Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Piastri lays down marker in Belgian GP FP1.
Oscar Piastri has made the perfect start to his Belgian Grand Prix weekend, topping the timesheets in Free Practice 1 by four tenths of a second.
25 Jul 2025
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

The championship leader looked fast throughout the hour-long practice session — the only one of the weekend due to it being a sprint round — setting the early pace on the hard tyres before clocking his best time of 1:42.022 on his final lap on softs. His time was 0.404s faster than Max Verstappen, while his teammate Lando Norris finished the session in third, 0.504s behind the Aussie.

‘Piastri lays down marker’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-p...inant-mclaren/


Belgian GP: Free Practice 1 Results
Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
25 Jul 2025
Ben Waterworth
Speedcafe

POS. NO. DRIVER TEAM TIME / GAP LAPS
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:42.022 23
2 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.404s 23
3 4 Lando Norris McLaren +0.504s 22
4 63 George Russell Mercedes +0.576s 27
5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.906s 22
6 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.957s 23
7 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +1.063s 24
8 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.090s 17
9 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1.098s 22
10 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +1.100s 19

‘Free Practice 1 Results’;

https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-b...1-fp1-results/


Belgian GP: Piastri tops free practice from Verstappen and Norris
25/07/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

McLaren’s championship leader Oscar Piastri laid down a commanding performance in the only free practice session for the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix.

The Australian’s late charge on Pirelli’s soft C4 compound in the closing minutes of the hour-long session saw him edge out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by four tenths, signaling McLaren’s strong form heading into the weekend.

The session, dominated by setup work and testing of new aerodynamic upgrades, offered a glimpse into the intense development race as teams fine-tune their packages before the season’s latter stages.

‘Piastri tops free practice’;

https://f1i.com/news/544508-belgian-...nd-norris.html


Lewis Hamilton the target of team radio rant after ‘dangerous’ Belgian GP near miss
25 Jul 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Lewis Hamilton was the target of an angry team radio rant by Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto during FP1 at the Belgian Grand Prix. Bortoleto took to team radio to air his frustrations, telling his race engineer: “Mate, what the f**k is Hamilton doing? He’s always in the middle of the track.”

Leclerc was similarly unimpressed by the sight of two cars dawdling at a dangerous part of the circuit. He responded: “Ah, come on. This is dangerous.”

“Mate, what the f**k is Hamilton doing?”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...n-gp-dangerous


What happened in sole Spa F1 practice session
Jul 25, 2025
Ben Anderson
The Race

Oscar Piastri led the way for McLaren in the only practice session for Formula 1’s 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, as McLaren team-mate Lando Norris went off and lapped slower than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. The Red Bull features a substantial upgrade for Spa, incorporating revised front wing, front suspension, sidepod inlet, engine cover and rear corner, but Verstappen still complained of a “weird” feeling with the car mid-corner, unable to rotate it as he wished.

Verstappen’s Red Bull was predictably supreme through the first sector of lap, which after La Source (Turn 1) is basically an extended straight through Eau Rouge and Radillon before the braking zone at the end of the Kemmel Straight. Red Bull usually runs a bit light on downforce here and asks Verstappen to work his magic through the twistier middle sector, but any gains Red Bull made through having a slippery car for sector one were more than wiped out by Piastri’s impressive pace and stability through sector two.

A tow in sector one didn't hurt Piastri either. McLaren has brought a lower-downforce rear wing option for Spa, but that car’s greater overall aerodynamic efficiency this season suggests at this early stage it has a potentially more suitable compromise for this circuit than Red Bull is potentially able to achieve.

‘Oscar Piastri led the way for McLaren’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...ctice-session/


Where is Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase at the F1 Belgian GP? Why Red Bull’s trusted voice is missing at Spa
With Gianpiero Lambiase absent for personal reasons, Max Verstappen will rely on Simon Rennie as his race engineer for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, marking another major change for Red Bull during a turbulent season
25 July 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

For the first time since his breakthrough into Formula 1’s elite, Max Verstappen is taking on a race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps without Christian Horner and trusted race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase by his side.

Instead, Verstappen will rely on the experience of Simon Rennie to help guide him through one of the most significant races of the season for Red Bull, as the team deals with dramatic upheaval both on and off the track. The news broke in the lead up to the Belgian Grand Prix that Lambiase, affectionately known as ‘GP’ in the paddock, would not be present due to personal circumstances.

Now, Verstappen will need to summon that same flexibility and composure in the Ardennes, with Simon Rennie returning to the pitwall for a second time this year. Red Bull have not confirmed if Lambiase will be back for Hungary, adding an extra layer of uncertainty to Verstappen’s bid to reassert himself at the front of the championship battle.

‘Gianpiero Lambiase absent for personal reasons’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/max...lgian-gp-2025/

[Fortitude]

Piastri takes pole by 0.477sec from Verstappen - 2025 Belgian GP sprint qualifying results.
Championship leader Piastri dominates sprint qualifying to grab pole from Verstappen and Norris
July 25th 2025
Pablo Elizalde
Motor Sport Magazine

Oscar Piastri secured a dominant pole for the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race after beating Max Verstappen by nearly half a second.

Piastri, who had also topped practice in the morning, beat Verstappen by 0.477 seconds with a superb display at a sunny Spa.

The championship leader outqualified McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by over six tenths of a second, the Briton having to settle for third position.

‘0.477sec’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a.../?nowprocket=1


F1 2025 Belgian Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying Results
July 25th 2025
Motorsport Week

Position Driver Team Time Gap
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:40.510
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:40.987 0.477
3 Lando Norris McLaren 1:41.128 0.618
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:41.278 0.768
5 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:41.565 1.055
6 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:41.761 1.251
7 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:41.857 1.347
8 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:41.959 1.449
9 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:41.971 1.461
10 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber 1:42.176 1.666

‘Sprint Qualifying Results’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...fying-results/


Martin Brundle spots something ‘highly unusual’ in Lewis Hamilton onboard amid Belgian Grand Prix woes
25 July 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Hamilton joined Mercedes successor Kimi Antonelli in making an early exit. Williams’ Alex Albon, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto were also knocked out. SQ1 runs for just 12 minutes – six minutes shorter than the Saturday equivalent. Hamilton only had time for two runs, both of which were spoiled by apparent errors.

On the first error, he suffered a snap of oversteer at Stavelot, costing him plenty of momentum on his run through Blanchimont. A broadcast graphic estimated that he’d lost seven-tenths of a second. That put Hamilton under pressure to deliver on his second attempt, and he was on course to progress through the first couple of sectors. However, the five-time Belgian Grand Prix winner spun on the entry to the final chicane, confirming his elimination.

Watching the replay, Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle said Hamilton was totally caught off the guard when he applied the brakes. “His rear axle locked up under braking, highly unusual,” Brundle remarked. “I don’t think there’s anyone more surprised at that than Lewis Hamilton.” Hamilton was silent on the radio after the spin, which meant the explanation was initially unclear. He’d complained of rear locking during the solitary practice session.

“His rear axle locked up under braking, highly unusual”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...and-prix-woes/


Piastri storms to Belgian Sprint pole with spinning Hamilton left in 18th
25 July 2025
Sky Sports

F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri stormed to a dominant pole position for Saturday's Sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix, with chief title rival Lando Norris behind Max Verstappen in third.

After the frustration of his race-losing penalty to Norris at the British GP three weeks ago, Piastri has hit the ground running at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit and had already set the pace in Friday's sole practice session before claiming the weekend's first of two poles by a whopping 0.4s margin.

Verstappen, whose Red Bull team are at a race weekend without former team boss Christian Horner for the first time after 20 years, beat Norris to second in the effective single-lap shootout of SQ3. Hamilton will start Saturday's 15-lap dash from 18th after spinning in his Ferrari on his final lap of SQ1, while 2024 Spa victors Mercedes qualified 13th and 20th with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli respectively.

‘Piastri storms… … spinning Hamilton’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...-hamilton-18th


Belgian GP: Piastri surges to Spa sprint pole as Hamilton hits new low
25 Jul 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has claimed pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race at Spa. The Australian clocked a fastest lap of 1:40.510 in SQ3 in Belgium, going 0.477s faster than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. Piastri’s McLaren team-mate Lando Norris will start third.

Stavelot also proved tricky for Lewis Hamilton with the Ferrari driver catching a snap on entry to the corner, leaving him 16th after the first runs. Hamilton suffered another moment at the end of his final effort, locking up his rears under braking and spinning at the Bus Stop chicane, with the yellow flags compromising the laps of a number of drivers behind.

‘Piastri surges… … Hamilton hits new low’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/belgia...lifying-report

[Fortitude]

Verstappen skewers McLaren with '15 qualifying laps' to win Belgian GP sprint.
A storming drive by Max Verstappen, combined with a Red Bull with an ideal set-up, left McLaren on the back foot in the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix sprint race.
July 26th 2025
Dominic Tobin
Motor Sport Magazine

Max Verstappen won the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race in a Red Bull that looked set up to perfection for the 15-lap Spa-Francorchamps dash. After a series of races in which he’s struggled with his car, Verstappen was able to push to a level he described as “over the limit”, saying that he was at qualifying pace for the whole race. He finished less than a second ahead of Oscar Piastri.

Running a lower level of rear wing than the McLaren pair of pole-sitter Piastri and Lando Norris who started third, Verstappen had the straightline speed advantage to sweep into the lead on lap one and hold off the championship leader for the remaining 14 laps.

'15 qualifying laps';

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a.../?nowprocket=1


F1 2025 Belgian GP – Sprint Race Results
McLaren push Verstappen to the limit as midfield fireworks light up Spa Sprint Race
26 July 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

F1 Belgian GP 2025 Sprint Race results
Check out the full Belgian GP 2025 Sprint Race results from the session at Spa below.
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Leader
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.753
3 Lando Norris McLaren +1.414
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +10.176
5 Esteban Ocon Haas +13.789
6 Carlos Sainz Williams +14.964
7 Oliver Bearman Haas +18.610
8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +19.119
9 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber +22.183
10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +22.897

‘Sprint Race results’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-race-results/


‘Incredible’: Martin Brundle saw Max Verstappen do something ‘incredible’ to beat Oscar Piastri in the Belgian GP Sprint
26 July 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Max Verstappen stunned Martin Brundle with his cornering speed in the 2025 Spa Sprint. McLaren drivers Piastri and Norris opted to run more downforce on their MCL39s for the F1 Sprint at the Belgian GP compared to Red Bull rival Verstappen. It proved to be a fatal error, as Piastri was never able to make a move on the Dutchman to regain the lead this Saturday.

Verstappen’s rear wing let the 27-year-old stay far enough clear of Piastri on the run from La Source to Les Combes via Eau Rouge and Raidillon to nullify the effect of his rival using DRS. But how Verstappen coped with the consequences in sector two impressed Martin Brundle. Brundle said on Sky Sports F1 (26/07, 11:12): “Piastri is struggling in the turbulent air. Max Verstappen’s doing an incredible job of carrying speed through the corners and then using the lower downforce. You can just see how skinny his rear wing is.”

‘Incredible’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...ian-gp-sprint/


Verstappen leads McLaren pair to win processional sprint race
26th July 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Max Verstappen won the sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix after passing Oscar Piastri at the start. The Red Bull driver spent 15 laps with Piastri in his mirrors but the championship leader never got close enough to make a serious attack on the race leader.

Lando Norris arrived on Piastri’s tail mid-way through the race after reclaiming his third place from Charles Leclerc. But with Piastri constantly using DRS in his attempts to attack Verstappen, Norris could only sit behind his team mate to the finish.

There were no significant changes of positions among the other points finishers, most of which took the chequered flag in the same order they started. Leclerc took fourth ahead of Esteban Ocon, followed by Carlos Sainz Jnr and Oliver Bearman, all in grid order.

‘15 laps with Piastri in his mirrors’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/07/26/...l-sprint-race/


Verstappen outduels McLaren rivals to win intense Belgian GP Sprint
Red Bull’s new era begins with a statement as Max Verstappen fends off Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for victory in the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint
26 July 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

Despite starting on older medium tyres, Verstappen showcased the trademark straight-line speed of his Red Bull to keep Piastri within DRS range, but never truly threatened for position.

Piastri, looking to build on his Sprint pole, tracked Verstappen relentlessly for all 15 laps, at times narrowing the gap to less than a second. His closest opportunity came at Turn 5 as the McLaren drew up to the Red Bull’s gearbox, but the Australian found no way through, later admitting the top speed advantage made it nearly impossible to challenge.

‘Despite starting on older medium tyres’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/ver...rint-win-2025/


Upset Lewis Hamilton reveals the ‘career first’ mistake he made at Belgian Grand Prix.
July 25, 2025
Callum McAvoy
Metro.co.uk

Sir Lewis Hamilton says he made a mistake for the ‘first time in my career’ that caused his disastrous sprint qualifying result at the Belgian Grand Prix. The seven-time Formula 1 champion came into the weekend in good spirits, hopeful that a Ferrari upgrade could revive his fortunes after a difficult start to the season.

The 40-year-old surprisingly spun at the last corner of the tricky Spa-Francorchamps circuit as he attempted to set a fast lap, causing his early exit. Asked by Sky Sports for an analysis of what happened, a sullen and crestfallen Hamilton was in little mood to chat, simply replying: ‘I spun.’

Pressedwhether the rear-axle had locked-up, the Brit nodded and owned up to what is a somewhat amateurish mistake, responding: ‘First time I think in my career.’

‘Career first’;

https://metro.co.uk/2025/07/25/upset...o=newsnow-feed

[Fortitude]

Belgian GP: Norris pips Piastri to pole as Hamilton suffers latest Ferrari disaster.
Norris’s fastest time of 1:40.562 was 0.085s faster than Piastri, with Charles Leclerc pipping Red Bull driver Max Verstappen to claim a fine third for Ferrari.26 Jul 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Norris claimed provisional pole in the first runs, outpacing Piastri by 0.189s with Verstappen more than half a second off the pace in third on used tyres. “Really weird. Just didn’t have the same grip,” Verstappen reported over team radio.

Verstappen failed to improve in the first sector of his final effort, losing almost two tenths, with Leclerc taking third place with a fine first sector. With Norris also failing to improve, the stage seemed set for Piastri to steal pole. However, the Australian missed out on P1 by just 0.085s.

In Q1: Lewis Hamilton initially made it through but had his last lap of Q1 deleted due to a track limits breach at Raidillon. The Ferrari driver’s latest misdemeanour, following his spin at the end of SQ1 on Friday, gave Gabriel Bortoleto a late reprieve.

‘Norris’s fastest time of 1:40.562 was 0.085s faster than Piastri’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/belgia...lifying-report


F1 2025 Belgian GP – Qualifying Results
26 July 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Check out the full Belgian GP 2025 Qualifying results from the session at Spa below.
Pos. Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Lando Norris McLaren 1:40.562
2. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.085
3. Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.338
4. Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.341
5. Alex Albon Williams +0.639
6. George Russell Mercedes +0.698
7. Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull +0.722
8. Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +0.748
9. Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +0.766
10. Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber +1.825

‘Qualifying Results’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...fying-results/


Full Results Belgian GP Qualifying | Norris fights back, Verstappen just misses out on Top 3
26 Jul 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Lando Norris managed to claim pole position for Sunday's Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. His teammate, Oscar Piastri finished in second place, while Charles Leclerc rounded off the Top 3.

Norris led after the first flying laps in Q3, and while he couldn't improve on his final lap, he remained in first place. Piastri finished marginally behind the other McLaren driver. Charles Leclerc completed the Top 3, after he marginally finished ahead of Verstappen. Alex Albon finished in P5, pushing George Russell down to P6.

‘Full Results’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/full-...s-out-on-top-3


Damon Hill baffled by Lewis Hamilton’s unnecessary decision that ‘embarrassed’ Ferrari at the Belgian Grand Prix
26 July 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Damon Hill claims Ferrari looked ‘embarrassed’ by Lewis Hamilton’s Q1 exit at the Belgian GP. Hamilton spun in SQ1 to qualify P18 for the Sprint at the 2025 Belgian GP on Friday after the Briton lost the rear-end of his SF-25 under braking at the Bus Stop Chicane. He had also had a moment at Stavelot earlier in SQ1, and would only improve to take P15 in Saturday’s Sprint.

Qualifying for the actual Belgian GP would not prove to be a happy affair for the seven-time champion on Saturday, either. Hamilton set a 1:41.664, which was fast enough for P7 in the Q1 timesheet, yet the Ferrari driver lost the lap time after exceeding track limits at Raidillon. Hamilton turned in slightly too early on his rise through Eau Rouge, so he put all four wheels of his car over the inside of the white line at Raidillon and was eliminated in P16. Damon Hill does not get why Hamilton ‘felt the need’ to take the risk, which even ‘embarrassed’ Ferrari.

Hill said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 (26/07, 15:20): “He’s no longer able to take part in qualifying. [Hamilton is] back where he was after yesterday’s Sprint Qualifying and there’s a lot of very embarrassed-looking people at Ferrari in the garage… He just went too far across the top of the hill. His car is actually all off the track, and that means his time is deleted. He didn’t have to do that. I don’t know why he felt the need to use that much track. You don’t actually lose to gain that much.”

‘There’s a lot of very embarrassed-looking people at Ferrari in the garage…’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dam...an-grand-prix/


Lewis Hamilton offers Ferrari heartfelt apology: 'Unacceptable'
An honest assessment from Lewis Hamilton after back-to-back horror shows in qualifying over the Belgian GP weekend.
26 July 2025
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

"We made some changes, and the car didn't feel terrible," said Hamilton, speaking to Sky Sports F1. "It was even tougher for us as we had to put a second set [of soft tyres] on just to get through Q1, so not great, and then from my side, I made a mistake.”

“I've really got to look internally. I apologise to my team because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s. It's a very, very poor performance from myself."

'Unacceptable';

https://racingnews365.com/lewis-hami...y-unacceptable


Nico Rosberg relieved that Lando Norris has finally started listening to him after Belgian Grand Prix pole
26 July 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Nico Rosberg says Lando Norris has finally started blocking out the external noise. Speaking immediately after Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, Norris said ‘people like to make a lot of things up’. This appeared to dig at those who had raised concerns about the Friday deficit to Piastri.

The Englishman put half of that deficit down to poor placement on the track. And he clearly didn’t let the doubts earlier in the weekend affect his driving. Nico Rosberg has previously said Norris needs to work with a psychologist, comments that didn’t go down well inside McLaren. After qualifying, Sky Sports pundit Rosberg sounded encouraged by the change he’d seen in the 25-year-old.

“He’s said in the interviews that he’s not letting these opinions get to him anymore, he’s switching them off, which is exactly what I’ve been trying to recommend to him on-air,” Rosberg observed. “Just turn everything off, dial everything down, just focus on yourself, the team and nothing else. He says he’s doing that, so maybe all that is working to his advantage now.”

‘Blocking out the external noise’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/nic...and-prix-pole/

[Fortitude]

McLaren drivers set to race with their last permitted power unit at Spa-Francorchamps.
McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will compete at today's Belgian Grand Prix with fresh power unit components, which sees them exploit their maximum power unit allocation for the current season.
27 Jul 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Over the course of the 2024 season, a driver may use no more than four ICEs, MGU-Hs, MGU-Ks and turbochargers, two energy stores and control electronics, and eight of each of the four elements that make up a set of exhaust systems (comprising primaries left-hand side, primaries right-hand side, secondary LHS and secondary RHS).

For this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have received a fresh internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K while the Australian driver has also got a new energy store and control electronics.

‘Fresh power unit components’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27420


Vasseur: Ferrari are "still working on getting the most out of the new package"
27 Jul 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Reflecting on the Scuderia's day at Spa, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur added: "Charles did a very good lap at the end. Currently we are still working on getting the most out of the new package we brought here and there was real improvement over the course of the weekend from the start all the way to the final lap in qualifying. We learned more about the car from session to session.

"Rain is expected tomorrow that will also allow us to see how these upgrades work in all conditions. We are still a couple of tenths behind McLaren but we are on the pace of Verstappen. We will continue to work on improving still further for Budapest.” Speaking of Hamilton's difficulties, Vasseur said: "As for Lewis, he was unable to put everything together but the field is so close, a matter of just hundredths or even thousandths of a second between the cars.”

"His pace was good, he was just one place behind Charles but the track limits put him out and it is what it is," the Frenchman continued. "It’s true that it’s been a tough weekend for him so far and, at this track, you need to build up confidence lap after lap and with the problems yesterday and today that was made difficult for him."

“New package";

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27454


Hamilton blames his own “very, very poor performance” for his shock exit in Spa qualifying
27 Jul 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton was quick to admit that the poor result was down to him, and he branded his performance as “unacceptable.” "It’s not been a great day but we got some valuable insight into the new suspension and upgrades during the Sprint. The team made further adjustments ahead of qualifying based on what we learned. Unfortunately, my lap time was deleted for track limits, and I take full responsibility for that.”

"And then from my side, another mistake," he explained to Sky Sports F1. "So I really got to look internal. I got to apologise to my team because it's just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s. It's a very, very poor performance for myself. I don't think there's really much we can do. So I just try and start from where I am and see where I can get from there. Tomorrow’s race will be challenging, with overtaking being quite difficult here, but I’m fully focused on making up ground and fighting for points to reward the hard work everyone’s done back at the factory to bring these updates."

Signing off with a word for his expectations for the remainder of the season, Hamilton noted: "I mean, we're trying to do the best with what we have. And then obviously everyone's working flat out back in the factory. We have had upgrades, but I think that's probably it for the rest of the year. And then I think the focus is now, back at the factory at least, is to focus on next year's car. This season has been a tricky one," concluded Hamilton.

“Very, very poor performance”;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27444


George Russell: Mercedes has taken ‘big step backwards’ amid F1 Belgian GP struggles
27 Jul 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

George Russell believes Mercedes has “taken a big step backwards” as the Formula 1 season has gone on, after a difficult qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix. “My laps felt really strong,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “But clearly as a team we’re off the pace this weekend. And, other than yesterday, this is my worst qualification of the year – same for Kimi so we need to understand what’s going on.”

“Historically, on Sprint Race weekends, if you have a bad Sprint, if you turn the car upside down for the next day, it rarely works,” Russell explained. “So we made some sensible changes, but we just need to understand – the first six races of the year, we had four podiums, now we’ve had one in the last six, and clearly we’ve taken a big step backwards towards the midfield.”

But things could be thrown up if it will rain, which is forecast and a common eventuality at Spa, but the W16’s set-up for the race may not be conducive to the wet. “In stint one there won’t be any more overtakes [than in the Sprint Race],” Russell said.

‘Big step backwards’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...-gp-struggles/


Laurent Mekies’ upgrade call revealed with Yuki Tsunoda performance reward
26 Jul 2025
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

“For Yuki, it was a very, very good step forward through the weekend, so it’s good to see him in Q3,” Mekies said. “Finishing there, I’m sure will give him a good boost in confidence. We upgraded his car just before qualifying as we are always pushing to the edge on our car parts quantity, but we decided to take the risk to upgrade his car.”

“That’s why you may have seen we were nearly a bit late to go out in qualifying, but it was worth the effort from everyone. And certainly it helped in supporting his performance to get to a very, very good level.” Speaking to the media, including PlanetF1.com, after qualifying, Tsunoda revealed his happiness with a car that he felt was “much better” and explained how the floor had played a part in that.

“Considering the difference I’ve always had in terms of laptime delta, between Max and myself, that’s huge,” he said. “So I knew in myself and my engineering group, that we are in the right direction, myself to improve in the way we want happy that I approve it. “But yeah, generally, a bit more grip. The previous one was more sensitive, easier to slide. With this one, you can be aggressive, I would say.”

‘Yuki Tsunoda performance reward’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/yuki-t...ian-grand-prix


Telemetry reveals the truth behind Max Verstappen qualifying lap
27 Jul 2025
Uros Radovanovic
PlanetF1.com

After the session, Verstappen explained that from the very start of his lap, he struggled with severe wheelspin and couldn’t transfer power cleanly to the track. Not long after, a significant mistake in Turn 1 cost him valuable time. Spa is a track where a small mistake in Turn 1 has a knock-on effect through Eau Rouge and all the way down the Kemmel Straight.

That’s exactly what happened — telemetry shows Piastri reaching higher speeds earlier on Kemmel, which is rare even after Verstappen was running a higher-downforce rear wing. The Turn 1 error cost him around 0.15 seconds, but the real time loss came in Turns 5 and 6 — precisely where Verstappen mentioned struggling for grip. McLaren, by contrast, looked planted and quick through this section all weekend.

From there, Verstappen and Lando Norris were more or less even, until the final chicane, where the Dutch driver managed a slightly better exit. But it wasn’t enough to claw back the lost ground. Could Verstappen have challenged for the front row — or even pole — without that T1 mistake? In truth, no. While the error was costly, the underlying issues were already visible in his earlier Q3 lap. It’s also worth noting that most drivers struggled to improve in Q3 — it just stood out more for Red Bull.

‘From the very start of his lap, he struggled with severe wheelspin’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/ma...ta-wing-set-up