Red Bull has temporarily abandoned its “Macarena wing,” reverting to a conventional wing for the Belgian Grand Prix after two crashes. Unlike the more conventional DRS-style rear wing used by most teams, Ferrari and Red Bull use a unique concept that sees the rear wing flap rotate 180 degrees when in straight mode. Although both teams use a similar concept, the locking mechanism on Red Bull’s wing has failed to properly close on a couple of occasions. Max Verstappen suffered a heavy crash during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, and then he spun during the British Grand Prix. In both incidents, the rear wing had failed to properly close. Despite changing back to a different rear wing, it’s understood that the team hopes to revive the concept in later races after addressing the issues. The issues with the rear wing have prompted some attention from the FIA, which launched a fact-finding mission into potential safety issues.
Honda has confirmed a planned power unit upgrade scheduled for the Dutch Grand Prix. Powering the Aston Martin, the Honda power unit was officially deemed the weakest power unit on the grid as part of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) programme, allowing them additional resources to develop the power unit. Aston Martin has been having a difficult season, ranking tenth in the World Constructors’ Championship, only ahead of newcomers Cadillac. Fernando Alonso has the team’s only point finish, which he earned at Monaco. The car has proven to be slow, physically difficult to drive, and unreliable.
Max Verstappen has signed McLaren junior driver Dries van Langendonck to his racing team. This is the Dutchman’s first step towards assisting young drivers with driver development, with Verstappen Racing promising to provide support and guidance to the youngster, while still allowing him to remain part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme. The Belgian joined McLaren in 2024 after winning the World Junior Karting Championship in 2023. He currently leads the British F4 Championship in his first full season, having also won the Formula Winter Series in March of this year.
Max Verstappen set the pace in the first free practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, beating the two Ferraris led by Lewis Hamilton. Isack Hadjar did a good job to earn P4 in the other Red Bull, briefly leading the session as he was the first to transition to soft tyres. Oscar Piastri was fifth fastest, suffering a hydraulic leak late in the session that forced him to limp back to the pits. The two Mercedes drivers struggled for pace, with Kimi Antonelli finishing P6 ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell finishing behind in P8. A few drivers entered the weekend knowing they would start the race on the back foot, thanks to grid penalties for new power unit components.
Kimi Antonelli was quickest in the second free practice session on Friday afternoon, outpacing Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. The circuit was dry despite a spell of rain that hit after the first session in the morning. Oscar Piastri lost roughly 20 minutes of his session, trapped in the garage as the team worked to repair the hydraulic leak that had hampered his FP1 running. George Russell brought out the first of two red flags in the session, dipping a wheel onto the gravel at turn 14. The second red flag came when Pierre Gasly ran wide at the exit of turn 13, clipping the barrier and heavily damaging the rear of his Alpine. Lewis Hamilton was in P4 with Isack Hadjar rounding out the top five. George Russell and Charles Leclerc both struggled to set a strong lap time, finishing in P8 and P11, respectively.
The final free practice session again saw Kimi Antonelli claim the top spot on the timing sheets, leading Lando Norris. It was a slow start to the session, with many teams opting to keep their cars in the garage at the start, despite the dry conditions. Lewis Hamilton set the early pace, but would not retain the top position as times improved. He left the team with some hard work to do ahead of qualifying in the afternoon, clipping the barriers at the exit of turn 13. It was an incident similar to Pierre Gasly’s in FP2, losing the rear of the car at the corner exit. Isack Hadjar also suffered some problems during the session, stopping at the pit exit and having to be recovered to the garage. He finished down in P10 behind the two Audi drivers. Max Verstappen continued his decent performance to claim P3 for the second consecutive session while George Russell beat the two Ferraris in P4.
Kimi Antonelli kept his strong performance going to earn pole position in qualifying. Lando Norris was quickest in Q1 ahead of the two Red Bulls, but he was set for a ten-place grid penalty. Antonelli was quickest in Q2 and then again in Q3 to take pole. Gabriel Bortoleto impressed by getting his Audi to Q3 by just 0.038s over Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls. He went on to earn P8 after the grid penalties were applied. Isack Hadjar was one of the drivers set for a grid drop, so he decided to help teammate Max Verstappen with a slipstream to earn him the early P1, not setting a time himself. Norris was quick enough for P3, but dropped ten places after the penalties were applied.
At the end of 44 laps, it was Kimi Antonelli who crossed the finish line first, earning his sixth grand prix victory this season. He greatly extended his championship lead, as teammate George Russell retired on the opening lap after a clash with Lewis Hamilton. It was not the only clash, with Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri both locking horns, damaging the McLaren. Max Verstappen was briefly in the lead after a bold move into Eau Rouge, although he lost the position again. Two virtual safety cars were deployed in quick succession during the pit window due to debris. The first had no little impact, but the second allowed Leclerc to set a cheap pit stop and rejoin in the net lead. Hamilton suffered an incident during his pit stop, clipping a mechanic when exiting the pit box, although the Ferrari team member was uninjured. Despite getting the lead in the pits, Leclerc was no match for the pace of the Mercedes, and Antonelli found his way past before the end of the race. Click here to read a full summary of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Next on the calendar is the Hungarian Grand Prix, which will conclude the first half of the season. After that, the teams and drivers will head onto summer break for a month. The race is set for July 26.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
