Hamilton crashed into the barriers during the final practice for the Belgium Grand Prix.
The Englishman, who leads the drivers’ championship by 62 points, lost control of his Mercedes at high speed on Saturday morning.
The Silver Arrow was sent speeding into the tyre wall, after which Hamilton emerged unscathed.
His team later confirmed the 34-year-old did not need to visit the medical room for treatment.
“I am in the wall, guys,” said Hamilton over the team radio. “Sorry.”
The front of the car suffered extensive damage and mechanics are now under pressure to get it in shape for qualifying this afternoon.
Replays suggested Hamilton lost the back end of his Mercedes after going over the kerb on a right turning, sending him off the track.
The exact extent of the damage done is not yet known but Sky F1’s David Croft theorised the chassis could be affected.
“I wonder if that damage will require a chassis change,” he said.
“If they need to change it, that’d be a pit lane start. If the chassis is in tact, the team will be mightily be relieved on that one.”
In Hamilton’s absence, Ferrari continued their domination of the weekend in Spa-Francorchamps, with Charles Leclerc fastest.
The Monegasque finished nearly half-a-second clear of his team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
Valtteri Bottas was third for Mercedes, 0.497 seconds off the pace.