Verstappen manager breaks silence on exit clause and Red Bull future
Max Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen issued a statement Thursday breaking his silence on the four-time champion’s future, insisting Verstappen intends to see out his Red Bull contract. ‘Max wants to finish his time with Red Bull. He has a contract until 2028 and would like to fulfil it,’ Vermeulen told OE24. He also addressed the widely-discussed exit clause, adding: ‘The fact that this clause exists doesn’t mean we’ll activate it. We could have activated it in recent years as well, and we haven’t.’ Vermeulen suggested Red Bull’s competitiveness should improve ‘in Budapest and Zandvoort,’ dampening speculation about a mid-season move to Mercedes or McLaren.
Wolff warns Mercedes cannot keep leaving points on the table
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has warned his squad they cannot keep leaving points on the table as the Silver Arrows head into the Belgian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc’s British GP victory, during a weekend that also proved difficult for championship leader Kimi Antonelli, allowed Ferrari to narrow the gap heading into Spa. Wolff acknowledged the team’s pace has been strong but results have not followed: ‘There is no value in having the pace if we don’t bring home the result,’ he said, adding: ‘We have left too much on the table recently. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen again starting this weekend.’
McLaren bring rear-wing and new engine upgrade double to Belgian GP
McLaren arrive at the Belgian Grand Prix with a double upgrade package designed to boost their championship challenge ahead of the summer break. A new rear wing and a third-specification Mercedes internal combustion engine will debut at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, with a further major upgrade package following at the Hungarian Grand Prix the next weekend. The rear wing targets aerodynamic efficiency gains at Spa’s long, power-sensitive layout, where the Kemmel Straight places exceptional demands on the power unit. McLaren currently sit third in the constructors’ championship, trailing leaders Mercedes as the teams head into the final double-header before the summer shutdown.
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Palmer: Russell is ‘lucky’ to trail Antonelli by just 25 points
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has claimed George Russell is ‘fortunate’ to trail championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just 25 points heading into the Belgian Grand Prix, citing the Italian’s run of mechanical misfortune. Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer said: ‘George is lucky to only be 25 points away with his level of performance.’ He argued Antonelli has been the stronger driver but has been denied two potential winning weekends by car failures in Barcelona and at Silverstone. ‘Kimi has been unlucky. If his car keeps breaking down, he might not win the championship, but that’s out of his control,’ Palmer added. Antonelli leads Russell 179–154.
Honda warns Spa poses exceptional energy management challenge for Aston Martin
Honda Trackside General Manager Shintaro Orihara warned that Spa-Francorchamps presents one of the toughest challenges on the Formula 1 calendar for Aston Martin’s current power unit, with a new Honda engine still two races away. ‘Spa is the longest circuit on the calendar. The combination of long straights and high-speed corners makes it a very demanding circuit for the engineers. Energy recovery here is quite limited,’ Orihara said. Fernando Alonso has managed just one championship point in nine races this season. Design legend Adrian Newey is working on an AMR26B upgrade package scheduled to debut at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Cadillac bring upgraded front wing to Spa in bid for maiden F1 point
Cadillac will introduce an upgraded front wing at Spa-Francorchamps as the American F1 debutants chase their first championship point of the season. The team remains scoreless after nine races but team principal Graeme Lowdon pointed to Silverstone as evidence of progress: ‘The British Grand Prix was a very positive weekend for us. We were able to pull away from the back of the grid and race hard against some of the other teams,’ he said. Valtteri Bottas acknowledged Cadillac remains ‘in a little bit of a no man’s land’ but said Haas and Williams appeared genuinely within reach at Silverstone.
Gasly hosts Run for Anthoine tribute at Spa honouring Hubert and van ’t Hoff
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly will host the fourth running of the Run for Anthoine tribute at Spa-Francorchamps on Thursday evening, honouring two drivers who lost their lives at the circuit. The run begins at 18:00 on the Start-Finish straight, making a stop at Eau Rouge to remember Anthoine Hubert — who died in an F2 accident at the Raidillon in August 2019 — and continuing to the Kemmel Straight in honour of Dilano van ’t Hoff, who was fatally injured in a FRECA race at Spa in July 2023. Alpine confirmed all F1, F2, and F3 paddock members are invited to participate in the tribute run.
Ferrari vs Mercedes: The $215m upgrade arms race that could decide the 2026 title
Ferrari and Mercedes are pursuing opposite upgrade strategies under F1’s expanded $215 million cost cap ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, in a tactical divide that could determine whether Lewis Hamilton or Kimi Antonelli wins the 2026 title. Ferrari have brought aggressive upgrades to multiple rounds — including comprehensive front wing, floor and sidepod changes at Barcelona that helped Hamilton end a 686-day win drought — while Mercedes have been more conservative, banking budget for targeted improvements later in the season. The tactical difference prompted a public exchange between team principals Toto Wolff and Fred Vasseur, with Wolff warning Ferrari would run out of funds and Vasseur rejecting the suggestion.
Drivers' Championship — Post-British GP
1. K. Antonelli (Mercedes) — 179 pts
2. G. Russell (Mercedes) — 154 pts
3. L. Hamilton (Ferrari) — 147 pts
4. C. Leclerc (Ferrari) — 108 pts
5. L. Norris (McLaren) — 97 pts
6. O. Piastri (McLaren) — 82 pts
7. M. Verstappen (Red Bull) — 76 pts
8. I. Hadjar — 42 pts
9. P. Gasly (Alpine) — 41 pts
10. L. Lawson — 31 pts
11. O. Bearman — 18 pts
12. F. Colapinto (Alpine) — 16 pts
13. A. Lindblad — 14 pts
14. C. Sainz (Williams) — 6 pts
15. A. Albon (Williams) — 5 pts
16. E. Ocon — 3 pts
17. G. Bortoleto — 2 pts
18. F. Alonso (Aston Martin) — 1 pt
Constructors' Championship — Post-British GP
1. Mercedes — 333 pts
2. Ferrari — 255 pts
3. McLaren — 179 pts
4. Red Bull Racing — 128 pts
5. Alpine — 60 pts
6. Racing Bulls — 45 pts
7. Haas — 18 pts
8. Williams — 11 pts
9. Aston Martin — 1 pt
10. Cadillac — 0 pts
11. Audi Revolut — 2 pts
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