Formula 1 3 Days

Last updated: July 20, 2026, 8:30 PM ET

Belgian Grand Prix Drama and Technical Debates

Lewis Hamilton expressed frustration with his Mercedes after a practice crash at the Belgian Grand Prix, noting the car "didn't feel the same" in subsequent sessions. Despite this, Hamilton initially tipped Mercedes and McLaren to perform well at Spa. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc avoided a penalty for contact with Oscar Piastri, with stewards deeming the contact not deliberately initiated. Leclerc also fell victim to an incorrect yellow flag during qualifying, which impacted his starting position. Max Verstappen credited teammate Isack Hadjar for providing a crucial tow that aided his front-row qualifying effort.

Engine Power and Team Dynamics Under Scrutiny

Toto Wolff admitted Mercedes possesses the most potent Formula 1 power unit, a claim that has reportedly garnered attention from Red Bull. In a separate team development, Red Bull announced Tom Hart will succeed Gianpiero Lambiase as Max Verstappen's race engineer. McLaren is investigating a potential issue with its power unit algorithms, suspecting it may be the cause of Oscar Piastri's performance deficit to Lando Norris, rather than driving ability. The team believes the issue "has nothing to do with his driving." The ongoing technical discussions also include the resurfacing spotlight on ADUO monitoring. George Russell's retirement highlighted aerodynamic concerns for Mercedes, as the sight of a car on a crane is far from ideal for any engineering team.