After a mini-break between races, the final part of the season before the summer shutdown features a double-header, starting with one of the sport’s most iconic venues. While the drivers will be looking forward to getting out on track at Spa-Francorchamps, there have been a few developments since the paddock was last together…
All change at Red Bull
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix will be the first F1 race weekend that Red Bull have taken part in without Christian Horner as their Team Principal.
Horner was relieved of his operational responsibilities as both Team Principal and CEO just three days after the British Grand Prix, with the 52-year-old telling the team it came as a surprise. Under Horner, Red Bull won eight drivers’ championships and six constructors’ titles, but it looks increasingly unlikely that they will add to either of those tallies this year.
Moving forward, it is former Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies who has been tasked with arresting a slide that saw Red Bull go from one of the most dominant campaigns ever in 2023 to now sitting fourth in the standings.
While the news came as a surprise to Horner, it also caught out many within the paddock who were not expecting such a significant change at the top of Red Bull at this point of the year, and Spa-Francorchamps will be the first opportunity to hear from both Mekies and Max Verstappen – as well as many of Horner’s former peers in charge of other teams – on the impact of the move.
Further focus on Verstappen and Russell
The last race at Silverstone did little to dampen speculation surrounding Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull, and the change in Team Principal will only add to the intrigue.
When Red Bull were enjoying their most dominant year in 2023, Verstappen spoke of the importance of keeping the team together and key personnel in place to continue that run. Since then, a number of big names have departed, with Horner becoming the latest just two weeks ago.
There were questions to both Horner and Verstappen about links between the four-time world champion and Mercedes, with Horner stating that Red Bull would one day have to plan for life without their star driver. Based on current contracts, that’s not meant to be until 2028, but it hasn’t stopped discussions from taking place to understand future options.
If anyone had been expecting the gap between races to just quieten the talk around Verstappen and Mercedes, then they were betting against the internet, where fans were tracking jets and yachts associated with both Verstappen and Toto Wolff. According to their movements, there’s a high chance the pair were in the same town in Sardinia at the same time…
Whether that’s just coincidental – Sardinia being a beautiful place to go for a short break – or led to any meeting remains to be seen, but both sides are sure to be asked about it in Belgium.
Sauber’s form
It might be nearly three weeks since we last went racing, but what a story it was at the end of the British Grand Prix when Nico Hulkenberg finally secured the first podium of his Formula 1 career.
The German was able to enjoy some pretty spectacular celebrations in the Sauber garage after the race, and then similarly was welcomed home to a party by friends and family, before a further marking of the moment at the Sauber headquarters in Switzerland.
On the latter point, it’s worth remembering that was Sauber’s first podium for 13 years, and also continued some clear progress for the team after impressive car developments. They brought an upgrade to the Spanish Grand Prix and since that point have scored 35 points, making them the fourth-highest scoring team in the past four races.
Can they keep that run going at Spa-Francorchamps, or will the gap in events allow rivals to bring more performance to their own cars and fight back?
Ferrari picking up momentum
Ferrari have yet to win in 2025 but they have certainly been trending in the right direction in recent races, with the team finishing with at least one car in the top five in every race since Imola, where they brought an upgrade to their car.
That upgrade, however, was not the main item that Ferrari have been working on. There have been incremental gains, but there has also been a focus on the rear suspension that they have been hoping will address some of the handling and set-up issues that both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have been having to fight with this year.
A filming day at Mugello last week was the second of Ferrari’s two permitted promotional events this year, and offered a valuable opportunity to try and make further progress. If they have developed new parts that unlock more potential from the SF-25, then Ferrari could well be a threat for victories in the second half of the season.
And even if there isn’t a clear step forward, or more work needs to be done, the signs have still been positive of late, with three podiums in the last five races and Ferrari starting to take hold of second place in the Constructors’ Championship, despite having to play catch-up following the double-DNF in China.
A driver favourite circuit
There’s something special about watching Formula 1 cars attacking Spa-Francorchamps, a circuit that retains such a sense of history.
Beautifully winding its way through the Ardennes, the track is a major challenge due to the need to balance both top speed with the high downforce needs of the middle sector. Not to mention the iconic corners such as Eau Rouge and Raidillon, Pouhon and Blanchimont.
It’s a track that can provide plenty of drama due to the ability to overtake and the propensity for rain to impact the weekend, with the circuit perhaps the best example of a venue where it can be raining in one sector and completely dry in another.
To add to the action this weekend, Spa-Francorchamps will also be host to a Sprint for only the second time, and the first occasion delivered a Sprint that took place in wet conditions, before a Grand Prix that was dry. A lap of Spa is special enough on its own, but even more racing action has got to be a good thing.
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