Max Verstappen Faces FIA Investigation After Hamilton Crash

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz are under investigation by the FIA stewards after an incident in the aftermath of Lewis Hamilton's crash in FP3 at the Belgian Grand Prix.

What happened?

Hamilton's Ferrari crashed in the closing minutes of the final practice session at Spa on the exit of the Fagnes chicane. The incident was almost identical to Pierre Gasly's accident at the same corner in Friday's FP2 session in Belgium. Hamilton's accident led to yellow flags being waved, with Verstappen slowing his pace on the approach to the first part of the Fagnes chicane. Travelling behind, Sainz appeared to be caught out by the yellow flags and locked up heavily behind the Red Bull.

Why it matters for Max Verstappen

Sainz was heard trying to pin the blame on Verstappen, with the Red Bull driver questioning the Williams man's role in the incident. Sainz said: "The car in front braked quite sudden." Verstappen responded with: "What the f**k? My God! It's like double yellows and this car it almost crashes in the back of me. Unbelievable." The incident has raised questions about the responsibility of drivers in situations like this.

What comes next?

Verstappen and Sainz, along with team representatives of Red Bull and Williams, are required to report to the stewards at 14:25 in Belgium over an alleged failure to slow for double yellow flags. The FIA stewards will review the incident and decide on any necessary action. In the meantime, the Scuderia Ferrari team is facing a frantic repair job ahead of qualifying later on Saturday afternoon.

The incident has also highlighted the importance of driver responsibility and the need for clear communication on the track. As the F1 2026 season continues, drivers will need to be more aware of their surroundings and take responsibility for their actions on the track.

In other news, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli topped FP3 at Spa, outpacing McLaren driver Lando Norris by 0.139 seconds. Verstappen was narrowly slower than Norris in third, with George Russell 0.367s off the pace of teammate Antonelli in fourth. Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc, the winner of the last race in Britain, ended the session fourth and fifth respectively as Ferrari goes in search of consecutive wins for the first time since October 2024. Sainz, meanwhile, ended the session in 18th place, lapping 0.702s slower than teammate Alex Albon in 16th.

Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, the 10th round of the F1 2026 season, will begin at 1600 local time at Spa. The incident has added an extra layer of tension to the weekend's events, and it remains to be seen how the FIA stewards will handle the situation.