Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insisted Max Verstappen is not available to fill Mercedes' vacant seat for 2025, having watched the world champion finish second to Lando Norris in first practice at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen has dominated Formula One since beating Lewis Hamilton to his maiden drivers' championship in 2021, winning a further two titles and topping the standings again this year.
However, the Dutchman has struggled of late amid rumours his future could lie elsewhere, failing to win any of his last four races – his longest drought since an 11-race run in 2020.
With Hamilton agreeing to join Ferrari for 2025, Mercedes are one of just three teams yet to finalise their driver pairings for next season.
They were strongly linked with a move for Carlos Sainz, but he will join Williams next year after being displaced by Hamilton at Ferrari.
Mercedes have repeatedly refused to rule out an ambitious move for Verstappen, and ahead of taking part in his 200th race this weekend, the Dutchman suggested he will not remain in F1 for another 200 outings.
Horner, though, says there is no chance of Verstappen joining the Silver Arrows next year.
"It's just like we've been stating all the way through the year: we know what our agreement is with Max and Max knows what his agreement with us is," he told Sky Sports.
"He's certainly not available to Mercedes for 2025, he never was.
"I'm sure whatever options they choose to take, they've thought carefully about. If they choose to give [Kimi] Antonelli the seat, you have to commend them for taking a risk with a youngster."
Verstappen fell narrowly short of topping the timesheets in FP1 on Friday, as high winds and rain produced difficult conditions upon his Zandvoort homecoming.
McLaren's Norris beat Verstappen by two tenths of a second with a fastest time of 1:12:322, after the inclement weather resulted in limited running for the first 30 minutes.
Hamilton was third ahead of Sainz, with Mercedes' George Russell fifth-fastest and Williams' Alex Albon sixth.
Lando Norris believes the Drivers' Championship is "still in reach" as McLaren introduces upgrades for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Ahead of the Formula One campaign resuming this weekend, Norris sits 78 points behind Max Verstappen in the individual standings, with 10 races remaining in the season.
Red Bull will also be feeling the pressure in the Constructors' Championship, as McLaren sit just 42 points behind.
And Norris remains confident that both he and McLaren remain in sight of titles this season.
"For the teams' championship, of course. For the drivers' championship, it's still in reach but it's a lot of points and it's Max, so I want to be optimistic and say there's still chances," he said.
"I know it's a lot and it's going to be a very difficult challenge performing, but how we are performing and how I know I can perform when things click, I still want to believe."
Both Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri have achieved their maiden race victories this season.
They have 12 podium finishes between them so far, with McLaren represented in the top three for the last 10 races.
Norris, however, has registered some disappointing finishes. Most recently he failed to take advantage of Verstappen's grid penalty with a fifth-placed finish in Belgium.
"I'm fighting for a championship, so I'm not going to be happy if I'm not performing at the level that I need to, to beat Max, Red Bull and other drivers," he reflected.
"I'm still happy with how the season has gone, just one or two too many mistakes and too many points given away, which is not the level I need to be at if I want to fight for a championship and fight against a driver like Max."
McLaren will be hoping to make up for any mistakes with their new upgrades for the back half of the season.
While Red Bull and Ferrari have both struggled after the introduction of big upgrades, Norris believes his team's decision to wait longer to implement theirs will pay off.
"We haven't had an upgrade since Miami. We have added little things to the car but nothing that we call an 'upgrade'," he explained.
"A lot of other teams have done, especially our main competitors. In a good sense, we have taken our time to understand things.
"We have seen teams put things on the car and it hasn't worked. We wanted to make sure we avoided that, so we have been patient."
Max Verstappen failed to confirm whether his long-term future remained with Red Bull ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who leads the Formula One drivers' championship by 78 points to McLaren's Lando Norris, joined the team in 2016 and has since won three world titles.
This weekend's race in Zandvoort will be Verstappen's 200th in the competition, becoming the 23rd driver to reach that tally while also surpassing Alain Prost (199).
During that time, the 26-year-old has won 61 times, reaching 107 podiums while also amassing 2863.5 points in the process.
But when asked if he would compete in another 200 races, Verstappen said: "No. We are past halfway for sure but it's been already an incredible ride.
"It doesn't feel like 200 races, but we do a lot of races in the year, so you add them quite quickly."
The three-time world champion put pen to paper on a new deal with the Austrian-based team in 2022, keeping him with them until at least the end of 2028.
But the Dutchman has been touted as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who will join Ferrari in 2025, at Mercedes.
"2028 is far away," said Verstappen on whether he could be persuaded to stay in F1 beyond his current contract.
"In my mind at the moment, I'm not thinking about a new contract. I want to see how it goes and see the new regulations to see if it's fun or not," he said.
"Then even in 2026 and 2027, there's a lot of time to decide what happens. I keep everything open and am quite easy-going about it."
Verstappen has struggled since his win at the Spanish Grand Prix five races ago, with the field the most competitive it has been in recent years.
However, he did come from 11th on the grid to beat championship rival Norris to fourth place last time out at the Belgian Grand Prix, but he isn't thinking about his points advantage ahead of this weekend's home race.
"If you look at the championship, Lando is the closest challenger, but lately you can see there are a lot of cars winning races," said Verstappen.
"It's very unknown, very close and attention to detail, getting the car in the right operating window, can really make a difference."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Max Verstappen - Red Bull
While his future may not be certain, one thing is for sure. Verstappen is out to reclaim his place back on the top step on home turf.
The championship leader has won each of the last three races in Zandvoort, all three from pole position. If he repeats that on Sunday, he will equal Jim Clark as the driver with the most wins at this grand prix.
However, Verstappen has not won any of the last four races. He hasn't gone five without a win since the 2020 season, enduring an 11-race drought from Spain to Sakhir.
He has only one pole position in the last seven F1 races. If he fails to qualify fastest in the Netherlands, he will have gone as many grands prix without a pole position as in his previous 24 races.
Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
The seven-time world champion has shown signs of promise in recent weeks, picking up the most points in the last five races (95).
During that time, he has accumulated the biggest average points difference in those races compared to the first nine races of the 2024 season (12.9 - 19 from the Spanish GP to 6.1 until the Canadian GP).
The Brit has four podiums in the last five races (3rd in Spain, 1st in Great Britain, 3rd in Hungary and 1st in Belgium), one fewer than in the previous 28.
Should he find himself in the top three this time around, it will be the first time he has managed four consecutive podiums since 2022 between Canada and Hungary (five).
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 277
Lando Norris (McLaren) - 199
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 177
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 167
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 162
Constructors
Red Bull - 408
McLaren - 366
Ferrari - 345
Mercedes - 266
Aston Martin - 73
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is expecting a "flat-out" fight for supremacy in Formula One over the next 18 months.
Austrian constructor Red Bull have been the dominant force in F1 over the past few years, with Max Verstappen winning three straight drivers' titles and the team taking the constructors' trophy in 2022 and 2023.
The early stages of the 2024 season followed a similar pattern with flying Dutchman Verstappen winning four of the opening five races but there have now been seven different victors through 14 rounds.
Verstappen still holds a healthy 78-point lead from second-place Lando Norris in the driver standings but McLaren are only 42 points adrift of Red Bull in the constructor table, with Ferrari 63 back and improving Mercedes 142 behind.
Horner, in quotes reported by F1's official website, thinks there is going to be a battle between all four of those F1 heavyweights in the near future.
"I think it’s great for the sport, and it was almost inevitable when you get consistency of regulations, you always get convergence," he said.
"I remember when I first came into Formula 1, Ron Dennis banging that drum back in 2005. Convergence has always brought the teams together.
"Of course we have a big regulations change in 2026 that will cause divergence but, between now and then, the next 18 months I think it will be flat-out between the four teams."
F1 returns after a near month-long break with the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, Verstappen's home race.
Zak Brown has admitted to being shocked by McLaren's competitive performance in the Formula One world championship this season.
McLaren sit just 42 points adrift of Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship, with lead driver Lando Norris also second to Max Verstappen in the standings.
The team have achieved podium finishes in their last 10 races, and they are well placed to challenge across the back half of the campaign.
Brown, however, was not expecting such success so soon.
"If I were to sit here and say I'm not surprised, that would be disingenuous," Brown told BBC Sport.
"Red Bull had such an advantage over everyone and Mercedes has been so dominant.
"I felt like we'd continue to close the gap. Did I think we would be here at the summer break, one race away from getting the lead?
"That race would have to be first and second and fastest lap, and do I think it's going to happen like that? No. But if we keep the same trajectory we've been on the last six, seven races, we'll be where we need to be by the end of the year.
"I thought we might get where we are now by 2025. I didn't think we would be where we are now in 2024. But I'm not complaining."
Both Norris and Oscar Piastri have claimed their maiden race wins this season indicative of an increasingly competitive McLaren.
Brown credits team principal Andrea Stella, who was appointed ahead of the 2023 season, for the growing success.
"He unlocked the talent that we already had here," Brown said. "We've got approximately 1,000 people here in F1. I changed three. But it was three leaders. So, 997 are the same people who gave us the [uncompetitive] car at the beginning of 2023.
"A leader's job is to get the most out of their people and that's what we didn't have previously. We weren't able to let the talent we have in here flourish.
"Andrea communicates very well. He listens very well. He's very hard-working. He's very technical. He leads by example. All the traits you would want in a great leader. He unlocked the potential this team clearly had sitting there."
While Piastri continued McLaren's podium success at the Belgian Grand Prix, Norris could not make gains in the driver standings despite Verstappen having to deal with a 10-place grid penalty.
He finished fifth, one place behind Red Bull’s reigning champion. Brown, however, sees these experiences as a learning curve for everyone.
"We've all made a variety of errors, which to me are learning experiences," he reflected.
"I thought [Mercedes team principal] Toto [Wolff] was accurate with his comment. He said: 'Well, sometimes you figure these things out once they've kind of been put on your plate.'
"So if I look at the mistakes we've made - whether those are drivers or us, kinda doesn't matter; we're one team - we wouldn't make these mistakes again. We're learning. And I think maybe because we have got where we are quicker than we thought, it shows we still have learning to do.
"Lando is trying to fight for a world championship. He's going for it. He's learning, as are we. So I'm not concerned about it."
Max Verstappen admitted Red Bull are in for a tough fight in the second half of the season after being overtaken by their improving Formula 1 rivals.
The Dutchman started the season strongly, winning seven of the first 10 races on the calendar, while he and Sergio Perez secured three one-twos in the first four Grands Prix.
However, Red Bull now find themselves under pressure after failing to win any of the last four races, with Verstappen only managing one podium at Silverstone during that run and Perez struggling for form.
Mercedes won three of those four, with Lewis Hamilton winning two and George Russell the other, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri earned his maiden victory in Hungary.
The gap at the top of the constructors' championship is now down to 42 points, thanks to McLaren's 10-race run of consecutive podium finishes.
And now, Verstappen has suggested the Austrian-based team no longer have the fastest car.
"I think they are ahead of us," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1. "It depends. Sometimes McLaren, sometimes Mercedes.
"I think we were faster than Ferrari but coming from P11 [at the Belgian Grand Prix], we didn't have enough time to pass them. We know that we have work to do.
"We know that we want to do better, we are, of course, not satisfied with this, but everyone is doing a great job, and you have to take your hat off for that as well."
Verstappen still holds a 78-point lead over McLaren's Lando Norris in the drivers' championship, the equivalent of three race wins, with the season resuming in the Netherlands at the end of August.
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has said the Austrian-based teams RB20 "didn't deliver what was expected" in every area this season.
Red Bull claimed a sixth Constructors' Championship in 2023, with Max Verstappen winning his third World Drivers' Championship in a row, scoring 575 points, which was more than double of second placed team-mate, Sergio Perez.
Despite their dominance, the team wanted to remain at the top of the grid and made significant changes to this year's RB20.
Verstappen and Perez would secure three one-two finishes in the first four Grand Prix's of the season, but performances of late have seen the team's around them close in.
Both McLaren and Mercedes have continually improved and have looked competitive since May, with Wache saying the cars' performance this year has fallen below expectations.
"I would say not really. We improved compared to last year, without doubt, but we didn’t deliver what we expected in some areas," Wache told Motorsport.com.
"Especially in the high-speed corners we expected a little bit more than what we have. Without thinking about the competitiveness of the car, so just based on our own references, we expected a little bit more with our tools.
"In medium-speed and low-speed we improved quite a lot compared to last year. We were a little bit weaker in the high-speed corners compared to last year relative to the competition.
"In kerb riding we are clearly weak, but we were already last year. I think we didn’t make the improvement we expected in that aspect."
While Verstappen still holds a comfortable advantage over McLaren's Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship, the same cannot be said for the Constructors'.
McLaren are now just 42 points behind Red Bull, with Ferrari just 11 points behind the British-based team.
That subsequent dip in results has largely been down to the form of Perez, who is yet to finish on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April.
Verstappen's fourth placed finish at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out was also the first time since 2020 that the Dutchman had failed to win a race in four attempts.
Despite their recent form, it did not come as a surprise to Wache, who said he expected the rival teams to catch up as the season went on.
"We expected the opposition to come earlier, to be honest with you," Wache added. "When we started the 2022 season, we didn’t have the quickest car.
"Ferrari had the quickest car in the beginning of 2022. We expected a massive competition in 2023, but that didn’t happen.
"In 2024 we also expected the competition to be there more or less from the start, because the performance you can find with the car is limited under the same regulations.
"After the first four or five races the others came back, maybe with a bit of delay, but we expected that from the start.
"The limitations you have with these regulations are quite high and what you can find to make more steps is getting more difficult. Then it is almost sure that the opposition will come back at some point."
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has said the Austrian-based teams RB20 "didn't deliver what was expected" in every area this season.
Red Bull claimed a sixth Constructors' Championship in 2023, with Max Verstappen winning his third World Drivers' Championship in a row, scoring 575 points, which was more than double of second placed team-mate, Sergio Perez.
Despite their dominance, the team wanted to remain at the top of the grid and made significant changes to this year's RB20.
Verstappen and Perez would secure three one-two finishes in the first four Grand Prix's of the season, but performances of late have seen the team's around them close in.
Both McLaren and Mercedes have continually improved and have looked competitive since May, with Wache saying the cars' performance this year has fallen below expectations.
"I would say not really. We improved compared to last year, without doubt, but we didn’t deliver what we expected in some areas," Wache told Motorsport.com.
"Especially in the high-speed corners we expected a little bit more than what we have. Without thinking about the competitiveness of the car, so just based on our own references, we expected a little bit more with our tools.
"In medium-speed and low-speed we improved quite a lot compared to last year. We were a little bit weaker in the high-speed corners compared to last year relative to the competition.
"In kerb riding we are clearly weak, but we were already last year. I think we didn’t make the improvement we expected in that aspect."
While Verstappen still holds a comfortable advantage over McLaren's Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship, the same cannot be said for the Constructors'.
McLaren are now just 42 points behind Red Bull, with Ferrari just 11 points behind the British-based team.
That subsequent dip in results has largely been down to the form of Perez, who is yet to finish on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April.
Verstappen's fourth placed finish at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out was also the first time since 2020 that the Dutchman had failed to win a race in four attempts.
Despite their recent form, it did not come as a surprise to Wache, who said he expected the rival teams to catch up as the season went on.
"We expected the opposition to come earlier, to be honest with you," Wache added. "When we started the 2022 season, we didn’t have the quickest car.
"Ferrari had the quickest car in the beginning of 2022. We expected a massive competition in 2023, but that didn’t happen.
"In 2024 we also expected the competition to be there more or less from the start, because the performance you can find with the car is limited under the same regulations.
"After the first four or five races the others came back, maybe with a bit of delay, but we expected that from the start.
"The limitations you have with these regulations are quite high and what you can find to make more steps is getting more difficult. Then it is almost sure that the opposition will come back at some point."
Sergio Perez will retain his seat for the back half of the 2024 Formula One season, so says Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
Perez has endured a difficult campaign so far this year. After four podium finishes across the first five races of the season, the Mexican has not finished higher than fourth across the next nine events.
Red Bull have Yuki Tsunoda and the experienced Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings, but Horner indicated there will be no change for the second half of the season.
"Checo remains a Red Bull Racing driver, despite all the speculation of late," Horner told Dutch publication De Telegraaf.
"We look forward to seeing him perform on circuits where he has done well before."
Red Bull lead the way in the constructor standings, while Max Verstappen is the top driver.
However, the team have had a wobble in recent weeks, with Verstappen having gone four races without a win for the first time since 2020.
Max Verstappen says Red Bull "have work to do" if they are to reassert their dominance of Formula One after the mid-season break, while Lando Norris rued some mistakes.
Verstappen finished fifth in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, having come back from P11.
The Dutchman had qualified in pole, but had to deal with a 10-place penalty that was dealt his way following a collision with Lewis Hamilton last weekend.
While George Russell and Hamilton finished first and second for a Mercedes one-two, Verstappen missed the chance to become the third driver in F1 history to win four races in a row at Spa.
Indeed, he has failed to win the last four races, marking his worst run since 2020, and he knows Red Bull have to get back on track after a shaky few weeks.
He told Sky Sports F1: "If I'd have started P1, of course there's a much better opportunity.
"I was just stuck in the train, saving my tyres so I can't optimise the pace – the race was all about damage limitation. I knew that.
"They're ahead of us. Sometimes McLaren, sometimes Mercedes, I think we were faster than Ferrari but coming from P11, didn't have enough time to pass them.
"We know we have work to do, we want to do better, we're not satisfied, but everyone is doing a great job and you have to take your hat off to that as well."
Verstappen's closest rival in the championship standings, Norris, could not gain ground on the three-time reigning champion, however.
And the McLaren driver lamented his errors over recent races.
"The strategy was good, in the end it seemed whoever undercut more, won the race," he told Sky Sports F1.
"We did what we thought was best. The pace in the car was good. Maybe I could have been more aggressive but I was happy otherwise.
"I felt the pace was good, the few laps I had clean, or behind Carlos [Sainz] when he went long, the car went good, came alive a little bit. The pace felt better, I just couldn't do anything with it.
"From the team side, super happy. I just feel the last few races I’ve messed up a lot, and given away a lot of points."
George Russell edged out team-mate Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes' upturn in form continued at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Like reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen last year, Russell charged up from sixth on the grid to triumph at Spa.
Russell nursed his tyres for over half of Sunday's race but came in around half a second quicker than seven-time world champion Hamilton, who had started in P3.
It marks Russell's second triumph of the season, and Mercedes' third win in the space of four races.
Oscar Piastri, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix last week, finished third, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who was unable to capitalise on pole position.
Indeed, Leclerc was overtaken by Hamilton early on, but the latter could not hold out as Russell's risky one-stop strategy paid off.
Leclerc did manage to hold off Verstappen, at least, who finished fifth as his attempt to become the third driver to win the Belgian Grand Prix on four straight occasions failed, albeit the Dutchman had to come from 11th, having been slapped with a 10-place grid penalty after clashing with Hamilton last week.
Lando Norris, Verstappen's closest challenger in the championship standings, completed the top six, but could not make any ground on the leader.
Data Debrief: Is Hamilton back?
It has been a long and winding, arduous road for Hamilton in recent seasons, but Mercedes have found their gear again, and even if he had to settle for second place this time around, the veteran campaigner appears to be close to his best.
He has now claimed three straight podium finishes for the first time since 2022.
His great rival Verstappen, meanwhile, has not won any of the last four races. That is the Red Bull star's worst run since the 2020 season when he went 11 without a win.
Verstappen needs a win, and quick, though he is 78 points clear at the top of the drivers' standings.
Top 10
1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Lando Norris (McLaren)
7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 275
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 197
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 174
Constructors
1. Red Bull - 404
2. McLaren - 361
3. Ferrari - 340
Charles Leclerc was grateful for the wet weather that impacted Belgian Grand Prix qualifying as Max Verstappen's grid penalty handed him pole for Sunday's race.
Leclerc finished 0.6 seconds behind Verstappen at Spa, a stunning last lap of 1:53.754 seeing him leapfrog Sergio Perez into second.
That means he will start at the front of the grid at Spa for the second year in a row, with Verstappen taking a 10-place grid penalty after exceeding the maximum number of power units permitted throughout the season.
Perez will start second with Lewis Hamilton third, with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fourth and fifth one week on from their Hungarian Grand Prix one-two.
Speaking at the conclusion of the final session, Leclerc admitted the conditions had helped Ferrari exceed expectations but outlined his hope they can defend top spot.
"I definitely did not expect that this weekend," he said. "Obviously, with the tricky conditions, we could do something above our expectations.
"So it's a good day for the team, but now we need to focus on tomorrow and see what will happen when the rain is gone.
"Without this rain, probably P5 was the position we were fighting for with the Mercedes. With the rain, it helped us a little bit, but I'm not going to complain.
"I'm really happy, I'm really happy with the lap in Q3, and it's good to be back on the front part of the grid. Now we've got to finalise that tomorrow. Obviously, I'll try to keep that first place."
Verstappen also qualified fastest for the 2023 race in Spa, only for a five-place grid penalty to see him start in sixth.
He won from that position, though, and has 29 victories when not starting on pole – the fourth-most of any driver in Formula One history.
"I'm very happy," Verstappen said in his post-session interview. "The car was working quite well in the wet. I could just try to do clean lap times in the wet, which is always quite tricky.
"But tomorrow, of course, I know that it's quite a different day. It's going to be warmer, normally no rain, so it's all about tyre degradation. We just need to make sure we’re good on that.
"I know that I have to start 10 places back, so this was the best I could do today, and I go from there. I don't know how quick we're going to be. I hope we can be in the mix."
TOP 10
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Max Verstappen's 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix was confirmed as he took a new power unit in practice at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday.
Under Formula One's regulations, drivers are permitted to use a maximum of four internal combustion engines (ICEs) throughout the 2024 campaign.
Verstappen took his fifth new ICE of the year for Friday's first practice session, triggering the automatic penalty for Sunday's race.
He proceeded to set the pace in first practice with a fastest lap of 1:43.372, going half a second faster than Oscar Piastri, who won the Hungarian Grand Prix last week.
The three-time world champion will also drop five places if he takes a new ICE at any other race this year.
RB's Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, will start at the back of the grid in Belgium after taking a fifth ICE as well as additional engine parts.
With his penalty confirmed, Verstappen will now be desperate to perform in qualifying, having only taken pole at one of the last six races.
He did, however, win the recent Spanish and Canadian Grands Prix when not starting at the front. His 29 race victories when not starting on pole are the fourth-most by any driver in F1 history.
The penalty does represent an almighty blow to Verstappen's hopes of avoiding a third straight race without winning, though.
He last went more consecutive races without a victory in 2020, failing to win in 11 outings from Spain to Sakhir.
Lewis Hamilton was left surprised by the stewards' interpretation of his clash with Max Verstappen at the Hungarian Grand Prix last week.
Hamilton, who finished in third at the Hungaroring to claim a 200th podium finish, was involved in an incident with the reigning world champion on lap 63 in Budapest.
The pair made contact heading into Turn One, with the Dutchman attempting to go up the inside but in doing so locked up his front tyres, briefly sending him into the air.
Although neither driver was penalised for the incident, the stewards suggested that the seven-time world champion could have done more to avoid the collision.
"I was really, really surprised by it," said the Mercedes driver of the full stewards' judgement, which was issued several hours after the end of the race.
"I think already I was very relaxed about the situation and just saying 'look, it's just a racing incident, let's just move on'.
"But considering one car was in control and one car was not in control at the time - obviously when all the wheels are locked, you're not in control - and if you look at the replay at the end of the move I'm very, very far from the apex, so there's a lot of room on the right-hand side.
"So I was very, very surprised by the stewards. I don't know who typed it up but… that will be a question when I speak to them at some stage."
Verstappen, who has the opportunity to become the third driver to win four times in a row at Spa this weekend, endured a difficult race last time out.
The Dutchman finished in fifth in Budapest and is without a win in his last four races, the last time he failed to win four meetings was back in 2020.
His frustrations at the Hungaroring boiled over, repeatedly expressing his frustration and anger at his team's strategy and his car's performance over the radio.
"You have to be a team leader, a team member," said Hamilton.
"Maybe not such a team leader, just always remember you are a team-mate with lots of people and you have to act like a world champion."
When asked to elaborate on that latter point, Hamilton replied: "That is a good question… Not like it was last weekend."
Hamilton, who has won the Belgium Grand Prix four times in his career, arrives at Spa full of confidence following his recent displays.
Having endured a difficult start to the season, but three podium places in his last four races, including ending his 945-day wait for a win following a record ninth triumph at Silverstone, has seen the Brit back to his best.
Mercedes remain fourth in the Constructor's Championship, but have closed the gap to Ferrari to 81 points, with upgrades expected on their car this weekend, including a new front wing, floor and beam wing, something that has excited Hamilton.
"I still feel so much youth, am energised, driven and love working with the team.
"We have got some upgrades this weekend, so I can't wait to see how that feels on the track. Hopefully it's another step in the right direction and I'm excited for the next part of the season."
Max Verstappen has hit back at critics following his radio frustration during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who has won each of the last three races at the Belgian Grand Prix, which comes up this weekend, became increasingly frustrated at the Hungaroring last week as he finished in fifth place following a coming together with Lewis Hamilton late on.
The three-time reigning Formula One world champion is set for a 10-place grid penalty at Spa this weekend after exceeding his engine allowance for the season.
Verstappen has not won any of the last three races, and has seen his lead at the top of the Driver's Championship cut to 76 points by Lando Norris.
The Dutchman's recent frustrations boiled over in Hungary, spiralling into an X-rated rant at Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
But Verstappen has no regrets.
"People that don't like my language, don't listen in or change the volume down. I'm very driven for success. I've proven that already," said Verstappen.
"I always want to optimise stuff. People can argue that you might not be so vocal on the radio, but that's their opinion.
"My opinion is that it needs to be said at the time to maybe also try and force [things]. That's how it goes.
"We are very open-minded. We are very critical of each other as a team, and that's been working for us very well, so I don't expect that to change."
The last time Verstappen failed to win in four races in a row was in the 2020 season, but Red Bull are showing signs of vulnerability.
And he will face an enormous task to triumph for a 62nd time in the competition, although he is ranked as the fourth driver in F1 history with the most wins without starting from the front of the grid (29).
Verstappen made light work of the power unit components penalty he sustained at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, making his way from 14th to win the race.
Should he emerge victorious this time around, he will become only the third driver to win four in a row on Belgian soil after Ayrton Senna (1988 to 1991) and Jim Clark (1962 to 1965).
"If you look at our last few races where we haven't particularly been the fastest, I wouldn't say that with 10 places extra, we have a chance of winning," said Verstappen.
"But a race can always be turned upside down with moments, so you have to be open-minded, try to make the best of it and that's all we will try to do.
"We also don't know how competitive we will be. There's new tarmac, so we need to see how the tyres respond to that as well.
"There's a lot of unknowns with the weather too. Quite a bit of rain is expected tomorrow and Saturday, so we need to follow the weather and our progression this weekend to see how competitive we are."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
Despite being beaten in both qualifying and the main event in each of the last two races by team-mate Carlos Sainz, Leclerc will be keen to get points on the board in Belgium.
Leclerc has not been among the podium places since his maiden triumph at Monaco in May, but the omens are in his favour with the Italian team achieving more victories (14), more pole positions (12) and more podiums (41) at Spa.
Ferrari have enjoyed recent races in Belgium, taking pole in the last two editions, with Leclerc doing so in 2023.
Should they repeat the trick, it will be the second time they have done so after 1974 (Clay Regazzoni at Nivelles), 1975 and 1976 (Niki Lauda in both at Zolder).
Leclerc and Sainz will contest their 79th race as Ferrari team-mates, making them the seventh-highets pair with the most races with the same team in F1, surpassing the 78 of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg for Mercedes.
Lando Norris - McLaren
While a radio spat of his own at the Hungarian Grand Prix overshadowed an eighth podium place of the season, Norris will be eyeing another impressive run at Spa.
And he now has a fantastic opportunity to close the gap on Verstappen.
The Brit has taken pole position in two of the last four races, after taking just one in his previous 113 starts in F1.
Excluding Hamilton, who did it twice in 2012, Norris could be the first McLaren driver to take back-to-back pole positions since Kimi Raikkonen in 2006 (Germany and Hungary).
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 265
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 189
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 162
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 154
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 149
Constructors
1. Red Bull - 389
2. McLaren - 338
3. Ferrari - 322
4. Mercedes - 241
5. Aston Martin - 69
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