RACING
McLaren Will Delay Mercedes Engine Upgrade Until Belgian Grand Prix
The McLaren Mercedes engine upgrade will not arrive at Silverstone, with the team confirming it expects to introduce the latest Mercedes power unit at the Belgian Grand Prix instead.
McLaren Will Delay Mercedes Engine Upgrade Until Belgian Grand Prix
The McLaren Mercedes engine upgrade will not make its debut at the British Grand Prix, despite Mercedes introducing its latest reliability-focused power unit specification for factory and customer teams. Instead, McLaren expects to install the updated engine package at Spa-Francorchamps later this month.
According to CEO Zak Brown, the decision has nothing to do with performance concerns and is simply part of the planned lifecycle of the team’s current power units.
McLaren is following its planned engine rotation
Zak Brown explained that McLaren’s current Mercedes engines have not yet completed their intended mileage, making Silverstone too early to introduce a fresh power unit.
While Williams and Alpine have already fitted the updated Mercedes specification due to their individual engine usage schedules, McLaren has not yet reached the point where an engine change is necessary.
Brown emphasized that every customer team follows a different rotation depending on reliability, mileage and previous component usage throughout the season.
McLaren will continue using its current Mercedes power units during the British Grand Prix.
Spa-Francorchamps is the expected target
If everything goes according to plan at Silverstone, McLaren expects both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to receive the updated Mercedes engine before the Belgian Grand Prix.
Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most power-sensitive circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, making it the ideal venue to introduce a fresh engine. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has previously explained that newer power units can deliver a small performance advantage because horsepower naturally decreases as engines accumulate mileage.
McLaren expects to introduce the updated Mercedes engine at the Belgian Grand Prix.
McLaren continues working to reduce its straight-line deficit
Although the new power unit should provide improved reliability, McLaren believes engine performance is only part of its challenge.
Team Principal Andrea Stella recently revealed that roughly 30 percent of the team’s deficit to Mercedes comes on the straights. However, he acknowledged that much of that disadvantage is caused by the aerodynamic drag generated by the MCL40 rather than the engine itself.
With the McLaren Mercedes engine upgrade expected for Spa, the team hopes to combine the latest power unit with continued aerodynamic development as it looks to close the gap to Ferrari and Mercedes during the second half of the Formula 1 season.
McLaren continues developing both its aerodynamics and Mercedes-powered package for the remainder of the season.
Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari can improve at Spa after identifying the second sector as the SF-26’s main weakness on Friday.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari still have work to do after a challenging Friday at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion believes the second practice session provided a more realistic picture of the team’s competitiveness, identifying Spa-Francorchamps’ second sector as the main area where the SF-26 is losing time.
Ferrari started the weekend with encouraging pace in FP1 and appeared capable of fighting near the front. However, the picture changed during FP2 as Mercedes and McLaren improved their performance, leaving the Italian team searching for additional speed before the rest of the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton identified Spa’s second sector as Ferrari’s main area for improvement after Friday practice.
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari Lose Ground in Sector Two
According to Hamilton, the SF-26 feels relatively well balanced, but Ferrari is struggling to generate enough performance through the more technical second sector. That weakness is particularly significant because this section of Spa was expected to give the team an opportunity to recover time lost elsewhere.
Hamilton believes the issue is primarily related to aerodynamic load rather than the overall balance of the car. Ferrari therefore faces a difficult compromise: adding more downforce could improve cornering performance, but it could also increase drag and reduce top speed on Spa’s long straights.
The team will analyze Friday’s data and simulations overnight in an attempt to find a better aerodynamic compromise. The objective is to recover the missing lap time through the second sector without sacrificing too much straight-line performance.
Ferrari is searching for a better aerodynamic compromise between cornering performance and straight-line speed at Spa.
Mercedes Remains the Benchmark at Spa
Hamilton believes Mercedes remains the team to beat heading into the rest of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Spa’s long straights and demanding energy requirements appear to suit the championship-leading team, while McLaren has also demonstrated competitive performance.
The British driver highlighted McLaren’s strength through medium- and high-speed corners, another important characteristic around Spa-Francorchamps. Ferrari must therefore find additional performance if it wants to challenge its main rivals during qualifying and the race.
Despite the gap, Hamilton does not believe Ferrari needs to make radical setup changes. The seven-time champion feels the SF-26 is already operating relatively close to the correct window, making optimization rather than a complete change of direction the priority.
Ferrari hopes overnight analysis will help the SF-26 close the performance gap before qualifying in Belgium.
Ferrari Searches for More Performance Before Qualifying
The overnight work will focus heavily on simulations and data analysis as Ferrari attempts to extract more performance from its existing package. Finding a few extra tenths in the second sector could prove crucial in a closely matched battle at the front of the grid.
Energy management will also remain an important factor. The characteristics of the 2026 power units mean drivers can face reduced energy deployment on Spa’s long straights, adding another layer of complexity when teams choose their aerodynamic configurations.
For Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, the objective is now clear: maintain the positive balance of the SF-26 while improving its aerodynamic performance through the most demanding corners. If the team can find that missing time without compromising straight-line speed, Ferrari could move closer to Mercedes and McLaren as the Belgian Grand Prix weekend progresses.
Mercedes has identified the issues behind George Russell’s difficult Friday at Spa and expects the British driver to recover his pace.
George Russell and Mercedes endured a difficult Friday at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, but the team believes it has already identified the main factors behind the British driver’s lack of pace. While teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time of the day at Spa-Francorchamps, Russell finished eighth and more than 1.2 seconds behind.
The result was far from ideal for Russell as he attempts to close the gap to Antonelli in the championship. With 25 points currently separating the Mercedes teammates, finding more performance will be essential for the 28-year-old as the Formula 1 season approaches its summer break.
George Russell finished a challenging Friday at Spa more than a second behind Mercedes teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes Identifies Russell’s Main Problems at Spa
Data from Friday’s sessions showed several areas where George Russell and Mercedes lost valuable lap time. The British driver struggled through Les Combes and compromised his exit from Turn 7, while Antonelli was able to carry more speed through the same section.
Russell also appeared to lose performance between Pouhon and Fagnes. Although both Mercedes drivers initially followed a similar speed profile, Russell ran out of usable energy earlier. He also recorded a lower top speed on the run between Blanchimont and the Bus Stop chicane.
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explained that Russell’s tires were not in their optimal operating window at the beginning of his fastest lap. After a complicated opening practice session, the driver also underestimated the available grip in several corners.
Mercedes believes tire preparation and available grip contributed to Russell’s lack of pace during Friday practice.
F1 2026 Power Units Add Another Challenge
The characteristics of the new 2026 Formula 1 power units are also playing an important role at Spa. Energy deployment and recovery are particularly critical at high-speed circuits, meaning that losing momentum through a corner can have consequences throughout the following section of the lap.
According to Mercedes, slower cornering speeds can directly affect energy deployment on the straights. At circuits such as Spa and Silverstone, where energy management is especially demanding, relatively small differences can therefore become significantly more costly.
The team also discovered a problem with one of Russell’s homologated fuel flow meters during FP1. The issue resulted in the British driver having slightly less power than Antonelli during the morning session, although Mercedes confirmed that the problem was resolved before the second practice.
Mercedes improved the W17 setup between practice sessions after struggling to find the right balance early on Friday.
Mercedes Expects George Russell to Fight Back
Mercedes admitted that its initial setup direction was not ideal for either driver. The team expected more grip than the track ultimately provided, forcing engineers to make significant adjustments before the afternoon session. Those changes improved the W17 and gave both drivers greater confidence.
There are still details to analyze on Russell’s side of the garage, but Mercedes believes the available data provides clear indications of where improvements can be made. With Antonelli also feeling that his fastest lap was not perfect, the team expects the competition to become much tighter as the weekend progresses.
Long-run performance also appears closely matched between the leading teams, leaving Mercedes with work to do before qualifying and the race. If George Russell and Mercedes can address Friday’s tire preparation, cornering and energy deployment issues, the British driver should have an opportunity to recover and return to the front of the field at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Aston Martin endured a difficult Friday at Spa and is already looking ahead to a major AMR26 upgrade package set to debut in Hungary.
Aston Martin’s Hungary upgrade has become the team’s main source of hope after a difficult start to the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The Silverstone-based squad expected Spa-Francorchamps to expose the weaknesses of the AMR26, but Friday proved even more challenging as the car finished several seconds away from the front.
With Spa placing significant demands on power and energy efficiency, Aston Martin struggled to compete even within the midfield. The team’s immediate objective is now to complete the Belgian Grand Prix before turning its attention to the major upgrade package scheduled to arrive at the next race in Budapest.
Aston Martin struggled for performance during Friday’s running at Spa-Francorchamps.
Aston Martin Faces a Difficult Belgian Grand Prix
Lance Stroll admitted that Aston Martin has limited options to dramatically improve its situation before Sunday’s race. The team will continue working on setup changes overnight, but the Canadian acknowledged that the AMR26’s fundamental limitations will make significant progress difficult.
The priority is therefore to extract everything possible from the current package while gathering useful information. Aston Martin entered the weekend knowing Spa could be one of its weakest circuits of the season, making the difficult Friday performance less surprising internally.
Stroll made it clear that the team simply needs to get through the Belgian Grand Prix before focusing on what could become a much more important weekend in Hungary.
Lance Stroll expects another challenging weekend before Aston Martin introduces its major upgrade.
Aston Martin Hungary Upgrade Becomes the Main Focus
Despite the lack of competitiveness, Aston Martin is continuing to follow its normal race-weekend procedures. The team is evaluating tires, completing long runs and refining operational processes in preparation for the moment when the car becomes more competitive.
Mike Krack emphasized that Aston Martin cannot afford to relax simply because the AMR26 is currently off the pace. Strategy execution, pit stops and trackside operations must remain at a high level regardless of the team’s position in the competitive order.
That preparation could become particularly important when the Aston Martin Hungary upgrade arrives. The team hopes the new package will provide a significant step forward and allow the AMR26 to compete more consistently against its midfield rivals.
Aston Martin hopes its major Hungary upgrade will unlock significantly more performance from the AMR26.
Hungary Could Mark a Turning Point for the AMR26
Aston Martin has accepted that the current run of races could be particularly difficult, but Budapest represents an opportunity to begin changing the direction of its season. The upcoming package will therefore face considerable expectations after the team’s struggles at Spa.
The immediate challenge remains completing the Belgian Grand Prix as professionally as possible and maximizing every available opportunity. Even without a competitive car, the team wants to ensure its operational performance is ready for when additional pace arrives.
Once Spa is over, however, attention will quickly shift toward Budapest. Aston Martin is counting on its Hungary upgrade to deliver a much-needed improvement and provide the AMR26 with the performance required to begin a stronger second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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