(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, the question arises once again how the 2026 Formula 1 season will perform on a classic of Grand Prix history. Due to battery management, clipping, and lack of energy on the Ardennes rollercoaster, some drivers are extremely skeptical before the race.
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“It will no longer be the same Spa,” is the assessment of reigning world champion Lando Norris. “We will see that in Pouhon and a few other corners, but it certainly won’t be as big a challenge as before.”
Due to the need to use the battery on long straights to achieve the best possible lap time, this season’s Formula 1 cars lack the opportunity to show maximum performance in classic corner combinations. Already in Silverstone, Fernando Alonso had described iconic sections like Maggots-Becketts-Chapel as “charging stations” for the hybrid vehicles.
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However, compared to the British Grand Prix, there is an important difference. Spa-Francorchamps is characterized above all by a variety of corner combinations, while Silverstone’s layout includes many long straights alongside iconic sections. The so-called Jojo racing is therefore unlikely to become too much of a factor despite the lack of energy.
Oscar Piastri therefore describes the racing at the British Grand Prix as “arbitrary.” According to the McLaren driver, a lot of concentration was needed between using the boost button and the various straights at the “Home of British Motor Racing” to avoid collisions with other drivers.
At Spa-Francorchamps, this factor is much simpler. “You use it from turn 1 to the end of the Kemmel straight as well as the entire [battery pack], unless you want everyone to overtake you,” explains Piastri.
Sector 3 is likely to be a bit more complex for the drivers. Despite a variety of corners, there is no large braking zone to really recharge the battery. Accordingly, drivers will likely try to save as much energy as possible, especially in corners like Pouhon.
Thus, another daring corner from past years will lose its often appreciated character. More important under the current regulations is the approach to the Bus Stop chicane.
“If you had asked me as a driver last year where you would prefer to drive, it would have been here,” says Oliver Bearman’s perspective before the weekend. “This year, compared to Silverstone and Spa, I would probably say Hungary or Austria, as crazy as that sounds,” explains the Haas driver. “But that’s just how it is.”
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The Hungaroring or the Red Bull Ring give drivers the chance to complete their lap with comparatively more energy due to their many braking zones. However, Bearman in his second Formula 1 season is anything but cynical.
“The way you approach corners changes,” he explains. “In some corners, you have twice as much energy as in others. In some corners, you really have to focus on getting a good exit. In other corners, that’s not quite as important because you only have a short exit with 500 instead of 1,000 horsepower.”
“It’s interesting and certainly teaches us a lot. As much as we complain: it makes us better drivers.”
In contrast stands Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton. According to his own statement, he does not look forward to tracks like the Hungaroring or the Red Bull Ring but still prefers the conventional classics of the calendar. “These are the tracks I look forward to, even if we are slower,” is his opinion.
“Monaco is an impressive place, a beautiful country, and an outstanding track for a qualifying lap, no matter what car you drive. But it is the race that is the least fun because you can’t overtake.”
“For me personally, the appeal is not in qualifying but in racing. Wheel-to-wheel duels with [the competition], outpacing and outsmarting other drivers. Applying pressure, defending your position, all those things. That’s racing, that’s what I look for. If you go to races and can’t do that, then it’s not really satisfying.”
Spa-Francorchamps will not be on the calendar in 2028 and 2030. Instead, the Belgian Grand Prix will only be held every two years from 2027. “If you ask every driver, [Spa] is in our top 3 or top 5 tracks on the race calendar,” says Norris.
“So it’s really a shame that [the race] will only take place every few years. I love it here. I think all drivers love it here. But we also like to drive cars that are not dependent on a battery. We have little influence on that, so it is what it is.”
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