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Formula 116d ago

Mercedes is open to team orders now – but it’s not what you think

Mercedes might enforce team orders if Kimi Antonelli and George Russell risk losing victory due to their wheel-to-wheel action, its Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff stated.The Silver Arrows took their eighth victory of 2026 when Antonelli won Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, but Wolff has previously…

Formula 116d ago

Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad surprise fans on easyJet flight after Belgian GP

Following the Belgian Grand Prix, Racing Bulls team-mates Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were spotted returning home on an easyJet flight.Formula 1 is typically associated with luxury travel, VIP hospitality and private jets. But the Racing Bulls pair opted for a more budget-friendly option after…

Formula 116d ago

What makes Kimi Antonelli such a good F1 driver now, as per Toto Wolff

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago at Spa-Francorchamps, a teary-eyed Kimi Antonelli struggled to maintain his composure in the media pen, amid an ordeal of a sprint weekend where he was twice out in Q1 and finished both races well down the order.Now, Antonelli is Italy’s second-most…

Formula 116d ago

Ferrari should have signed Gianpiero Lambiase for Lewis Hamilton, says F1 broadcaster

Formula 1 broadcaster and host of the official press conferences Tom Clarkson believes Ferrari missed a trick by not signing Gianpiero Lambiase to work alongside seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, describing the engineer as the ideal "buffer" for the British driver.Hamilton endured a frustrating…

Formula 116d ago

George Russell told "low" moments are "really good thing for him" after Belgian GP blow

Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes George Russell's difficult 2026 campaign will ultimately benefit him in the long term.Russell suffered another retirement at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps after an opening-lap clash with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. In…

Formula 116d ago

McLaren: Lando Norris had outright pace for second in F1 Belgian GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said his team has been positively surprised by its pace in the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, feeling seventh-placed Lando Norris could have finished second without his grid penalty.Norris took a 10-place grid drop after taking a new Mercedes battery for the Spa…

Formula 116d ago

What we can learn from Mercedes' floor after George Russell's Belgian GP retirement

The last thing that a Formula 1 aerodynamicist wants is to see their car dangling precariously from a crane - beyond the implication of their driver being rendered unable to take further part in the session.F1 teams like to keep their floor designs secret, since this is the part of the car that…

Formula 116d ago

Sergio Perez considered permanent F1 exit after "toxic" end to Red Bull stint

Sergio Perez has described his final six months at Red Bull as "toxic", revealing that the immense success of the Milton Keynes outfit ironically bred internal friction and drama.The Mexican driver spent four seasons alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull, contributing to a dominant era for the team…

Formula 116d ago

"It sucks" – Oscar Piastri feels F1 grids are decided by "computers behaving or misbehaving"

From the very beginning, it was clear that the Formula 1 weekend at Spa-Francorchamps would present a major challenge in terms of energy management. The "energy-starved" circuit in the Ardennes features long straights and fast corners, with few opportunities to harvest energy.As a result, drivers…

Formula 116d ago

Toto Wolff admits Mercedes has most powerful F1 engine – and Red Bull agrees – as ADUO returns to spotlight

Toto Wolff admitted that Mercedes has the strongest Formula 1 power unit, which has sparked interest from Red Bull, as the ADUO monitoring comes into the spotlight again.One of the major political hot topics of the new F1 era has been ADUO when the FIA revealed Red Bull-Ford Powertrains was…

Formula 116d ago

Two pitstops in two laps – The odd strategy that made Isack Hadjar’s recovery

You don’t typically expect a Formula 1 driver to pit twice at the start of a race and end up sixth under the chequered flag, but that’s exactly what Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar did at the Belgian Grand Prix.Hadjar was starting from the back of the Spa-Francorchamps grid, owing to a penalty after being…

Formula 117d ago

Who slept worst last night: Jolyon Palmer

It will be 1 August when I return to full-time duty as a Formula 1 journalist. That means I currently have plenty of time to listen to podcasts while hiking through the Austrian mountains. For example, the official preview by F1 Nation ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, featuring experts I consider…

Formula 117d ago

Who slept best last night: Kimi Antonelli

Remember Kimi Antonelli's Belgian Grand Prix last year?Twelve months ago, he spun out in sprint qualifying, started last and finished 17th in the sprint, ahead of only Nico Hulkenberg's Sauber and the two Alpines (last year's Aston Martins). He then simply lacked pace in the main qualifying and was…

Formula 117d ago

Kimi Antonelli champagne bottle message earns praise after F1 Belgian GP win

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli celebrated his Belgian Grand Prix victory with a public birthday message for his father, Marco.Antonelli, who started from pole position, secured his sixth win of the season at Spa-Francorchamps after fending off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Following his post-race…

Formula 117d ago

Winners and loser from F1's Belgian Grand Prix

One week on from Kimi Antonelli hitting trouble and George Russell being brought back into the fight, the tables turned once more in the Ardennes hills. Meanwhile, some of Mercedes' closest rivals all turned up with improved performance to add a little zest to the 2026 season.Read Also:Formula 1F1…

Formula 117d ago

Isack Hadjar lauded after impressive Red Bull recovery at F1 Belgian GP

Bernie Collins and Karun Chandhok have praised Red Bull's Isack Hadjar after a stellar weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.The Sky Sports Formula 1 pundits applauded the French-Algerian driver for being the ultimate team player in qualifying and his charge from the back of the grid to finish sixth in…

Formula 117d ago

"Kimi can buy me dinner." Valtteri Bottas jokes about his part in Antonelli’s Belgian GP win

Negotiating traffic is a fact of life in Formula 1 racing, all the more so given the current pace differential between the front and back of the grid in a new regulatory era.It was especially unfortunate for Charles Leclerc to be locked in a battle for the lead of the Belgian Grand Prix when he…

Formula 117d ago

All Mercedes cars struggled with power issue at Belgian GP start, reveals Toto Wolff

Mercedes Formula 1 chief Toto Wolff revealed all Mercedes powered cars suffered with a lack of energy deployment at the Belgian Grand Prix start, with George Russell the biggest victim of an unknown battery glitch.Russell started third at Spa-Francorchamps but soon fell back into the pack on the…

Formula 117d ago

Karun Chandhok urges George Russell to demand Mercedes answers amid "new territory"

George Russell finds himself in "new territory" and must demand engineering answers to cure a severe straightline speed deficit, according to former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok.Russell's Belgian Grand Prix ended on the second lap of the race at Spa-Francorchamps after a…

Formula 117d ago

Max Verstappen jokes about F1’s "jungle" after avoiding an "airplane shunt" at Spa

Red Bull's Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix weekend turned out slightly better than expected. After all the struggles at Silverstone, team principal Laurent Mekies had anticipated another difficult weekend at what he described as an "energy-starved circuit", but in reality it proved less…

Formula 117d ago

Charles Leclerc deserved black-and-white flag for collision, Oscar Piastri insists

Oscar Piastri expressed his disapproval regarding Belgian Grand Prix stewards’ decision not to even give Charles Leclerc a warning following their collision in Sunday’s Formula 1 race.Leclerc and Piastri were battling for third place on lap eight when the McLaren driver positioned his car on the…

Formula 117d ago

Lewis Hamilton keeps fourth in F1 Belgian GP as mechanic escapes unhurt

The mechanic hit by Lewis Hamilton during Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix pitstop escaped without injury, Ferrari confirmed, with the team fined 30,000 euro for an unsafe release.Hamilton came in under a virtual safety car on lap 20 to serve his only pitstop as well as a five-second hold for his…

Formula 117d ago

Ferrari criticises "mega harsh" Lewis Hamilton penalty in F1 Belgian GP

Both Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team boss, Frederic Vasseur, profoundly disagree with the five-second penalty he received for a collision with George Russell’s Mercedes on the opening lap of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix."I think it's mega harsh," said Vasseur after the race. "If you have a…

Formula 117d ago

Bernie Collins explains key factor behind Kimi Antonelli's F1 Belgian GP win

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has been lauded for his maturity following a hard-fought victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, with former Formula 1 strategist and Sky Sports analyst Bernie Collins pointing to the vital role of his race engineer, Peter 'Bono' Bonnington.Starting from pole position at…

Formula 117d ago

Charles Leclerc kept Kimi Antonelli "honest" in Belgian GP, says Naomi Schiff

Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff has commended Kimi Antonelli for a "solid and well-deserved" drive to victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, while noting how entertaining it was to see Charles Leclerc keep the race winner on his toes.Antonelli secured his sixth grand prix victory of the season at…

Formula 117d ago

Why Charles Leclerc wasn’t penalised for clash with Oscar Piastri in Belgian GP

Charles Leclerc avoided a penalty for a clash with Oscar Piastri during the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix after the stewards judged the Ferrari driver didn’t deliberately instigate the contact.On lap eight of the Spa-Francorchamps race, Leclerc and Piastri were battling for third place down the…

Formula 117d ago

Ferrari summoned for Lewis Hamilton's Belgian GP unsafe release after hitting mechanic

Ferrari has been summoned to visit the Formula 1 stewards' office following Lewis Hamilton's apparent unsafe release during the Belgian Grand Prix, in which he knocked down a mechanic as he left his pit box.In his lap 20 pitstop under the virtual safety car, Hamilton had just served a five-second…

Formula 117d ago

All the results and standings from the 2026 F1 Belgian Grand Prix

Drivers' ChampionshipPositionDriverPoints1K. AntonelliMercedes20418/22925/1283125/1-15/3825/12L. HamiltonFerrari15912/4218/6102118/225/110/52212/43G ...Keep reading

Formula 117d ago

The 2026 F1 Championship: Kimi Antonelli back in his comfort zone as Lewis Hamilton moves to second

Thanks to his victory at the 2026 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli has once again extended his lead at the top of the championship, moving 45 points ahead of his closest rival.Despite a race that was strewn with pitfalls, it is indeed Lewis Hamilton who regains this runner-up position…

Formula 117d ago

F1 Belgian GP: Kimi Antonelli takes sixth 2026 win as George Russell crashes out

Kimi Antonelli put a pass on Charles Leclerc to secure victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, as his Mercedes Formula 1 team-mate George Russell retired on the opening lap after contact with Lewis Hamilton.Aside from the briefest of stints in the lead from fellow front-row starter Max Verstappen, who…

Formula 117d ago

Five quick takeaways from the F1 Belgian GP

When it rains, it pours for George Russell"Could be worse, could be much better," George Russell said about starting third in Spa, benefitting from Lando Norris' grid penalty but also being well behind team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who snared another pole at the Ardennes loop.It…

Formula 117d ago

George Russell furious at "dangerous" battery issue before Hamilton Spa clash

George Russell suffered his latest gut punch in the 2026 Formula 1 season after contact with Lewis Hamilton ended his Belgian Grand on lap 1. But the Briton was more "angry" due to the lack of battery charge that left him a sitting duck on the Kemmel straight than the contact with the Ferrari…

Formula 117d ago

Red Bull names successor to Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase

As expected, Red Bull will fill Gianpiero Lambiase's impending departure from within. Max Verstappen revealed a few weeks ago that he already had someone in mind within the team to succeed him, and that person has now emerged to be Tom Hart.Following earlier reporting by Dutch newspaper De…

Formula 117d ago

George Russell out of F1 Belgian GP after Lewis Hamilton contact

Mercedes' George Russell suffered his latest blow in the 2026 Formula 1 championship after opening lap contact with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton punted him out of the Belgian Grand Prix.Starting from third, Russell was easily overtaken by Charles Leclerc in the Kemmel straight and also faced a…

Formula 117d ago

Red Bull set to hire Mercedes F1 junior boss Gwen Lagrue

Mercedes’ junior driver programme boss Gwen Lagrue is set to join the Red Bull Formula 1 team in a similar role, Motorsport.com understands.There is a side of F1 that rarely makes the headlines, where many of the people responsible for shaping its biggest success stories remain largely unknown…

Formula 117d ago

Carlos Sainz hit with grid penalty for F1 Belgian Grand Prix

Having outqualified Williams team-mate Alex Albon at Spa-Francorchamps, Carlos Sainz has been shuffled backwards by a 10-place grid penalty for taking on additional Formula 1 power unit components.Limits on how many individual power units and various peripheral elements drivers can use through a…

Formula 117d ago

Why F1 drivers are being beaten by their own power units

McLaren suspects Oscar Piastri's deficit to team-mate Lando Norris has "nothing to do with his driving", and everything with its Formula 1 power unit algorithms.Piastri qualified two tenths behind Norris at Spa-Francorchamps, with virtually all of that deficit coming on the straight line between…

Formula 117d ago

Carlos Sainz praises Kimi Antonelli for apology after “idiot” comment

Carlos Sainz has praised Kimi Antonelli for spontaneously apologising after the Italian called the Spaniard an “idiot” over team radio at Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix.In the opening practice session at Spa-Francorchamps, Antonelli found a slow Sainz ahead of him at Stavelot. Annoyed, the Mercedes…

Formula 118d ago

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari "didn't feel the same" after Belgian GP practice crash

After smashing up his car in Saturday's third free practice at the exit of Fagnes, Lewis Hamilton qualifying just 0.002s behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc could be seen as a successful exercise in damage limitation, but that's not how the seven-time Formula 1 world champion views it.Leclerc…

Formula 118d ago

Oscar Piastri has been “too clean” for 2026 F1 cars – Andrea Stella

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has attributed Oscar Piastri’s current struggles to a driving style that’s incompatible with Formula 1’s new-for-2026 machinery.It may seem remote, but just seventh months ago, Piastri was a contender for the world title in the Abu Dhabi finale. But F1 has since…