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Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s lead has been cut in recent races, but will the season be shortened too? Here at the talking points for the Belgian Grand Prix.
F1 facing calendar headaches?
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As Formula 1 nears the mid-season break in a season which has already been shortened, will lose more races later in the year? The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix have already been called off as a result of the military action in the Middle East, and the recent resumption of hostilities in the area does not bode well for the planned final races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
There are reports other series facing similar problems will relocate their races and Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has said there is a back-up plan for the world championship. But how much longer can F1 afford to leave it?
Antonelli’s shrinking lead
The healthy, 66-point margin Andrea Kimi Antonelli enjoyed at the head of the championship just three rounds ago has shrunk alarmingly since then, and largely through no fault of his own. Car trouble in Spain and Silverstone allowed his team mate to close in, though George Russell has had some misfortunes of his own.
Russell was not on course to cut into Antonelli’s lead at Silverstone until the situation changed in the latter stages. He admitted after his fortuitous second place at home that he’s still not on top of Mercedes’ car – will that change at the track where he won ‘on the road’ before being disqualified two years ago?
Verstappen’s rising ire
Max Verstappen has always thrived at the super-fast Spa-Francorchamps, his ‘other’ home circuit. But the high speed track is likely to exacerbate everything he dislikes about the current generation of cars.
He made his unhappiness with his Red Bull clear at Silverstone after he spun out late in the race. This could well be another testing weekend.
When will Hulkenberg’s luck change?
Gabriel Bortoleto returned to the points places at Silverstone, adding to Audi’s tally for the first time since the season-opener. But his team mate Nico Hulkenberg suffered yet more car trouble in an increasingly frustrating season.
The driver who’s regularly been on the fringes of the points looks out of place at the bottom of the standings on zero with the Cadillac drivers and Lance Stroll. Surely his luck has to change soon?
Silverstone’s flat finish fall-out
The disappointing conclusion to the British Grand Prix, with the field trundling around behind the Safety Car, left many frustrated, not least because Formula One Management’s television graphics seemingly incorrectly told the world the race was going to be restarted.
How should F1 tackle similar scenarios in the future? The length of time taken to move lapped cars past the Safety Car caused the delay again. Sending the lapped cars to the back of the field would create an obvious and gross unfairness – drivers who had pitted to change tyres and fallen off the lead lap as a result would be hugely disadvantaged – yet this hasn’t stopped some pundits insisting it is the only possible solution.
The simpler alternative – that F1 could just leave the lapped cars where they are and avoid the headache – is one they seem curiously reluctant to countenance. But whether they are trying to put the show or the sport first, neither was well-served at Silverstone.
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2026 Belgian Grand Prix
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