By Bradley Shahenza
Lewis Hamilton faces a potential grid penalty after appearing to accelerate through the final chicane of Turns 16 and 17despite the session being stopped following a crash by Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. Stewards are reviewing the incident, and a ruling could significantly impact Mercedes’ race strategy.
On track, the session delivered one of the closest qualifying battles of the season. Max Verstappen edged McLaren’s championship leader Oscar Piastri by just 0.017 seconds, with less than a tenth of a second separating the top five drivers. Mercedes’ George Russell and teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli secured third and fourth fastest, while McLaren’s Lando Norris rounded out the top five. Only 0.072 seconds separated Piastri from Norris, who trails his teammate by 25 points with seven races left in the championship.
Further down the order, Carlos Sainz impressed in the Williams, finishing sixth ahead of Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, with Hamilton classified eighth. Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg took ninth, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the top 10.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, strong in Friday’s practice sessions, endured a quieter outing focused on long-run pace. His late attempt on soft tyres was disrupted when Williams’ Alex Albon went off at Turn 13 at the end of the Anderson Bridge, denying the Spaniard a chance to improve.
The incident involving Hamilton now looms large over the grid order. Should stewards rule against him, Mercedes’ hopes of converting promising pace into points could be dented. With the championship fight finely poised and margins razor-thin, the outcome of the inquiry could prove pivotal ahead of Sunday’s race.
Source BBC News
