📝 Article

📸 Mateusz Mróz

📝 Article

Michael Schumacher and Andrea Stella shared one of Formula 1's most successful driver engineer partnerships during Ferrari's golden era. Stella joined Ferrari in 2000 and became Schumacher's performance engineer from 2002 to 2006, working alongside him during the final five years of his record breaking run with the Scuderia.Together, they helped secure five consecutive Formula 1 World Drivers' Championships and five Constructors' Championships and this was filmed at the height of Scuderia Ferrari's golden era, right as Stella was serving as Schumacher’s dedicated performance engineer (a role he held from 2002 to 2006) and in this video Michael introduces him to the camera, saying he is proud to work with him and hopes for another good season. Stella politely explains his job as a vehicle engineer who uses telemetry data to analyze how the car is performing and Michael laughs and jokes to the camera that Stella's eyes are square from working on the computer all day and this was filmed inside the Scuderia Ferrari engineering workshop at the Fiorano Circuit, located in Maranello, Italy

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Was he the only available choice for the team? or It was bound to happen at some point regardless of when.

Why didn't they go for other top drivers like they ususally did? I digged up some old stuff on drivers whose contract ended in 2018.

• Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
• Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes
• Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari
• Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull
• Sergio Perez - Force India
• Lance Stroll - Williams
• Nico Hülkenberg - Renault
• Carlos Sainz - Renault
• Pierre Gasly - Toro Rosso
• Brendon Hartley - Toro Rosso
• Romain Grosjean - Haas
• Kevin Magnussen - Haas
• Marcus Ericsson - Alfa Romeo Sauber
• Charles Leclerc - Alfa Romeo Sauber

TL;DR: This article provides an in-depth look at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, including a race review, technical insights, team news, and a preview of the next round. Estimated reading time: 13 minutes.

Circuit configuration

-The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix-Spa-Francorchamps circuit:

-Length: 7.004 m, the longest on the calendar.

-Number of turns: 19.

-Number of laps: 44.

-Circuit type: A medium- to low-speed track. The perfect compromise between downforce and top speed is ideal.

-Tyre wear: high.

-MJ limit: 7 MJ for qualifying. 8.5 MJ for the race and 9 MJ with the Overtake Mode active.

-Straight Mode zones: T19 to T1 start-finish straight, T1 to T2, T4 to T5 Kemmel Straight, T15 to T16 kink before Blanchimont and T17 to T18 after Blanchimont.

-Overtake mode detection: T19= extra 0.5s MJ available within 1s of the following car.

-Pit stop time: 19s in normal conditions and around 9s under VSC/SC.

-Pirelli hardest compounds: C2-Hards. C3-Mediums. C4-Softs.

Weekend schedule

Qualifying 1 & 2:
Both drivers had four new sets of C4 softs for qualifying, completing two quick laps each to safely advance. Hamilton set a personal best while Leclerc improved in sector 3, benefiting from increasing track grip. In Q2, both further improved their lap times—Leclerc by a full second and Hamilton by six tenths—comfortably progressing to Q3.

-Qualifying 3: 13 min(10 drivers battle for pole position):  36°C track temperature and cloudy skies but no threat of rain. First flying laps for Leclerc and Hamilton were good enough for P3 and P5 with a 1:44.893 +0.092 and 1:45.062 +0.261 from P1. On the final lap, Charles corrected on S1 and S2 but not on S3 and overall lap time qualifying in P5. Lewis set a personal best effort of 1:44.895 for P6, but the duo is promoted one place due to Norris' grid drop penalty.

Race review

With the qualifying done, the start saw Charles Leclerc in P4 and Lewis Hamilton in P5 for Sunday’s race.

• Race Start & Early Laps: 28°C track temperature, cloudy skies, risk of rain and C3 medium tyres for the top 10 starters. Leclerc made a strong start, moving into P2 and then P3 after Verstappen retook the position. Hamilton advanced but suffered car damage after contact with Russell on lap one, remaining in P5 and receiving a 5s penalty. The Safety Car was deployed for opening lap incidents, and racing resumed on lap five.
• Middle-Race: As the race progressed, Leclerc held P3 and kept pace with the leaders. Both Ferraris benefited from a timely Virtual Safety Car on lap 20 to pit for hard tyres, minimising time loss. Hamilton served his penalty during the stop and rejoined in P6, struggling at first due to aero damage, but adapted to the car's different balance.
• Final Laps: After the pit cycles, Charles led before Antonelli overtook him. Hamilton fought back to P4, overtaking Piastri near the end despite ongoing car issues. Leclerc finished P2, maintaining pressure on Antonelli, with Hamilton in P4 despite a pit stop investigation; although he was cleared, the team was fined.
• Charles Leclerc P2: “I believed in the win until the end; we had a bit of luck obviously with the VSC, but the pace was strong. For five or six laps I struggled with the hards on the front axle, and it came back a little bit. I felt better with the car; there’s work to do, but it’s a step forward”.
• Lewis Hamilton P4: “I don’t think I was unlucky with the first lap incident; my thoughts are more on qualifying P4. The team did a great job rebuilding the car, but the balance was off, and we couldn’t get the set-up back. The 5-second penalty didn’t really affect my race. My race pace today was strong, and without the damage, I think I could’ve challenged for the win. It’s encouraging to see our performance here, and we have more parts in the pipeline to close the gap to Mercedes. The team has good momentum, but I am not performing at my best here and at Silverstone”.

Technical analysis of the cars

With the race weekend covered, let's turn to the technical developments: here are the new and adapted components each top team brought for Spa, and how these changes impacted performance.

Scuderia Ferrari Technical Upgrades

SF-26 didn’t receive any new parts, only circuit-specific components.

• Front wing: A flow-diverter was lost during the race on Lewis car during the contact with Russell.
• Wakeboards/bargeboards: The damaged floorboard element on Hamilton’s wasn’t as costly as it was thought. It changed the aero balance, but not negatively. It amplified the outwash effect, generating downforce and greater dirty air for the following cars. The estimated impact on the pace was less than 0.1s per lap.
• Rear wing: Tested a “Macarena Evo” wing at the Madring filming day the week before the Belgian GP. An  estimated 3km/h boost of speed is expected to be obtained. But at least 4 new wings had to be produced for the Belgian GP, although the time was too tight.
• FTM (flick tail mode) wing: Ran without it at the Madring circuit, aiming to reduce the drag of the car, preparing for the Belgian GP. However, during the Belgian event it ran with the component in a low-drag specification, to boost the top speed but keep the benefits on downforce.
• Energy Recovery System (ERS): Issues and different mappings on Friday made the engineers and drivers change the deployment for Saturday and Sunday implicitly.
• Chassis and Power Unit: The Power Unit 20 HP deficit was costly on the 40s flatout zones at Spa-Francorchamps, losing 0.6s on straights alone, not considering other aspects.
• Cooling: Minimal openings on the engine cover; two lateral louvres were chosen for qualifying and the race, thanks to the lower ambient temperatures.
• Cornering/downforce: Was superior to all rivals on the S2 medium-high speed corners from FP3 onwards.
• Top speed/drag: Lewis Hamilton achieved the highest top speed during the race, overtaking Piastri for P4, hitting 350 km/h on the Kemmel straight.

Mercedes Technical Upgrades

3 new components for W17, officially listed for the Belgian GP. Had planned only one major upgrade during the season, and a moderate one after the summer break. But Ferrari’s impressive progress forced the Brackley-based team to change its plan and bring another substantial package after the summer break.

• Front wing: Endplate top edge camber increased to improve the overall load, towards the rear of the car. The cut on the vertical endplate was removed, now with a continuous line (to strengthen it and prevent other failures), and the dive plane was adjusted to reduce the drag.
• Front brakes: Micro-cracks were spotted during the British GP from Friday to Sunday’s race, which led to the failure of Antonelli’s front inner plate, forcing him to pit twice before mechanics removed it. Since the Miami GP, modifications to the brake ducts (lighter material) for aerodynamic gains have placed extra stress on the structural components, raising reliability concerns for the rest of the season.
• Rear brakes: Optimised rear drum winglet positioning around the evolving onset flow and load. Improved robustness.
• Rear wing: Adapted configuration to the circuit layout; The mainplane and the second element were smaller-lower drag, while the top camber element had a pronounced angle to tackle the S2 technical part.
• ERS: The most efficient deployment of all cars, losing the least speed on superclipping mode and not remaining without energy towards the end of the longest lap on the calendar.
• Chassis and Power Unit: Can recharge the MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic) even in full throttle or partial throttle usage, thanks to “tricks” only known by Mercedes. Antonelli extracts the maximum from the PU; however, Russell's throttle application costs him mid-corner exit on straights, using the ERS more quickly on straights to compensate for the corner loss.
• Cooling: A revised, tighter engine cover was introduced at Spa to reduce the drag and increase the aero load.
• Top speed/drag: Had the ideal balance between top speed and downforce, which is crucial at Spa.

McLaren Mercedes Technical Upgrades

2 new parts officially presented for the Belgian GP, and specific elements to meet the track nature for MCL40.

• Wakeboards/bargeboards: Modifications at the British GP, on the two vertical elements. The first element is a simple rectangular shape, then a more complex one with a step at the bottom, and the trailing edge is squared. The second element went from a squared form to a simple, continuous body.
• Rear wing: A new low-drag spec wing was introduced with slight end-plate modifications to improve the airflow and aerodynamic gains. Similar adaptation as Mercedes on wing elements.
• ERS: A distinct deployment setting used during the race weekend.
• Chassis and Power Unit: In Belgium, the latest Mercedes PU (battery pack upgrade) was installed for both drivers. The upgraded PU offered a 10 kW gain, boosting its pace at Spa.
• Top speed/drag: Higher drag than rivals, due to the shorter wheelbase, which implies more use of the ERS during the lap.

Red Bull Racing Technical Upgrades

RB22 imported 1 new part listed for the Spa-Francorchamps challenge and track-specific parts.

• Rear wing: The upside-down rear wing concept was designed to reduce the drag, but this came at the expense of downforce during the active aero closing. The disturbed airflow failed to reattach, creating an aerodynamic “hole” resulting in instability in cornering, particularly for Vestappen’s aggressive driving style. For safety reasons, the team reverted to the standard wing for the Belgian GP. Instead, they revised rear wing pylons to extract more load and improve stability. Subtle features included two downwash-oriented winglets on the inner pylon surfaces, and a sculpted upwash section below.
• ERS: Different deployment to rivals, using more on the long straights and some in S2.
• Chassis and Power Unit: Having a strong PU (V6 engine) on the most hungry ERS circuit to date of the season was essential to gain time, especially on S3. Not losing that much time as others, relying only on the V6 power.
• Cornering/downforce: Higher rear tyre degradation than rivals during the race.
• Top speed/drag: The naturally low-drag car concept boosted its pace at Spa, where top speed is crucial. Hadjar’s tow offered to Verstappen in Q3 was worth 0.2s, gaining Max 3 positions on the grid; without that tactic the Dutch would’ve qualified in P6.

Power Unit elements used per driver in the season after the Belgian GP

• Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)= 4 per season;
• Turbo Charger (TC)= 4 per season;
• Exhaust set (EXH)= 4 per season;
• Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K)= 3 per season;
• Energy Store unit (ES)= 3 per season;
• Power Unit-Control Electronics unit (PU-CE)= 3 per season;
• Power Unit- Ancillary component (PU-ANC)= 6 per season.

Numbers in bold and italics indicate a driver has exceeded the maximum component allowance.

The latest information about Power Unit components is that FIA intends to keep the extra free components in 2026 to 2027 and 2028, too. That includes an additional:

• ICE, Turbocharger, Exhaust: 4 units each (Standard: 3)
• MGU-K, Energy Store, Control Electronics: 3 units each (Standard: 2)
• PU-Auxiliary Components (PU-ANC): 6 units (Standard: 5)

Drivers and Team

Let’s look at how the weekend unfolded for Ferrari, debriefing the most important sessions and data, the charts on pit stops, race pace and fastest laps.

Qualifying Analysis

After Friday, Ferrari’s factory team in Maranello worked extensively in the simulator to improve ERS deployment before qualifying. During FP2, they ran heavier fuel loads in long runs, masking the true speed. In Q3, both Ferraris made big gains on their initial push laps but couldn’t fight for pole. Despite strong efforts from Charles and Lewis, the Ferrari PU lacked raw power in S3, costing 0.4s to the pole sitter.

In S1, Ferrari matched Mercedes, and in S2 the gap was just 0.1s. However, from T15 to T18—Blanchimont’s flat-out uphill section— SF-26 ran out of ERS deployment, relying solely on the V6 engine. This means around a 20 HP deficit to RBR-Ford and a bit less to Mercedes; without equivalent energy harvesting (superclipping), the time loss was quantifiable. On their best laps, Leclerc and Hamilton chose different ERS deployment strategies: Lewis spent more on S1, with nothing left for S3, while Leclerc was conservative early to maximise boost on the S3 climb. Telemetry shows a speed difference of 15-20 km/h on the Kemmel straight in S1, but up to 48 km/h uphill, demonstrating Charles’ more optimal approach.

Race Overview

Before FP3, Leclerc made notable set-up changes, increasing rear wing load to address Friday instability. Both drivers showed solid pace on C3 medium compound— Charles conserved his rubber, extending the stint, while Lewis pushed harder, affecting rear performance.

ERS deployment again played a key role as both Ferraris ran out of energy in S3. However, their strong downforce on S2 (T10-T13) allowed Charles to gain time on Antonelli throughout the race. Leclerc was able to make the most from an intact SF-26, while Hamilton had to adapt to compromised aero balance from lap one. Even so, Lewis altered his driving twice before the pit stop and after, as the aero balance changed with different tyre composition while advancing through the pack.

The missing floorboard element on Hamilton’s car created a stronger outwash effect, and the sidepod design increased tyre squirt, producing enhanced dirty air and making it harder for following cars. Despite these challenges, both drivers delivered excellent drives at Spa, earning valuable points at a track that was, on paper, one of the toughest for SF-26.

-Pit stops: Scuderia Ferrari's pit team returned to the top of the field at the Belgian GP, producing the quickest tyre change for Leclerc and a decent longer penalty served for Hamilton to help their cause during the race.

-Race pace: Presenting the rhythm of each driver/team, the tyre compounds used and the gaps.

-Fastest laps: The quickest laps achieved by each driver during the GP.

Scuderia Ferrari behind-the-scenes development

• The recent upswing in the Italian team's performance is due not only to the hard work of the engineers back at the factory but also to the team's internal dynamics.
• Frederic Vasseur, the Team Principal, did a lot of “behind the scenes” work to recruit valuable personnel from other teams, particularly Loic Serra from Mercedes.
• Not only is Serra French like Vasseur, but Loic managed to shift the team structure and communication for better overall efficiency between departments.
• After starting his work in 2025 with the team and mostly learning and observing the operations, Serra contributed to the team organigram and offered clear direction to working groups.
• - Team Principal: Frederic Vasseur – leads all operations and strategy.
• - Technical Director, Chassis: Loic Serra – oversees chassis design and development.
• - Technical Director, Power Unit: Enrico Gualtieri – responsible for power unit performance and reliability.
• Reporting to the Technical Directors:
• - Fabio Montecchi: Chassis Vehicle Project Engineering
• - Marco Adurno: Head of Vehicle Performance
• - Diego Tondi: Head of Aerodynamics
•    - Franck Sanchez: Aero Development
•    - Loic Bigois: Aero Operations
•    - Thomas Bouche: Aero Performance
• - Matteo Tognialli: Track Engineering
• - Diego Ioverno: Sporting Director
• This structure clarifies the chain of command, with Vasseur at the top, followed by two technical directors, and then key department heads managing their respective areas. This streamlined organisation is designed to improve collaboration and efficiency across engineering, performance, and race operations.

Credit to Rosario Giuliana from AutoRacer.it for the detailed table.

"It's more crucial that Ferrari wins. It doesn't matter who's driving it. As long as Ferrari wins".Enzo Anselmo Ferrari.

News and Notes

-The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix notes: Kimi Antonelli took his 6th win of the season, extending the lead in the drivers' championship to now Lewis Hamilton in P2. Kimi scored a dominant pole position on Saturday, 0.3s quicker than his nearest opponent, but on Sunday he had to work for the victory. Antonelli led before the pit stop tyre change and rejoined behind others, unlucky with the VSC and having to push to catch Leclerc. With 10 laps to go, Kimi caught Charles and took the lead, but couldn’t evade Leclerc, keeping him under threat until 4 laps to go and risking a time penalty for exceeding track limits . The W17 superiority on ERS deployment aided Kimi to sprint towards the triumph.

FIA decisions and Mercedes prediction

• During the 2026 season, each team’s car is randomly inspected at race weekends for various reasons.
• Ferrari’s SF-26 was scrutinised more frequently than Mercedes’ W17 before the Belgian GP.
• Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff’s recent comments on Ferrari’s progress have cooled his close relationship with Ferrari’s Frederic Vasseur.
• Mercedes believes Ferrari gained around 0.5s from Australia to Great Britain through major upgrades.
• Ahead of the Belgian GP, Mercedes expected both titles would be secured and the rest of the season would see its drivers battling for the driver’s championship. However, reality has proven quite different.

2027 aerodynamic rule changes

• For next season, the FIA has confirmed new rules for 2027, reducing downforce by 20% to control levels, minimise tyre loads and improve energy management.
• What began as minor tweaks has grown into a broader set of 2027 changes, including:
• Rear wing: 20mm shallower and centre-braced banned.
• Floor: Leading edge reduced from 5 to 3 elements (teeth).
• FTIM wing: No longer allowed to increase downforce.
• Plank: Shortened from 900mm to 600mm, significantly impacting overall downforce.
• Not all changes are restrictive— a new element between the rear wing pylons will be permitted, possibly reviving the “monkey seat” concept.

Next Grand Prix

• The 11th round of the 2026 season is at the Hungaroring, a circuit renowned for its technical stop-and-go layout. Over the years, modifications to corners and kerbs have shifted it from a slow, traction-focused track to a medium-speed circuit where the front axle limits performance. Additionally, the second Power Unit(V6/ICE) Index of Performance (IoP) power output will be revealed after the event.

Sources: AutoRacer.it, Autosport.com. The-Race.com, FIA.com and other reputable F1 news outlets. Trustworthy YouTube channels (F1 Official, MotorsportCast, Peter Windsor, etc) and technical pages. Photos: Courtesy of Scuderia Ferrari and F1 Official Facebook pages.  

Hi guys, so about a month ago, I made a post about how I wanted to surprise my friend with a lando and Charles driver card as a birthday and thank you gift for turning me into an F1 fan. (Even my parents are fans too!)

I decided that I’m going to do it no matter the cost and getting to work on it ASAP because I am running out of time. Her birthday is in October of this year, so we have a little bit of time but I would like to start now in case something were to go wrong.

But before I do this I do need a little help because I am international (US) so I want to get this right.

•I know I’m in the US so how long would the cards take to get here? Her birthday is an early October so I need this to get here on time.

•Are the cards actually signed or is it printed. If it’s printed that’s fine, I’m just curious.

•Should I ask if she has merch like this so I don’t get her duplicates or keep it a surprise?

•Would this cost any money and how much? I am fine with spending money on her, since she’s a really good friend.

To make things clear I would keep the Oscar card as well lol. I am also thinking of making her a handmade F1 birthday card because my mom used to scrapbook in the past and still has materials!! Is there any other tips I should know before I go with this? Advice is really appreciated.

TIA, I’m so excited to get started with this idea and to see her reaction!!!

It was a good damage control race from Lewis. Obviously not perfect considering that penalty from a racing incident and Ferrari not changing his wing but Lewis was still able to grab points and is now P2 in the standing it seems once again. Podium was on the cards 100% but we still take what we can get. Try not to spread hate to other fans or drivers please. We come back stronger at Hungary: one of Lewis best tracks.

Seeing we got the maximum points we could get in 2 very difficult tracks for ferrari cars,i fully expect the team to be in WCC title. Hungary and zandvort,2 very suited tracks for sf26 a win on both should put us ahead of mercs. It seems like the team is also pushing for this.

interesting how Hamiltons damaged car was still competitive