Verstappen and Antonelli called up by FIA ahead of Belgian GP with Hamilton absent

After a dramatic race weekend at Silverstone, where Charles Leclerc took his first win of the 2026 season at the British GP, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli's lead at the top of the Drivers' standings has been reduced to just 25 points following his unfortunate P15 finish. Meanwhile, speculation has only continued to swirl over the future of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, as rumours of a move to McLaren refuse to go away.

Famed for its Eau Rouge and Raidillon sequence, Spa-Francorchamps, even at the best of times, is regarded as the ultimate test for F1 drivers, but concerns surrounding the 2026 cars' energy management at the iconic circuit will surely only ramp up that challenge. The FIA have also confirmed five straight mode zones for the upcoming weekend.

As is tradition, the race weekend gets underway with Thursday's media day, with six drivers taking part in pre-race press conferences, before Friday sees representatives of the teams take the microphone after the first practice session.

The first drivers' press conference will get underway on Thursday at 14:30 CEST (13:30 UK), and will feature Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen, and Alex Albon before Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, and Liam Lawson take part in the second session at 15:00 CEST (14:00 UK). On Friday, the press conference will feature team representatives Allan McNish, Graeme Lowdon and Alan Permane from 15:30 CEST (14:30 UK).

Antonelli, F1's youngest ever championship leader at just 19-years-old, will not be accompanied by title rival Lewis Hamilton, who is 32 points behind the young Italian in P3 - and only seven behind Antonelli's Mercedes teammate George Russell - after his third-placed finish at Silverstone. Instead, the British drivers will carry out their media duties through TV interviews and written media sessions on Thursday's media day.

Once the action gets underway at Spa, two more press conferences will take place - one for the top three drivers after Saturday's Qualifying, and another for the eventual Grand Prix podium finishers on Sunday.

While 2023 and 2025 saw Sprint races at the Belgian GP - as did last weekend's action at Silverstone - Spa-Francorchamps will host a regular Grand Prix weekend this time around.

The weekend begins on Friday with one hour of Free Practice 1 at 13:30 CEST (12:30 UK), followed by Free Practice 2 at 17:00 CEST (16:00 UK). Saturday's action will be kicked off with the final practice session at 12:30 CEST (11:30 UK), before Qualifying starts at 16:00 CEST (15:00 UK). Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix is underway at 15:00 CEST (14:00 UK).