Williams boss James Vowles has revealed that Carlos Sainz was instrumental in the fast-tracking of upgrades that it brought to last week’s Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

The FW47 has regressed across recent races, with Sainz and team-mate Alex Albon scoring just five points collectively in the car from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards.

However, a raft of upgrades implemented for the race at Spa-Francorchamps seemed to be the tonic for the Grove-based squad.

A comprehensive update of its floor, as well as sidepod tweaks, appeared to help Albon finish sixth in both the Sprint Race and the full Grand Prix.

Vowles revealed that advice from Sainz saw the changes put in place, when it had originally intended to be debuted at the first race after the summer break, at Zandvoort.

“We tested it in the wind tunnel in March,” he said prior to this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

“As the competition was closing in, we brought it forward by two races. We listened to Carlos.”

Vowles acknowledged that the feat of getting the parts made and put onto the car demonstrates a real shift in progress for the team.

“It was a real achievement to get the parts ready for Spa,” he said. “We couldn’t have done that a year ago.”

Williams receive timely morale boost

When asked if the upgrades could play a pivotal role in the team regaining momentum, Sainz indicated that it could help the team maintain its battle in the midfield.

“Yeah, it’s been a major part of the season,” the Spaniard told media including Motorsport Week.

“I think where we were lacking a bit of points and results in the midfield, it was getting close to us.

“But I think we were the highest scoring points team of the midfield. Hopefully that gives us a bit of momentum going forward in the second half because it’s exactly what we needed.”

Sainz said that it was apparent that rivals have shown improvement, and therefore, the changes to the car will provide a much-needed morale boost for the team.

“I think for the whole team, yeah. I think everyone could start feeling the midfield getting closer after having such a big margin at the beginning of the year,” he added.

“Especially… it was also not only results but also competitiveness was getting a lot more difficult. So, yeah, it definitely gives us, hopefully, a bit of margin.

“I think this is a difficult track for us. We should be back on the performance levels more of, let’s say, the Austrias, maybe even the Barcelonas.

“It’s always been a tough track for us here in Budapest, but with the upgrade, hopefully at least we can fight for a point or two.”

Albon said that his two top-six finishes were a pleasant boost for everyone in the team and provided a “statement” to the rest of the midfield contenders.

“It was good momentum for sure,” said the Anglo-Thai driver.

“We needed it because we obviously had a few tough races and it just puts everyone’s energy back at the factory, back here at the racetrack.

“We obviously saw a lot of our rivals putting on upgrades and us falling back.

“So it was a bit of a statement from us to firstly prove that when we do bring upgrades they work and then get a good points [finish].

“I don’t think it will necessarily carry over to every race, especially this weekend. But, we were falling back and it was good to get back.

READ MORE – Why Franco Colapinto has struggled to replicate Williams F1 exploits at Alpine

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Fernando Alonso has proposed a method of combating the problem of high levels of spray on Formula 1 circuits, in order to curb danger amid wet-weather racing.

Last week’s Belgian Grand Prix reopened previous debate about the level of visibility when racing in wet conditions, with the race start being delayed by over an hour.

The FIA’s decision to allow the heavy rainfall to pass before beginning proceedings was criticised by drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

However, it was reported that some drivers complained of low visibility, therefore vindicating race control’s move to err on the side of caution.

Alonso, whose career has encompassed many eras of F1 car and circuit, has theorised that the surfaces on some of the tracks today are causing spray to kick up worse than had previously done.

Speaking to media including Motorsport Week ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Alonso said that the tyres were also a factor, but believed that newer layers of tarmac were a significant cause.

“I think the tyres, the wide tyres definitely made visibility worse,” he said. “And probably some of the asphalt in the circuits, they are a little bit different than what they’ve been in the past.

“Because we raced with a lot of water in Sepang [the Malaysian Grand Prix] and it was always okay.

“And now this new generation of asphalt, which is very black and very grippy in dry conditions, is like a mirror in wet conditions.

“And yeah, visibility is not nice. But I don’t know what we can do there or what the tyres can do in a very rough tarmac.”

Alonso cited public motorways as an example of how it can be done, but did acknowledge that slick tyres may suffer in dry conditions if such a change was implemented.

“And even some of the highways, I have said many times that the highways, there are some that they have zero spray,” he said.

“So if we implement that tarmac in all the circuits as a normal rule, we will have zero spray.

“Then it will be a huge degradation, probably, in dry conditions – I don’t know. But then we can work from that theme and have a starting point. But I’m just a driver.”

Sainz takes Alonso approach on ‘certain kind of tarmac’

Alonso’s countryman Carlos Sainz corroborated the theory, saying that a potential relaying of asphalt might be a solution that could benefit racing to go ahead.

“I always thought Formula 1 should almost like, if possible, innovate and try something different,” the Williams driver told media including Motorsport Week. “I think there are certain kind of tarmacs that if you would put them on a straight line there would be no spray, and they exist, but circuits don’t have them. Most circuits don’t have it.”

Sainz speculated that recent big accidents, some of them fatal, on the Spa-Francorchamps track, were also a contributing factor in the FIA’s cautious approach to the race.

He suggested that a more public communication of this intent might have been beneficial for the fans watching the race, as many were left impatiently waiting for on track action to commence.

“In the end the biggest problem for us is visibility,” he said. “It’s what keeps us from racing. I think Spa is a very particular case where there’s been a very dark past at this track.

“The FIA consciously took a very conservative approach and they warned us on Thursday that they would take a very conservative approach.

“Maybe we should have done a better job in communicating that or they should have communicated to the fans, to the world, how we’re going to play very easy because of its dark past and this is what’s happened in the past and why we’re going to play safe on Sunday.

“It’s for everyone maybe to have a bit more awareness but I do think we could have obviously raced a bit earlier than what we did.

“Going a bit earlier after the red flag and the Safety Car could have lasted a bit less long. But you also need to put yourself in the shoes of the people that press the button to say go.

“Then there’s a massive accident because of a lack of visibility and something fatal could happen.

“They are in the end responsible for that situation to occur if you press the button.

“I understand also the conservative approach they took even though as a racing driver I wish we could have raced a bit earlier.”

READ MORE – Lando Norris sheds light on ‘incorrect setting’ that hampered F1 Belgian GP win bid

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Lando Norris has revealed more about the battery setting issue that contributed to him missing out on victory in the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

The British driver also admitted that both he and McLaren left performance on the table in a frustrating finish at Spa-Francorchamps.

Norris was beaten by team-mate Oscar Piastri in a delayed, rain-hit Grand Prix after the Australian made a decisive move down the Kemmel Straight on the restart following the Safety Car’s withdrawal on Lap 5.

Piastri controlled the race from there, managing the crossover phase and fending off a late push from Norris to seal victory.

Norris, meanwhile, ran into a series of issues – including not being able to double stack, a slow pit stop, multiple lock-ups, and a wide moment at Pouhon.

But the most costly moment came during the crucial overtake, where Norris immediately questioned the lack of battery deployment available to him.

While McLaren boss Andrea Stella downplayed the impact of the battery setting on the result, Norris explained how that, combined with other small setbacks, was enough to deny him.

“I didn’t have the best run [at the restart], but at the same time, then we had some, not problems, some incorrect settings with the battery, which meant he had a slight advantage of battery compared to me, which certainly didn’t help,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week.

“But I also didn’t do the best two corners, whether that would have made a difference or not, hard to say.

“With the issue, he probably would have passed me no matter what. So yeah, a tougher one to take from that perspective.”

Norris highlights key areas for reflection at McLaren

Norris also pointed to the strategy and pitstop execution as areas where both he and McLaren could have done better in last weekend’s race.

He continued: “But otherwise, from the strategy and pitstops, yeah, tough to say. I don’t think a double stack would have been any better. I just had a slow pitstop.

“It was more of a slow pit stop. And it was one of my lock-ups in Turn 1, which cost me like over a second and a bit. You put those two things together, it’s like four seconds of race time.

“So there’s things I could have done better, and then we as a team could have done better. And that’s what we’re going to work on.”

He added that while the defeat was frustrating, it wasn’t one that left him with regrets – only fine margins that didn’t fall in his favour.

“There’s also things he probably could have done better too,” he said.

“So, even if I had a mega last corner or mega Turn 1, [there was] still [a] pretty good chance he would have passed me anyway.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to accept that. As much as I would like to win them all, you can’t. So yeah, a tougher one to take because I don’t feel like it’s because I did a bad job.”

Looking at the bigger picture, Norris was also asked whether Max Verstappen remains a factor in this year’s title race – or if it’s now solely a McLaren fight between himself and Piastri.

“I mean, it’s never impossible,” he replied. “We proved that last year, but it’s quite a long way back.

“We have a team that’s a lot more stable and performing a lot better than Red Bull is.

“But Max is still quite easily one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1. So, as a driver, I wouldn’t rule him out.

“But we have a better car, we have a better team. So I have my confidence in them that we can stay ahead.”

READ MORE – Why McLaren feels battery ‘anomaly’ didn’t cost Lando Norris in F1 Belgian GP loss

The post Lando Norris sheds light on ‘incorrect setting’ that hampered F1 Belgian GP win bid appeared first on Motorsport Week.

The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix cemented the reality that it’s realistically a two-horse race for the Formula 1 World Championship between the McLaren drivers.

Once the track had dried up, the split strategies between the McLaren duo showcased the approach that has split Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris this season.

While race leader Piastri went for the Medium tyre and a strategy that would require much more consistency and tyre management, Norris avoided the double stack and pitted a lap later for the Hard compound tyre, one that requires less management and could be leaned on.

The idea for Norris was clear: as Piastri would have to manage his tyres to get to the end, he could simply push hard and close the gap and try and win the race that way.

Both strategies reflected each driver’s strengths, but also came to expose a rather costly weakness for Norris in particular in 2025.

Unfortunately for the Briton, a slew of costly mistakes while in pursuit of the Australian would see him lose out, not only on race day, but his championship pursuit, too.

And ultimately, the clash in strategies and the way they were executed perfectly mirrored the two distinct styles between the two McLaren drivers, which may come to define who comes out victorious in F1’s title race.

Metronomic consistency versus raw speed

2025 has been a defining season for both McLaren drivers, now with a car capable of not only taking victories but winning and dominating the World Championship.

For Norris, in his seventh season in F1, the chance to realise his potential and win the ultimate prize, something he’s been tipped for since his debut back in 2019.

The Briton’s raw speed has been clear since he stormed into McLaren, out-performing more experienced team-mates Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo from the get-go.

Meanwhile, Piastri has taken a huge leap in his third season, improving in all areas across one lap speed, race pace and, importantly, tyre management compared to 2024.

Norris might possess the upper hand in raw speed, but Piastri has developed into a metronome when it comes to generating consistent results to maintain the edge.

A key to Piastri’s points lead is his consistency, currently on a 41-race points scoring streak, running back to his debut season in 2023, the third longest streak in F1 history.

Despite the Australian’s improvement in 2025, it is still generally understood that Norris has greater raw speed and the ability to pull out a lap from nowhere more often.

However, his superior underlying pace does come with a flaw, in that he tends to commit a greater number of mistakes when it matters most.

Norris has, on multiple occasions this season, made costly errors, which have culminated in him facing a 16-point deficit to Piastri with 11 rounds now remaining.

Will Norris’ errors come at the ultimate cost?

An error in Q3 in Saudi Arabia meant he would only start 10th, while Piastri started on the front row and then took victory as his team-mate recovered to fourth.

Blunders in Q3 in both China and Bahrain also put the Briton on the back foot, but the most costly one came on F1’s annual trip to Canada last month.

In an attempt to make a late overtake on Piastri, Norris inexplicably went for a gap that didn’t exist, colliding with the rear of his team-mate and retiring on the spot.

Then there was the trio of blunders when in pursuit of Piastri at Spa-Francochamps.

Norris lost a combined three seconds from three separate errors in Belgium, with an off at Pouhon and two lockups at La Source defining moments in a race he would eventually lose by just over three seconds.

Meanwhile, Piastri harnessed his reliable consistency to manage his tyres and manage his lap times to perfection, not putting a foot wrong as Norris started homing in at on average half a second a lap.

With his victory at Spa, Piastri managed to weather the storm of Norris cutting into his championship lead.

As F1 approaches its summer break and heads towards the business end of the season, will Piastri’s consistency or Norris’ raw speed win out in the race for the title?

READ MORE – Where McLaren thinks Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri F1 title battle will be decided

The post How the Belgian GP perfectly epitomised F1’s 2025 title fight appeared first on Motorsport Week.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has dismissed the notion that having both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris compete for the Formula 1 championship is less comfortable for him.

The Woking-based squad has been the class of the field so far, leading the Constructors’ Championship by 268 points from Ferrari.

Between them, Piastri and Norris have won all but three of the 13 races contested so far, with the Australian leading the Drivers’ title by 16 points.

The title will more than likely be claimed by either man, echoing past instances of McLaren driver pairings fighting it out for supremacy, such as Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

There have been several close shaves across the year, too, such as their fraught battle in Austria, which followed the almost-inevitable clash that took place in Canada.

When asked if it would be more comfortable for him if one driver had a clear advantage over the other, Stella said he is in the wrong game if he shied away from discomfort.

“If I wanted to be comfortable, then I’m not doing the right job,” he told media including Motorsport Week in Belgium. “I’m not really interested in being comfortable.

“I’m interested in putting McLaren in the best possible position to succeed, which means competing for the Constructors’ World Championship, and if possible, making sure that the Drivers’ World Championship is a matter between the two drivers of the McLaren Formula 1 team.”

McLaren intratream battle puts Stella in ‘privileged position’

Stella stated that whilst Piastri and Norris’ on-track battles may cause a few nervy moments on the McLaren pit wall, he acknowledged that allowing them to race each other is giving them a chance to showcase their abilities.

The Italian added that it was putting the team in a “privileged” position to have two prodigious talents driving the MCL39.

“And in addition to that, even if this doesn’t make my life or Zak’s life any simpler, we are here also to go racing in a certain way, which is open, which may give our drivers the opportunity to express their talent, their aspiration, their quality, their constant development,” he added.

“So that’s what we are here for, and we are very privileged to be in this position, and also we are privileged, I think, that we are doing that not only with the team we have, but with Oscar and Lando, who are two great drivers, but above all, two great individuals.”

READ MORE – Why beating Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari ‘doesn’t interest’ Charles Leclerc in F1 2025

The post McLaren relishing discomfort provided by internal F1 title duel appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has expressed that the team must help Lewis Hamilton sustain an uninterrupted weekend to end his ongoing podium drought in Formula 1.

The recent momentum that Hamilton had been building was halted in Belgium as an incident-ridden round marked the latest setback in his debut campaign at Ferrari.

Hamilton apologised to the team as a spin under braking into the Bus Stop chicane and then a track limits violation at Raidillon consigned him to successive Q1 exits.

But although he was unable to make up much ground during the 15-lap Sprint Race, Hamilton produced a valiant comeback drive in the Grand Prix to salvage seventh.

Ferrari’s pre-race switch to a more loaded rear wing paid dividends in the minimal laps raced in wet weather conditions as he recorded several bold overtaking moves.

However, Hamilton’s race came alive when he made an optimal switch to slicks on Lap 11 that gained him seven places to his eventual position at the chequered flag.

Vasseur revealed that the call to discard the Intermediates at that precise moment was a combined decision that enabled Hamilton to maintain his active scoring run.

“For sure, when you are in this situation you have to gamble a little bit,” Vasseur told media including Motorsport Week.

“The situation is that we were degrading a lot the Inter, and we were far away from the crossover.

“The Inter was a disaster, they were completely gone. You put a new set of Inter, you are also six, seven seconds faster.

“But I think it was the right call at the right moment, a bit aggressive.

“We were quite close to doing it with Charles [Leclerc], but Charles would have been in traffic.

“It meant that we did it with Lewis, and I think it was the right call at the right lap. Don’t try to split the team and the drivers; it’s always a collective decision.”

Ferrari striving to minimise compromised weekends

But despite mounting an admirable reaction to his tribulations, Hamilton expressed disappointment with his weekend as team-mate Leclerc clinched another podium.

Vasseur reiterated that the onus is on the entire team – including the seven-time champion – to avoid blunders that lead to either driver’s weekend being compromised.

“The mood is good,” Vasseur insisted. “For sure it’s not the result that we were expecting with Lewis, Sprint quali and the quali yesterday.

“But I think it’s part of the life of a racing team that we reacted collectively very well today.

“Lewis did a great job, he was quite aggressive at the beginning in the extreme conditions.

“He was able to fight with [Alex] Albon until the end with the downforce of… not Budapest. I think it was a good recovery for him, also to be efficient like this.

“Now, for sure, we have to do a better job. From the beginning, if you want to score podiums or wins, you can’t let one session away.

“We will have to do a step next week, but we are all pushing in the same direction.”

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton slams FIA for ‘overreacting’ to Silverstone with F1 Belgian GP delay

The post Ferrari outlines missing ingredient in ongoing Lewis Hamilton F1 podium drought appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix was, perhaps predictably, another case of the weather literally putting a dampener on things.

With typical Ardennes weather coating the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the race was delayed for over an hour before getting underway behind the Safety Car.

However, the race did actually take place – unlike the 2021 edition, which was called off after just a handful of laps behind the Safety Car with the rain falling hard.

This time around, the delay did enough damage to the races of drivers such as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who both had tried to anticipate the wet weather with set-ups tailored to such conditions.

The reigning champion was irritated that the thought that went into Red Bull’s specific plan, knowing it would be wet, was, if you’ll pardon the pun, blown out of the water

“On the Intermediates of course, we made a choice with the set-up, and then they only allow us to drive in almost slick conditions, so yeah, that’s a bit disappointing,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “Of course we spoke out for Silverstone to be a little bit more cautious with the decisions, but this was then the other extreme for me.

“And then of course the choice that we made with the set-up of the car, was then of course the wrong one, because they didn’t allow us to race in the wet. Once we got to the dry tyres, we were just too slow in the straight.”

It’s rare that Verstappen and Hamilton are on the same page with things, but as real racers, their opinions aligned as one as the seven-time F1 champion also expressed his discontent. “We obviously started the race a little too late, I would say,” Hamilton agreed. “I kept shouting, ‘It’s ready to go, it’s ready to go’. And they kept going round and round and round. “So I think they were probably overreacting from the last race – where we asked them not to restart the race too early because visibility was bad.

“I think this weekend, they just made it a bit too much the other way. Because we didn’t need a rolling start. Yeah, my car was set up for [the wet-weather racing conditions] as well. They waited for it to dry.”

Hamilton added that race control “definitely could have done a standing start. Especially at the end there. It was almost a dry line. It was hot in the spray. So definitely could have done it.”

Did F1 overreact from Silverstone’s rain-soaked race?

The Silverstone issue revolved around complaints from drivers that the wet weather had become too extreme to race at times, and Hamilton, like Verstappen, believed that the issue this time was that the caution absorbed from that experience was too full-on in Spa.

“I think it was just a reaction to Silverstone – we sat down and spoke about it – and the drivers said in the last race we shouldn’t have restarted,” he reasoned. “So I think they just focused on visibility — as soon as someone said visibility up ahead was really bad, which it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t as bad as the last race.”

The incident begs the question: why have wet weather compounds if no racing will take place in conditions suitable for them?

This year, Formula E has had a run of four separate race weekends affected by rain in the race. It has caused significant strife for the drivers, with the all-weather Hankook treaded tyre being unable to suffice when it rains. However, despite some delays, races have gone ahead, meaning that despite the scepticism on the effectiveness of the rubber, fans have been treated to on-track action.

Has it made some of the racing a bit too cautious, and perhaps an indicator that the early leader will be the winner? On some occasions, yes, but not on others.

But has it seemed to go ahead more than F1? Despite shortening some qualifying sessions, yes, it has certainly been compared to Belgium.

There will always be that fine line between letting drivers race and saying ‘enough’s enough’ when the rain falls too hard. This race was probably not that occasion. There will, of course, always be the additional element of ensuring fans who have spent hard-earned money to watch the race will see action on track, and what constitutes good even conditions to enable a safe race for them to watch.

With McLaren boss Andrea Stella defending the decision to delay the race, there will naturally continue to be divided opinions on what the right course of action is for instances like this, but many drivers and some fans may feel that the stewards most certainly rained on their parade.

READ MORE – Motorsport Week’s F1 2025 Belgian GP Driver Ratings

The post Are F1’s wet weather delays making everything a damp squib? appeared first on Motorsport Week.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has indicated where the battle for the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will be decided.

The Woking-based squad will see, barring a miracle, one of its drivers crowned World Champion for the first time since Lewis Hamilton scooped the crown in 2008

Piastri had largely controlled the season up until the European races began, but Norris has worked his way back into the battle, cutting the Australian’s lead to eight points.

However, last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix saw Piastri got the better of Norris this time, overhauling him on the restart and resisting a late charge to take the win.

When asked what deciding factors might occur as there is little between the two, Stella said that it will ultimately come down to whoever makes the fewest mistakes.

“There is very, very little between our two drivers. And this is because the two drivers are racing at a very, very high level,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.

“We are lucky at McLaren to have two drivers that, deservedly, are fighting for the World Championship.

“I think the difference will be made by the accuracy, the precision, the quality of the execution.”

McLaren battle set to come down to minute details

Stella cited incidents such as Piastri’s British Grand Prix costly penalty and Norris’ in-race errors at Spa as examples of what could determine the final outcome.

“We saw in Silverstone that an issue, a sporting issue for Oscar, during the Safety Car restart and the consequent penalty cost him the race,” he continued.

“And somehow here we saw that, somehow related to the circuit characteristic, like we said before, it would have always been very difficult for Lando to keep the position, starting first at the Safety Car restart.

“At the same time, I think Lando didn’t help himself by not having a great gap on the finish line. So I think the execution is what is going to make the main difference.”

Stella affirmed that the team will ensure that the MCL39 is as good as it can be, and that the individuals behind the operation will be on top of their game, to leave the battle firmly down to what happens on track.

“We, as a team, we will try and make sure that, from a reliability point of view, from a team operation point of view, we are as good as possible, such that it will be the drivers deciding their own outcome in terms of competing for the Drivers’ World Championship,” he concluded.

READ MORE – McLaren insists double-stack pitstop was available to Lando Norris in F1 Belgian GP

The post Where McLaren thinks Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri F1 title battle will be decided appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Another wet-dry Belgian Grand Prix may not have produced a thriller, but who perfectly sailed through the conditions on Formula 1’s third Sprint weekend of 2025?

Oscar Piastri: 8.5

Despite smashing the track record by seven tenths in Sprint Qualifying, gapping the field by almost half a second in the process, the Australian would make it a Sprint Race second-place hat-trick in 2025 after being passed by Max Verstappen into Les Combes and being unable to repass the Dutchman with his lower downforce set-up.

Beaten by his team-mate in Grand Prix qualifying, the championship leader swiftly despatched Norris into Les Combes as the race went green after a long delay.

He controlled the race and had pace in reserve to combat a charging Norris, who was put on the alternate strategy as drivers moved onto the slick tyres.

Victory at Spa-Francochamps means his lead in the standings is extended to 16 points as F1 heads to the scene of Piastri’s first-ever race win in Budapest.

Lando Norris: 7.5

Norris failed to capitalise not only from the momentum of a maiden home victory at Silverstone, but also from starting on pole position on race day in Belgium.

The Briton bounced back having been comfortably beaten by Piastri in Sprint Qualifying, starting and finishing third behind both Verstappen and his team-mate.

However, a scrappy race day cost Norris a shot at cutting his title deficit, losing out to Piastri by just over three seconds come the chequered flag.

Losing the lead gave Norris the chance to roll the dice strategy-wise, but despite being on the better tyre for the longer stint, three errors cost him in his chase.

Charles Leclerc: 9.5

Charles Leclerc cast aside a difficult British Grand Prix and one again maximised his upgraded SF-25, as he has done so many times this season.

After converting a rather lonely fourth-place finish in the Sprint, Leclerc produced another classic qualifying performance, pipping Verstappen to third by three thousandths.

That’s a result he would cling on to to secure a fifth podium finish of the season in the process, holding off Verstappen through wet to dry, despite a few sketchy moments.

Lewis Hamilton: 6

Having shown an improvement in recent weeks, Lewis Hamilton had perhaps his worst weekend with Ferrari in Belgium.

Knocked out in Q1 in both qualifying sessions left the Briton with a mountain to climb on a weekend where overtaking was harder than ever at the famous circuit.

Being stuck in a DRS train meant Hamilton’s top-three Sprint streak would come to a crunching halt, gaining just three spots from 18th on the grid on Saturday.

However, Ferrari timed the switch from Inters to slicks on Sunday to perfection, allowing Hamilton to storm from a pit lane start up to seventh place rapidly.

A higher downforce setup for the Grand Prix hampered any further progress, though, as he was unable to deal with the straight-line speed of Alex Albon’s Williams.

Despite the poor weekend, Hamilton keeps up the record of being the only driver other than championship leader Piastri to score points in every weekend so far in 2025.

Max Verstappen: 9

Another strong weekend for Verstappen saw him claim a 12th Sprint victory since the format was introduced in 2021, 10 more than his nearest challenger.

Splitting the McLarens in Sprint Qualifying gave Verstappen the perfect opportunity to spoil McLaren’s day, utilising a lower downforce setup to storm past pole-sitter Piastri.

The switch to a higher downforce setup meant that Verstappen’s focus switched from fighting the McLarens to Charles Leclerc, with the Dutchman unable to pass the Ferrari.

Fourth will be disappointing for the recent King of Spa, but overall, there wasn’t much more the reigning champion could do as he drifts ever further from the two McLarens.

Yuki Tsunoda: 6

Red Bull’s opening weekend under Laurent Mekies’ watch saw sparks of hope that were dashed for Yuki Tsunoda as the promise ended without a points return.

Having had the updated floor rushed onto his car after a lacklustre 11th in the Sprint, Tsunoda advanced to Q3 and secured an encouraging seventh on the grid.

Tsunoda would have had a good chance to convert that had a miscommunication with his race engineer not culminated in him completing an extra lap on the Intermediates.

George Russell: 6.5

It was a difficult weekend for a Mercedes team that stormed to victory at Spa 12 months ago with a 1-2 on the road, George Russell heading Hamilton.

After being knocked out in SQ2, a Sprint result of 12th showed Mercedes had work to do to recapture the team’s magic at the venue from 12 months ago.

For the Grand Prix, Russell converted his sixth-place start into a distant and lonely fifth, prompting him to be concerned that Mercedes is going backwards.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli: 3

The Belgian GP weekend was not the confidence-boosting weekend that Antonelli was aiming to achieve.

The Italian was knocked out in Q1 in both Sprint and Grand Prix Qualifying, and was unable to recover all the lost ground.

It’s now one point’s finish in seven races, that one being his maiden Grand Prix podium at the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

Alex Albon: 8

It was a weekend of two halves for the Anglo-Thai racer, who stormed to a fourth top-six finish of the season on race day.

A disappointing Sprint saw him finish a lowly 16th, but a cracking lap in Grand Prix Qualifying saw him beat the Mercedes of George Russell to fifth.

Despite the tricky conditions, Albon would steer his Williams through to sixth place, using his straight-line speed edge to hold off Hamilton upon the switch to slicks.

It was a much-needed boost for Williams, the team having admitted in recent weeks that it has fallen behind the power curve by not bringing updates to its package.

Carlos Sainz: 6.5

Much like his team-mate Albon, Sainz endured a divided weekend.

Sainz did well to split the Haas cars in Sprint Qualifying and then converted his sixth place start at the chequered flag for a first points finish since Montreal.

But a pit lane start after qualifying a lowly 15th with a set-up tailored towards the wet was compounded by being held up in the pits when the change to slicks came.

The switch to a two-stop saw him finish a lowly 18th, marking another disappointing Grand Prix Sunday for the Spaniard, who is now 38 points behind his team-mate.

Liam Lawson: 8.5

Lawson continued to show his recent upturn in form, being a comfortable top 10 runner all weekend.

10th in the Sprint race was backed up by a strong eighth place finish in the Grand Prix, holding off both Sauber cars to make it three points finishes in his last six races.

The Kiwi has really started to emerge from the shadows of team-mate Hadjar as he strives to return to the form that saw him promoted to Red Bull in the first place.

Isack Hadjar: 6

Hadjar was another driver who despite scoring in the Sprint race, went on to have a rather disappointing Grand Prix as an issue with his car contributed to a sudden slump.

Thus, the Frenchman couldn’t replicate his eighth place from the Sprint on Sunday, being the only car to be lapped in last place, well in the shadow of team-mate Lawson.

Gabriel Bortoleto: 8.5

Bortoleto pieced together another encouraging weekend in his maiden campaign, as he showed that his heroics in Austria weren’t a flash in the pan.

The Brazilian was a constant threat to the top 10 all weekend, and comfortably had the measure of experienced team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.

Ninth place at the chequered flag and two valuable points is how he and the Sauber team would have wanted to kick-start the second half of the 2025 season.

Nico Hulkenberg: 5

Hulkenberg couldn’t reproduce his Silverstone magic at Spa despite similar conditions in the race, as he was comfortably beaten all weekend by Bortoleto.

Having had to move over for Bortoleto after the switch to slicks, a two-stop strategy turned out not to be the one for Hulkenberg as he was unable to recover back to the top 10.

Pierre Gasly: 9.5

Pierre Gasly has been dragging his Alpine to places it shouldn’t be throughout the campaign, and that was no different last weekend in Belgium.

Making Q3 for Sprint Qualifying, a water leak just before the start cost the Frenchman a shot at a points finish, as he emerged two laps down for what became a testing run.

And after starting 13th for the Grand Prix, he made the one stop work, held off a train of faster cars to finish 10th on Sunday, to pick up another valuable point for Alpine.

Franco Colapinto: 3

While the superlatives are flowing about Gasly, unfortunately, the same can’t be said for current team-mate Franco Colapinto.

The Argentine spent most of the weekend languishing at the back, managing to fade into the background of even a more boring race.

Colapinto’s prospects of surviving beyond the summer break were already in danger, and this weekend’s results will only put him more at risk.

Ollie Bearman: 7.5

Oliver Bearman had a much cleaner weekend in Spa, scoring his first points since Bahrain in the Sprint race with a solid seventh.

That could have been replicated in the main race had a sudden engine issue as he exited the Bus Stop chicane not cost him several places as he came home 11th.

Esteban Ocon: 7

Esteban Ocon seems to have an affinity with Spa Francorchamps, and 2025 was no different.

Ocon stormed to fifth place on the grid in the Sprint, spearheading the team to a double SQ3 appearance for the first time in 2025, a result he would back up in the race itself.

However, the Frenchman would be on the end of some bad luck on race day.

Starting just outside the top 10, he was left out for too long on the Inters, followed up by a slow pitstop left him a distance behind the field and a mountain to climb to try and recover.

Fernando Alonso: 5

In a weekend which saw Aston Martin bring another raft of upgrades, a first-ever back row lockout in Grand Prix Qualifying is not what the team would have anticipated.

In fact, the Aston Martins seemed to lack pace all weekend, with Alonso failing to threaten the top 10 on one-lap speed or race pace.

14th in the Sprint and 17th from the Grand Prix will leave the Spaniard scratching his head as to where his team’s form disappeared to in Belgium.

Lance Stroll: 5.5

Lance Stroll too suffered like Alonso, unable to threaten the points like he did at Silverstone.

Despite the poor weekend, the Canadian will take heart in beating his more experienced team-mate in both the Sprint and Grand Prix, although 13th and 14th is nothing to write home about.

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton slams FIA for ‘overreating’ to Silverstone with Belgian GP delay

The post Motorsport Week’s F1 2025 Belgian GP Driver Ratings appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has acknowledged that there is no short-term remedy to the existing limitations that continue to plague the team’s 2025 Formula 1 car.

The Austrian squad unleashed new upgrades in Belgium last weekend as it prepares to tie up development to pivot attention to next season’s sweeping rule changes.

Max Verstappen utilised Red Bull’s revised package and a potent set-up designed to maximise straight-line speed to usurp the McLaren duo in the 15-lap Sprint Race.

However, the Dutchman’s prospects in the main race were compromised when a switch to a set-up tailored to the wet became redundant as the start was suspended.

But while that thwarted his aim to pip Charles Leclerc to a spot on the podium, Verstappen underlined that Spa-Francorchamps had exposed Red Bull’s shortcomings.

“Realistically P3 would have been the highest possible,” Verstappen, who crossed the line 21 seconds behind Oscar Piastri, said to media including Motorsport Week.

“We were very close to that, but at the same time, it also still highlighted our weaknesses with the car. And that’s something that is not so easy to fix at the moment.”

Red Bull upgrades working as expected

Mekies insisted that the updates worked as anticipated, though he concurred with the reigning F1 champion’s view that there is no immediate fix to the RB21’s issues.

“Obviously, it’s difficult to give you much history, but certainly the team is happy with the package,” Mekies told media including Motorsport Week.

“In terms of, does it bring performance to the car? Yes. Does it bring it up? No. Does it fix all the balance limitations we have? No. It’s as simple as that.

“So we still have some work to do, but there are no questions on whether we brought performance to the car. We feel we did.

“Obviously, we cannot ignore the fact that also McLaren had a package this weekend, so it’s a usual development race between all the teams.”

The lessons Red Bull can carry from challgning 2025

Red Bull is expected to bring more parts to this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix to complete the development sequence that contained revisions at Imola and Britain.

But while Red Bull’s 2025 is poised to end without a title, Verstappen has declared that there are still worthwhile lessons to be acquired from the team’s tough season.

“I think it’s still important also this year to learn certain things, because they will also have an effect on next year,” Verstappen added.

“Because the cars will be completely different, but there are still things that we can work on and take also to next year.

“Of course, engineering and everything, the car design, of course, is on the way for next year, but we can still learn a lot also this year.”

READ MORE – Why the decision to delay F1 Belgian GP ‘surprised’ Red Bul

The post Why Red Bull is set to remain burdened with RB21 limitations across F1 2025 appeared first on Motorsport Week.