Having endured a shock exit in the opening part of the qualifying session for the Spa F1 Sprint, seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton admitted that he was the one to blame for the costly mistake.

Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult opening day at the Belgian Grand Prix. The British driver looked to struggle for a consistent balance behind the wheel of his SF-25 in the sole one-hour practice session, but he still managed to grab seventh place.

However, he endured more difficult fortunes in the sprint qualifying session. The seven-time champion looked fairly competitive on his first flying lap, but he made a mistake at Stavelot which resulted in a time loss of around seven tenths.

His mistake meant that he needed a second flying lap which looked enough to make it out in Q1, but when he braked for the Bus Stop chicane, he lost the rear end of his Ferrari.

The replays showed that Hamilton’s rear tyres instantly locked under braking, which ultimately resulted in the seven-time world champion being knocked out in 18th.

Asked what was the reason for the spin, Hamilton was quick to admit that he made a mistake: “It’s me. It’s me. It is the first time in my career.”

Pressed on to reveal the impact Ferrari’s heavily-revised rear suspension had on the competitiveness of his SF-25, the seven-time world champion said that he felt no improvements from the upgrade.

“Tomorrow’s a new day. Obviously, I’m massively frustrated. A lot of work has gone in and to be there is not great. Hopefully, tomorrow is going to be better.”