F1MATHS: Telemetry reveals how Ferrari lose six tenths to Mercedes through Spa’s high-speed corners

Lewis Hamilton may have finished fourth fastest in Friday’s second practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, but the telemetry comparison against Mercedes championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli reveals a much deeper performance deficit for Ferrari. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo delivers his latest analysis.

According to the telemetry analysis, Hamilton’s best lap of 1m46.691s was 0.747 seconds slower than Antonelli’s benchmark of 1m45.944s, with the majority of the gap coming not from the straights, but from a sequence of high-speed corners where Ferrari appeared unable to match Mercedes’ performance.

While Hamilton was competitive in several sections of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Ferrari lost significant time through four consecutive fast corners, suggesting potential issues with aerodynamic efficiency, tyre performance, or energy deployment.

The opening sector immediately highlighted a weakness for Ferrari. Hamilton lost around one tenth of a second on the main straight approaching La Source, but recovered the deficit after Turn 1.

However, from the exit of La Source through the legendary Eau Rouge and Raidillon complex (Turns 2, 3 and 4), Antonelli pulled away significantly. Hamilton surrendered approximately three tenths of a second through the high-speed climb before reaching the Kemmel Straight.

The deficit is notable because Eau Rouge and Raidillon are among the most demanding corners on the Formula 1 calendar, requiring a combination of aerodynamic stability, mechanical grip and confidence in the car’s balance at extremely high speeds.

Hamilton was able to recover some of the loss on the Kemmel Straight, gaining back around half a tenth between Turn 4 and Turn 5, where Mercedes’ advantage appeared less pronounced.

The biggest surprise came in the middle sector, where Ferrari’s deficit increased dramatically. After losing another tenth between Turns 7 and 8, Hamilton matched Antonelli through Turns 8 and 9.

However, the situation changed immediately in the ultra-fast section consisting of Turns 10, 11 and 12. Through this sequence, Hamilton lost approximately six tenths of a second to Antonelli.

Such a large gap in a high-speed corner sequence is unusual, particularly because Ferrari have been the field-leading car through the medium- and high-speed corners so far in 2026.

One possible explanation could be Ferrari’s energy management strategy. If the SF-26 was deploying less electrical assistance through this section, the car could have been forced into a situation where it either ran out of battery deployment or required additional harvesting through the internal combustion engine — a process often referred to as superclipping.

At Spa, where long full-throttle sections and high-speed corners place significant demands on energy usage, managing the balance between deployment and recharge is critical.

Ferrari’s performance improved again through the final part of the lap. Hamilton gained back around three tenths through Turns 13 and 14, while the two drivers were closely matched from Turn 15 through the approach to the Bus Stop chicane.

Interestingly, Antonelli regained an advantage through the final chicane, gaining approximately three tenths of a second, but Hamilton recovered some of that time on the short run from the final corner to the finish line.

The telemetry comparison suggests that Ferrari’s deficit was concentrated almost entirely in specific high-speed sections rather than being a general lack of pace across the lap.

The comparison between Antonelli and Hamilton paints a clear picture: Ferrari appears competitive in slower and medium-speed sections, but struggles significantly in the fastest corners of Spa-Francorchamps.

The six-tenths loss through Turns 10, 11 and 12 is particularly concerning because those corners are heavily influenced by aerodynamic performance and energy deployment.

If Ferrari cannot resolve the issue, the team may face a difficult weekend at a circuit where efficiency and high-speed stability are among the most important performance factors.

Mercedes, meanwhile, appears to have found an excellent balance with Antonelli’s car. After Verstappen topped FP1, the championship-leading team responded immediately, with Antonelli’s lap restoring Mercedes as the benchmark heading into the remainder of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.