The tenth stage of the championship arrives surrounded by important doubts. Ferrari is experiencing its best moment, Mercedes tries to maintain technical leadership, Verstappen seeks a comeback, and Spa-Francorchamps may help define the course of the season before the decisive sequence of the calendar.
Read more F1: Is the perfect lap at Spa the hardest in Formula 1?
After ten stages, the 2026 Formula 1 season has already shown important trends, but it is still far from offering definitive answers. Mercedes remains the most consistent team in the championship, Ferrari arrives boosted by two wins in the last three races, Red Bull seeks to regain ground, and McLaren tries to turn potential into results. In the midfield pack, Audi is also experiencing a moment of evolution that may gain a new chapter in Belgium.
Spa-Francorchamps has always been a circuit capable of exposing the true strength of the cars and putting drivers and teams before a challenge different from any other on the calendar. More than just distributing important points, the Belgian GP usually answers questions that have accompanied the championship in the previous weeks.
This season, five of them stand out especially.
Has Ferrari really entered the championship fight?
Few teams arrive in Belgium with as much confidence as Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona showed that the Italian team had taken an important step in performance. Silverstone reinforced this impression with Charles Leclerc’s triumph, proving that the growth did not depend only on one driver or a specific type of circuit.
Spa will be the first big test to know if this evolution is really consistent. If Ferrari returns to fight for victory on a track completely different from the previous ones, it will be hard not to definitively place them in the championship fight.
Is Mercedes still the grid reference?
Even without winning all the races, Mercedes has built its campaign based on consistency.
Kimi Antonelli remains among the main title contenders, George Russell continues scoring frequently, and the team remains a reference in practically all the season’s indicators.
But the margin has decreased. After Ferrari’s comeback, Spa may show if Mercedes still has a technical advantage or if the fight between the two teams has entered a new level.
Can Verstappen still change the championship?
Max Verstappen continues to be one of the most competitive drivers in Formula 1, but the 2026 season has demanded more than individual talent.
The Dutchman arrives at a circuit where he traditionally performs very well and knows that a strong result can definitively put him back in the title fight.
Read more F1 today: FIA changes Spa and Hamilton demands Ferrari
For Red Bull, Spa represents more than just a victory opportunity.
It could be the race that keeps the championship fight alive.
Is Audi ready to take the next step?
Audi’s evolution in recent stages has been one of the most interesting stories of the season.
Although the results do not yet fully reflect the project’s growth, the team’s performance has improved race after race. Gabriel Bortoleto has shown maturity in recent performances, while the car has appeared more frequently in the points fight.
Spa will be an excellent test to measure this progress.
Because it demands aerodynamic efficiency, stability, and driver confidence, the Belgian circuit usually quickly reveals which teams have really evolved.
Who will leave Belgium as the favorite for the second half of the season?
This may be the main question of the weekend.
Belgium marks the tenth stage of the championship and precedes an important moment of the season, when projects begin to reach maturity and teams start working more on race execution than on major technical evolutions.
Whoever leaves Spa with a good result will gain not only important points but also confidence to face the decisive stretch of the championship.
A weekend worth more than a victory
Formula 1 history shows that Spa-Francorchamps rarely delivers just one winner.
Often, the Belgian circuit helps define trends, changes the perception of team strength, and offers answers that will be remembered until the end of the season. It is a track where performance, strategy, weather, and talent usually go hand in hand, making each race different from the previous one.
Therefore, more than following who will climb to the highest place on the podium, the Belgian GP will be an opportunity to understand how Formula 1 arrives at its second half.
At the end of the 44 laps at Spa-Francorchamps, some doubts will certainly remain. But others may gain important answers — answers that may help define who really has the conditions to fight for the 2026 titles.
Read more Enzo Gianfratti rises five positions in the TCR World Championship
