Overview
- Friday practice at Spa saw Max Verstappen top the opening session while Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli led a disrupted FP2 that was stopped by Pierre Gasly's heavy crash.
- The FIA has introduced five Straight Mode zones to let cars open wing settings on specific straights, which cuts drag and gives short bursts of extra power to reduce battery drain over Spa's long lap.
- Red Bull has parked its experimental rotating 'macarena' rear wing and reverted to a conventional opening flap after two high‑speed failures that contributed to Verstappen's crashes, team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed.
- Reports say Red Bull used a post‑British GP filming day to test start‑map software fixes for poor race starts, a change that could materially affect first‑lap positions on Spa's long run to La Source.
- Verstappen's future at Red Bull remains publicly unresolved because of a performance break clause if he sits outside the top two at the summer break, making qualifying, the race and weekend reliability outcomes more consequential for driver movement and team plans.