Verstappen's future, McLaren upgrades and Ferrari battle: Five key talking points at Spa

While no one at McLaren is expecting a repeat of last year’s one-two finish, there are hopes of a step in the right direction for the reigning world champions.

Lando Norris cut a forlorn figure at Silverstone last time out despite an impressive fourth-place finish, and he may have slightly more to smile about with upgrades in his maternal home.

The MCL40 will have a new rear wing in Belgium and the latest Mercedes internal combustion engine (ICE) specification. McLaren's Technical Director of Applied Engineering, Neil Houldey, said the team expect an improvement in ‘performance’ but not ‘competitiveness'.

Back in the country where he was born, Max Verstappen will likely be just as frustrated by questions about his future as he is about Red Bull’s performance.

The Dutchman had to deal with a headline-making story that he’d spoken to McLaren over a 2027 drive, one which was dismissed by both parties.

However, in the time off since, his agent Raymond Vermeulen, his father Jos, and former Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko were spotted together in Amsterdam.

The meeting has since been dismissed as coincidental as Verstappen’s sister was getting married, but it will undoubtedly fuel rumours about what the camp are plotting for ‘27, whether that be staying at Red Bull under different conditions or even taking a sabbatical.

Charles Leclerc became the fourth different race winner of the 2026 season last time out at Silverstone in a race where Ferrari again put up a fight against Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton had led the charge up until that point, and despite that order being maintained in the sprint race, Leclerc took advantage in qualifying and the race.

Attention will now be on whether Leclerc can edge ahead, and he explained to GPBlog and others what he needs for a similar result at Spa:

Verstappen has become accustomed checking his mirrors this season, but at Spa he might be using them to examine his rear wing.

At back-to-back races the Red Bull’s rear aerodynamics have been blamed for Verstappen's crashes with their ‘Macarena’ wing failing to properly close for corners.

In Austria, he crashed out at high speed during his final qualifying lap, and then things were far more costly in Silverstone with a similar incident taking him out of the race.

The FIA have told GPBlog that the device will be allowed again in Spa, despite Verstappen clearly being unhappy with it:

Aston Martin’s year from hell is expected to reach a new low at Spa ahead of updates next time out in Hungary.

Things weren’t great in Silverstone either, where Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished last of the runners, and Spa is a similar track in many senses. Speaking to the media after, Stroll said:

Alonso added: