Red Bull's first ever F1 weekend without Horner - What to watch for at Belgian GP

With that in mind, the Belgian GP weekend is not just another race for the team, but the start of a completely new era.

Horner’s exit has created a unique transition period for a team unaccustomed to managerial change of such magnitude, not to mention halfway through a season.

There has not been any official word about what the mood of the team is following Horner’s departure, so Spa will be the first glimpse into how that transition is handled.

As Laurent Mekies steps into the top job, it will be fascinating to see how the dynamics work at Red Bull, particularly in regards to Max Verstappen and his entourage amid endless speculation about his talks with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Mekies arrives at Red Bull at a crucial moment in its recent history, not only having lost the edge over its rivals on track, but also contemplating the risk of losing its star driver, the man the team is built around.

Adapting to this shift during a season in which Red Bull is no longer the dominant force will be a massive challenge for Mekies, and it all starts at Spa.

Can Norris keep his streak going?

After two wins in a row on circuits where he has often done well, Norris arrives at Spa, a track where he doesn’t have a great record in Formula 1 machinery.

The McLaren driver is yet to finish higher than sixth on the road at the Belgian GP venue, with a costly mistake at Turn 1 last year ruining his chances of fighting near the front.

In previous years, Norris has either been unlucky or driven an uncompetitive car, so the Briton’s prowess at Spa remains a bit of a question mark that is likely to be answered this weekend.

Norris has everything in his favour going into the weekend, particularly after the way he’s bounced back from his mistake in Canada. After all, it’s the first time Norris has won two races in a row in the same season.

Norris has had ups and downs in the first half of the season and, despite his advantage having been reduced to just eight points, team-mate Oscar Piastri is still looking mighty consistent.

The Australian should have won at Silverstone and has a better record than Norris at Spa, having finished second last year.

The championship’s dynamic has changed a few times so far in 2025, so it’s impossible to say with certainty which race could end up being the turning point that set the tone for the remainder of the year.

However, carrying the championship lead into the summer break will be an important psychological advantage to whoever has it, and outscoring their team-mate at Spa might prove key in achieving that.

Will Verstappen speculation be silenced?

Short answer: No.

Few circuits on the calendar channel the spirit of a driver quite like Spa does with Verstappen.

It has become synonymous with Verstappen’s brilliance, regardless of how competitive his car has been, so going into this weekend, the world champion remains a huge threat to the dominant McLarens.

However, before he gets to do his favourite thing (driving), Verstappen will have to face a very long day doing one of his least favourite things: answering questions from the media.

On the media front, Verstappen’s weekend already looked set to be taxing as a result of Horner’s exit, about which the Dutchman only shared a short note on social media following the news.

On top of that, the four-time champion will face all sorts of questions about his future, not just in connection with Horner but also in his rumoured meeting with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in Italy.

As usual, it will be interesting to see how Verstappen responds to it all, but it seems highly unlikely he will give much away.

Chances are he will shut it all down quickly, focus on the on-track action, and leave everybody speculating for another week.

Ferrari’s big moment of truth

Ferrari is finally introducing the revised rear suspension that it has been working on for a long time in the hope of fixing the issues hindering its car since the start of the season.

The Scuderia called up its two drivers for a ‘filming day’ test at Mugello in which they got to run with the new suspension ahead of its anticipated weekend debut at Spa.

With the update, Ferrari is aiming to finally have a solution to the problem that has restricted its set-up options in regards to ride height all year long.

Without a victory so far in 12 races, the Maranello squad is not in contention for any titles, and no magic upgrade is likely to change that at this point.

However, the suspension represents a significant element in understanding how to extract the most from its car.

Those lessons will be applied to the 2026 challenger, so successful results from the upgrade would be a morale boost for a team which hasn’t won a grand prix since last year’s Mexican round.

It would revitalise the team in its fight for second place against Mercedes, but also help Lewis Hamilton regain confidence and optimism in the direction the team and himself are going.

The weather will play a role

Over the past five years, there hasn’t been a single Belgian GP weekend without any track sessions hit by rain. This year that’s not going to change, according to the forecast.

Early indications suggest a significant chance of rain through the race weekend, particularly during Friday’s free practice and qualifying sessions, where showers could disrupt running and complicate car set-ups. Friday sees a 30-60% risk of rainfall along with high humidity, creating tricky conditions for teams assessing upgrades and tyre strategies, particularly on a sprint weekend.

On Saturday, intermittent rain is still likely, with an increasing probability as the day goes on. This could impact both the sprint race and the main qualifying session, where a sudden shower may shake up the grid order or catch out drivers at key moments. Wind speeds are also expected to pick up, potentially challenging car balance through Spa’s fast, sweeping corners.

Sunday’s outlook is more favourable, with sunshine anticipated and temperatures reaching up to 21–23C. However, forecasts point to a lingering, albeit low, risk of rainfall during the race. In Spa’s microclimate, conditions can change rapidly and rain may fall on one part of the circuit while others remain dry, which opens the door to unpredictable outcomes.