Lewis Hamilton: I have to “apologise” to Ferrari after “unacceptable” Q1 exit

Lewis Hamilton says he feels the needs to “apologise” to Ferrari after his “unacceptable” exit from the opening segment of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Hamilton failed to make the cut for Q2 by 0.031s and will start the race from 16th on the grid after his best lap in qualifying was deleted for a track limits infringement.

The seven-time world champion had been in the danger zone in the final minutes of Q1, but his final effort had provisionally put him seventh, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc.

However, that joy was short-lived as the stewards deleted that time after TV images showed all four wheels of his car going over the white line on the entry to Raidillion.

This was the first time he had been knocked out in Q1 since he joined Ferrari at the start of the season after 11 years at Mercedes.

Asked if he had been feeling more comfortable in the SF-25 towards the end of the session, the Hamilton said: “Not particularly, I was the same as I was last weekend. We made some changes, the car didn't feel terrible.

“It was even tough for us. We had to put a second set on just to get through Q1, so not great. And then from my side another mistake.

“I've got to look internally and I got to apologise to my team because it's unacceptable to be out in Q1, it's [a] very very poor performance.”

Starting from the eighth row on the grid, Hamilton faces a difficult road to recovery on Sunday, even though Spa-Francorchamps is generally a good track for overtaking.

“I can't do anything [on the set-up], so just try and start from where I am and see where I can get to,” he said.

Hamilton has had a tough weekend so far, with a spin at the end of Friday’s sprint qualifying leaving 18th on the grid. He finished the race down in 15th place.

Ferrari introduced a new rear suspension on both its cars at Spa, as it aimed to close down the gap to McLaren and strengthen its points lead over Mercedes in the standings.

Asked if his mind is focused on getting things in order for 2026, when F1 introduces sweeping changes to both the chassis and the power unit regulations, Hamilton added: “There's a huge ton of investment in what we have and obviously everyone is working flat out back at the factory. 

“We have had upgrades but I think that's probably it for the rest of the year. And I think the focus now - back at the factory at least - is on next year's car.”