Ferrari’s deficit of almost eight tenths to Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Belgian Grand Prix FP2 cannot be attributed solely to a lack of engine power. Mercedes and the World Championship leader gradually found the right setup compromise at Spa-Francorchamps, while Ferrari struggled for performance even through the middle sector that was expected to suit the SF-26.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes therefore justified their status as pre-weekend favourites in Belgium. However, the strength of the Brixworth power unit alone was not enough to place the W17 at the front. Mercedes needed time and several setup changes to solve Spa’s traditional aerodynamic compromise, which has become even more complicated under the 2026 regulations because of the additional importance of energy management.
Kimi Antonelli unlocks Mercedes performance at Spa
Finding the correct balance between aerodynamic load through Spa’s technical middle sector and straight-line speed has always been one of the circuit’s defining challenges. With the 2026 Formula 1 cars, that calculation is now closely connected to energy deployment and recovery.
The more stable a car is, the more effectively it can deploy and regenerate electrical energy. However, teams must also weigh the benefits of additional downforce against the increased energy consumption and drag that come with it. This interaction made the energy-management challenge at Spa particularly important throughout Friday practice.
Mercedes arrived in Belgium with a low-downforce package featuring updates to both wings and the wheel-bodywork flaps. During FP1, the revised W17 appeared to be running with too little aerodynamic load. It was extremely quick through the first and third sectors but lost substantial time in the more technical middle section.
Several setup corrections were required, but by FP2 Andrea Kimi Antonelli had decisively moved to the top of the classification. His advantage over Mercedes team-mate George Russell also demonstrated that the competitive picture at Spa was not determined by engine performance alone.
George Russell struggles to bring the tyres into their window
George Russell finished 1.2 seconds behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and complained about sliding because his tyres were not up to temperature. Mild conditions, low-downforce configurations and Spa’s long straights all make it more difficult to generate and retain tyre temperature.
Those factors intensified what has become a recurring weakness for George Russell, who has been attempting to modify his driving style without yet finding a complete solution. The problem can create a vicious cycle. Greater steering and pedal inputs can disturb the car’s energy-management calculations, causing it to approach each subsequent corner at a different speed and making the car’s behaviour harder for the driver to anticipate.
George Russell improved by only seven tenths between FP1 and FP2, nine tenths less than Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s gain. The championship leader’s progress therefore cannot be explained simply by Mercedes selecting a more aggressive power-unit mapping for the afternoon session.
Ferrari’s Spa deficit is not only an engine problem
Ferrari, which arrived in Belgium after winning at Silverstone, did not begin the Spa weekend in the strongest possible fashion. The Maranello team had distinguished itself through effective energy management in Britain, but there is less strategic freedom at Spa despite the circuit placing even greater demands on the hybrid system.
Teams have little alternative but to use electrical energy heavily in the first and third sectors before recovering it through the more technical middle part of the lap. That central sector was expected to be the SF-26’s strongest area, yet Ferrari failed to excel there as anticipated. This suggests there may still be work to complete on the car’s setup, balance and overall stability.
The findings were consistent with the hybrid limitations Ferrari displayed during Belgian GP FP2. Although the power unit remains an important part of the deficit, the SF-26’s lack of performance through the middle sector indicates that horsepower was not the only issue.
It is clear that Ferrari is losing something through its combustion engine, although it was not known whether the team used its updated power unit or the previous specification during Friday practice. That uncertainty may also have influenced Ferrari’s aerodynamic choices, potentially encouraging the engineers to remove downforce to compensate for weaker straight-line speed.
Ferrari avoids extreme setup changes despite limited progress
Ferrari did not panic or resort to extreme solutions during Friday’s sessions. For example, the team retained the FTM winglet positioned behind the exhaust rather than removing it in pursuit of a more aggressive low-drag configuration.
The decision formed part of the broader technical package Ferrari evaluated at Spa. Nevertheless, the two SF-26 cars recorded the smallest improvements of any team between the first and second practice sessions.
Lewis Hamilton gained only five tenths from FP1 to FP2, while Charles Leclerc improved by just two tenths. Charles Leclerc also had a lap deleted, further complicating the assessment of his outright performance.
Ferrari therefore faces a long night of analysis as its engineers search for a better setup compromise. Improved balance and greater stability would not only help the drivers through Spa’s corners but should also allow the SF-26 to manage electrical energy more consistently. Lewis Hamilton has already identified the middle sector as a crucial area for Ferrari, while Charles Leclerc believes there is still room to improve the team’s competitiveness.
McLaren makes progress but Lando Norris faces grid penalty
The final Friday classification placed Lando Norris’s McLaren as Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s closest challenger. McLaren also arrived at Spa with a low-downforce rear wing, although it did not fit its own version of the so-called Macarena design, whose debut has been awaited since the Austrian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris produced the largest improvement between the two practice sessions, gaining 1.8 seconds as McLaren progressively refined its setup. However, his ten-place grid penalty will make it extremely difficult for him to fight for a podium on Sunday, regardless of where he qualifies.
Oscar Piastri finished eight tenths behind his team-mate and did not appear to have the pace required to take over Lando Norris’s role at the front. In the Australian driver’s defence, another technical problem disrupted his programme. A hydraulic issue limited Oscar Piastri’s running during FP2 and prevented him from enjoying a straightforward session.
Max Verstappen emerges as Kimi Antonelli’s main race threat
With Lando Norris facing a grid penalty and Oscar Piastri short of track time, Max Verstappen may represent the most dangerous challenger to Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Red Bull was quick from the beginning of FP1, and the RB22 consistently demonstrated strong straight-line speed, helped by its competitive power unit.
Red Bull also appeared able to cope without the Macarena rear wing. Max Verstappen and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were the only leading drivers able to complete a meaningful race simulation before Pierre Gasly’s crash brought out the red flag.
The lap times supplied in the original analysis were:
- Lap 1: Max Verstappen 1m51.4s; Andrea Kimi Antonelli 1m51.5s
- Lap 2: Max Verstappen 1m52.2s; Andrea Kimi Antonelli 1m51.7s
- Lap 3: Max Verstappen 1m51.4s; Andrea Kimi Antonelli 1m51.4s
- Lap 4: Max Verstappen 1m51.5s; Andrea Kimi Antonelli 1m51.5s
- Lap 5: Max Verstappen 1m51.7s; Andrea Kimi Antonelli 1m52.4s
- Lap 6: Max Verstappen 1m52.5s; no corresponding Andrea Kimi Antonelli time was supplied
Max Verstappen maintained a pace comparable to Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, at least during the opening laps of the long run. That consistency, combined with Red Bull’s straight-line performance, suggests the Dutch driver could pose the most credible threat to the championship leader.
Even so, the overall impression from Friday is that something special may be required to defeat Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Spa. The Mercedes driver appears determined to convert his speed into championship points again after recent weekends in which outright performance did not always produce the result he wanted.
Ferrari, meanwhile, must close a deficit that extends beyond its power unit. Finding a more stable aerodynamic balance would improve cornering performance, tyre behaviour and energy management simultaneously, giving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a better opportunity to challenge during qualifying and the race.
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