George Russell says a "serious issue" with his Mercedes' straight-line performance makes his title fight with team-mate Kimi Antonelli "impossible". Russell qualified fourth for the Belgian Grand Prix, 0.508 seconds slower than Antonelli's sixth pole in 10 races, with over 75% of the deficit coming from straight-line speed. "You feel powerless," Russell said, 25 points behind in the championship. Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin confirmed a "clear loss that we cannot explain by driving style."

The new energy-starved engines have neutered Spa-Francorchamps' challenge. Iconic corners Eau Rouge and Pouhon are now flat-out, with cars running on only 450-500bhp internal combustion power through the middle sector. Max Verstappen called it "not very exciting to drive," while Lando Norris said Pouhon is "not a corner any more." Carlos Sainz added: "No one is enjoying the qualifying lap as much as last year."

F1 has acknowledged the regulations are flawed. The ICE-to-electrical power ratio will shift from 50:50 to 60:40 by 2028. McLaren's Andrea Stella noted the rules have increased overtaking, calling it "the flip side of the energy starvation," but admitted some circuits "change their character."