Formula 1’s technical development battle has continued at Spa-Francorchamps, where Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren arrived with several notable solutions for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix. Mercedes entered the weekend as the favourite, but Ferrari’s victory at Silverstone and the SF-26’s recent progress suggested that the Maranello team could mount another serious challenge.
Red Bull and McLaren appeared to be facing more complicated weekends, at least on paper. While Red Bull has a power-unit advantage that could prove valuable around Spa’s long full-throttle sections, reliability concerns have forced it to abandon an important rear-wing solution. McLaren, meanwhile, has introduced a series of aerodynamic changes as it searches for the most effective compromise between straight-line speed and cornering performance.
2026 Belgian GP upgrades: Ferrari strengthens its Spa package
Ferrari’s starting point is the encouraging performance level shown by the SF-26. Despite its estimated power deficit to Mercedes, the car has looked competitive both through the corners and on the straights. The main difference appears to have been made by the management and availability of electrical energy rather than outright internal-combustion power.
Ferrari is thought to have reduced part of that deficit by using its updated power unit and first ADUO development allowance effectively. The improvement is believed to concern not only the number of horsepower delivered but, more importantly, the efficiency of energy recovery and deployment across the electrical side of the power unit.
This aspect is particularly significant at Spa-Francorchamps, where drivers require electrical assistance across several long acceleration zones. The FIA’s revised MGU-K energy limits for the Belgian Grand Prix have added another layer of complexity to the teams’ qualifying preparations.
Ferrari could also benefit from an updated version of its “reverse” rear wing. Designed to work in conjunction with the rest of the SF-26’s aerodynamic package, the solution is intended to reduce drag and improve the car’s efficiency on power-sensitive circuits such as Spa.
Ferrari retains its Silverstone Flick Tail configuration in FP1
Ferrari began FP1 at Spa with the same downforce configuration used at Silverstone, retaining the Flick Tail on the SF-26. The engineers planned to assess its behaviour and performance during the opening session before deciding whether any configuration changes would be necessary.
The decision highlighted the compromise facing Ferrari. Retaining the Flick Tail can support the car’s balance and aerodynamic performance through Spa’s demanding middle sector, while removing or modifying it could potentially help reduce drag and improve top speed along the circuit’s extended full-throttle sections.
Together, Ferrari’s power-unit evolution and aerodynamic configuration are intended to make the SF-26 more effective at circuits where engine performance and aerodynamic efficiency are equally important. The team’s Spa package was expected to face an additional test from the changeable Belgian Grand Prix weather, which could alter downforce requirements during the weekend.
Mercedes modifies its front wing amid Ferrari pressure
Ferrari’s recent rate of development appears to have caught Mercedes’ attention, with the Brackley team continuing to research and introduce new packages of its own. Photographs from the Spa paddock revealed work around the Mercedes front wing, particularly its endplate and diveplane.
Those components have been modified to improve airflow management, while Mercedes has also added winglets beneath the front wing in a solution resembling Ferrari’s approach. The changes are intended to control the flow structures generated around the front of the car and improve the aerodynamic performance delivered further downstream.
Mercedes’ main concern remains reliability, both in relation to its power unit and the car as a complete package. Nevertheless, the team entered the Belgian Grand Prix as the favourite for victory. Ferrari was also expected to be competitive, however, with the SF-26 potentially capable of joining the fight at the front. That possibility has fuelled further discussion over whether Ferrari is deliberately playing down its championship ambitions.
Red Bull abandons its reverse rear wing at Spa
On paper, Red Bull was expected to begin the weekend as the third force. Spa should still offer the team a relative advantage because of the quality of its power unit, which the source assesses as the most powerful on the grid in terms of its internal-combustion engine.
Despite that potential benefit, Red Bull will not use its reverse rear-wing solution at the Belgian Grand Prix because of reliability concerns. The change became visible through the revised actuator profile, which is smaller than the previous versions, as shown in a photograph taken by Mateusz Mróz.
The reliability problem had already emerged during the previous two race weekends, appearing in qualifying at Spielberg and again during the Silverstone Grand Prix. The issue was linked to the wing’s closing mechanism.
When the system was supposed to lock before the car approached a corner, the rear wing did not return completely to the “Z” position used in corner mode. Instead, a gap remained open, preventing the car from achieving the intended aerodynamic-load balance through the corner.
As a result, Red Bull has been forced to install a wing that opens and closes in a manner more similar to the conventional DRS used last season, or to the system the team ran before the Miami Grand Prix. The one positive is that this older mechanism should offer greater reliability.
McLaren splits rear-wing configurations between its drivers
McLaren does not appear prepared to risk being caught out at Spa either. Several technical changes were observed on Thursday, including revisions to the rear-wing endplate slots. One of the two wings also featured a thicker endplate, possibly selected to allow the team to house the structure’s actuator within it, following an approach similar to Ferrari’s.
The British team also appears to have modified the profiles of its rear wing, including the main plane and the flaps positioned above it. McLaren has differentiated the configuration between its two drivers, with Oscar Piastri receiving a wing that appears to carry less downforce than the version fitted to Lando Norris’s car.
The contrasting specifications should allow McLaren to compare different compromises between aerodynamic load and straight-line efficiency. Similar decisions are being made throughout the paddock, as detailed in the complete technical overview of the Belgian GP upgrades.
With Mercedes beginning the weekend as the benchmark and Ferrari encouraged by its recent progress, Spa-Francorchamps is set to provide another important measure of the leading teams’ development. Red Bull’s rear-wing reliability response and McLaren’s split configurations add further intrigue to a weekend in which energy management, drag reduction and aerodynamic stability could prove decisive.
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