the Belgian GP with a 1:45.990, as the only driver to dip into the 1:45s during the final practice session. Lando Norris of McLaren, Max Verstappen of Red Bull and George Russell of Mercedes also edged the Ferrari drivers.