The 2025 Formula 1 season resumes with high anticipation this weekend at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, featuring a Sprint race format. The Oscar Piastri title battle resumes with Lando Norris closing the gap in the championship standings, while Red Bull embarks on a new chapter following a dramatic leadership change just weeks after the British Grand Prix.
This mid-season stage promises significant developments as teams bring updates and strategies evolve in response to both technical challenges and off-track dynamics. With mixed weather conditions forecast at Spa, the weekend is poised to test drivers’ adaptability and team decisions alike.
Red Bull Begins a New Era Without Christian Horner
Red Bull enters this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix without Christian Horner, ending over 20 years of his tenure as team principal. His unexpected departure has ushered in Laurent Mekies as the new leader, marking a significant shift within one of Formula 1’s dominant teams.
The decision to remove Horner came with little public explanation, leading to speculation about underlying factors, including potential influences on Max Verstappen’s future with the team. The media’s attention during Thursday’s press activities is expected to focus heavily on this high-profile leadership change, with Mekies set to address these questions on Friday afternoon.
On the track, Red Bull still struggles to match McLaren’s outright pace. Verstappen, trailing championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points, has been experimenting with low downforce car setups, exemplified during last race’s qualifying at Silverstone where he secured pole position. However, rain on race day negated the advantage, as Verstappen found controlling the car difficult in slippery conditions.
As the unpredictable Spa weather looms, teams will decide whether to pursue a high top speed setup again, seeking better race performance. Verstappen’s recent results and ongoing contract talks, including rumored discussions involving Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, add further intrigue to the unfolding title fight and Red Bull’s internal dynamics.
Intense Championship Battle Between Piastri and Norris Continues
Lando Norris arrives in Belgium with momentum after clinching consecutive race wins, narrowing the gap to his McLaren teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri to just eight points. The Belgian GP offers an opportunity for Norris to seize back the lead, with the Sprint weekend format awarding eight additional points for the Sprint race winner, alongside the usual 25 points available in Sunday’s main Grand Prix.
Since the Canadian Grand Prix, Norris and Piastri have split their development paths regarding car suspension. Norris has adopted a new suspension system that has reportedly improved his confidence and speed, while Piastri has opted to continue using the original setup. This divergence could prove to be a pivotal factor in the title race.
Discussing the impact of the new suspension, Norris commented,
“It could be that it’s helping me, and when I say helping, it’s helping me by hundredths, thousandths, I don’t know. It’s impossible to numerically put a number on it,”
emphasizing that while the changes are subtle, any edge matters at this level.
He went on to say,
“I’m not going to say it’s down to that, obviously. I want to put more of it down to my hard work, my work I’ve been doing away from the track, with my team, with many people that I have around me. I put it way more down to that than some alterations on the suspension.”
Norris’ candid remarks suggest the improvement stems from a combination of factors beyond just technical tweaks.
With over two weeks since the previous race at Silverstone, Piastri and his engineers have had time to analyze their data and will decide whether to adopt Norris’s suspension updates at Spa. Staying with the original setup could be a risky but decisive move influencing the championship outcome.
Ferrari Pushes Final Major Upgrades Ahead of Regulatory Shift
Ferrari is bringing fresh technical improvements to Spa, continuing their bid to reclaim competitive edge. After introducing a new floor at the Austrian Grand Prix, which yielded their best results in several races, the Scuderia seemed poised for a strong weekend in Silverstone but faltered in qualifying and on race day under testing wet conditions.
During the recent break, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took part in testing a new rear suspension at Mugello, Italy. Although they ran on non-race weekend tires due to regulations, the gathered data has confirmed the viability of deploying this update at Spa.
The anticipated benefits include a wider operating window, allowing drivers to avoid extreme car setups while enabling the car to run lower to the ground—both significant for improved balance and pace. This upgrade is likely Ferrari’s last major push in the 2025 season before shifting focus toward 2026’s technical regulation changes.
Meanwhile, Mercedes and Red Bull plan to introduce minor tweaks at the Belgian GP. McLaren remains undecided on whether to deploy their revised floor, which was trialed briefly during Silverstone practice but removed for the remainder of that event.
Pirelli’s Unique Tyre Selection Sets Stage for Tactical Challenges
Tyre strategy will be under the microscope this weekend as Pirelli delivers an unusual compound mix that breaks with recent conventions. Instead of supplying three sequential compounds, the Belgian GP will feature the hard C1, the medium C3, and the soft C4, a selection not seen in over three years.
This combination is expected to encourage two-stop race strategies and introduce greater complexity in tyre management. This is especially pertinent for the Sprint weekend format, which offers only one hour of free practice and restricts tyre availability to 12 sets total, rather than the 13 sets typically allowed on standard weekends.
Pirelli explained,
“According to the simulations, this trio should make a two-stop strategy even more competitive in Sunday’s race, while adding a greater degree of uncertainty to tyre management over the course of the weekend, especially as it is a Sprint event, with just one hour of free practice and a different dry tyre allocation.”
Teams are compelled to use new medium compounds in both Sprint Qualifying runs, amplifying the challenge of managing tyre wear with reduced data and limited practice opportunity. Additionally, wet weather predicted across all three days at Spa will compound the strategic complexity, making tyre decisions crucial in the battle for competitive advantage.
Key Schedule Highlights for the Belgian Grand Prix Weekend
The Belgian GP weekend features an intense timetable across multiple support series alongside Formula 1 sessions. Thursday begins with a drivers’ press conference at 1pm.
Friday’s activities include F3 practice at 7:55am and F2 practice at 9:05am, followed by the first Formula 1 practice session starting at 11:30am. Qualifying sessions for F3 and F2 occur before the F1 Sprint Qualifying session at 3:30pm.
Saturday hosts the F3 Sprint at 8:10am, the Belgian GP Sprint race at 11am, F2 Sprint at 12:40pm, and culminates with the main Formula 1 qualifying session commencing at 3pm.
Sunday features feature races for F3 and F2 in the morning, a Porsche Supercup race, and culminates with the Belgian Grand Prix at 2pm, followed by post-race analysis and commentary.
All sessions are broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options available for fans without traditional subscriptions.
Significance and What Lies Ahead
The Belgian Grand Prix marks a crucial turning point in the 2025 Formula 1 campaign. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are locked in a thrilling championship fight, with both drivers looking to capitalize on every available point through this Sprint weekend format.
The departure of Christian Horner and the arrival of Laurent Mekies have introduced fresh uncertainty within Red Bull, as Max Verstappen’s contract and competitive form remain central storylines. Ferrari’s late-season upgrades aim to sustain a revival before the 2026 regulation overhaul, while strategic tyre decisions at Spa could determine the trajectory of title contenders.
With unpredictable weather adding to the complex dynamics, this weekend is likely to be a defining chapter in the ongoing battles for driver and team supremacy during the second half of the season.
