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Max Verstappen is yet to decide on his future with Red Bull Racing. On Thursday, the Dutchman remained tight-lipped when asked about the next step in his career. "No. Nothing. There’s nothing to say from my side." On the other hand, McLaren's Oscar Piastri confirmed that he will remain with the papaya outfit in the 2027 season. The Australian commented to GPblog, among others: "Yes [I will stay]. I mean, I've obviously seen some of [the rumors] and heard some of it. For me, I'm very comfortable with where I am and where I sit, and, you know, Zak [Brown] and Andrea [Stella] and the whole team have been great through all that, very reassuring, and I've been the same to them."

In the drivers' championship, both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton gained ground on Kimi Antonelli at Silverstone after the young Italian retired from the points following a car issue at the British Grand Prix. Heading into this weekend, Russell trails Antonelli by 25 points, while Hamilton is 32 points behind.

In FP1, Verstappen set the quickest lap time. The two Ferrari drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, completed the top three in the session. Isack Hadjar set the fourth-fastest time, finishing around 0.25 seconds behind his experienced teammate. Oscar Piastri was the leading McLaren in fifth, while Kimi Antonelli was the fastest Mercedes driver in sixth. Lando Norris and George Russell completed the top eight in seventh and eighth respectively.

Not only Verstappen, but the current championship leader, Antonelli, has also been fitted with a new power unit for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The German team added the new engine to his pool and is investigating the one used during the British Grand Prix as a precaution, GPblog understands. For now, the Italian escapes a grid penalty, unlike Norris and Hadjar.