Will Ferrari’s suspension upgrade ease the pressure on Fred Vasseur? Belgian GP talking points

This weekend's F1 Belgian Grand Prix will place many of the hottest topics in Formula 1 under the microscope.

It will be the first F1 grand prix for Laurent Mekies as the Red Bull team principal since Christian Horner's sacking.

Ferrari are bringing an upgrade they hope that solve Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's woes.

Max Verstappen's future is still being debated inside F1.

Here are the key talking points to watch out for at Spa...

Crucial Ferrari upgrade

This weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix is big for Ferrari and F1 team principal Frederic Vasseur.

The Scuderia are without a victory in F1 2025 following a disappointing first half of the season.

The SF-25 hasn’t lived up to expectations, with Ferrari forced to compromise on car setup to compensate for several inherent issues with their 2025 challenger.

While Ferrari sit second in the constructors’ championship, they have not lived up to expectations, particularly as they finished just 14 points off McLaren last year.

Their poor form has resulted in speculation surrounding Vasseur’s future, and this weekend could be crucial in deciding the Frenchman’s fate.

During the two-week break ahead of the Belgian GP, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton debuted a rear suspension upgrade at Mugello.

The two drivers completed 19 laps each as they trialled the new part ahead of this weekend.

Ferrari’s hopes of winning races again are pinned on this upgrade.

In theory, the suspension tweak should allow them to run their car more aggressively in terms of setup, as the mechanical platform will be more stable.

Ferrari have been conservative with how they’ve run their car this year, especially after their double disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix.

It likely won’t be the silver bullet, though, with Leclerc hinting at another issue after qualifying at Silverstone.

Ferrari’s new floor upgrade at the Austrian GP seemed to be an immediate step forward, so there are reasons to be optimistic.

Verstappen’s F1 future rumbles on

Unsurprisingly, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull F1 future remains the biggest talking point heading to Spa.

Verstappen’s situation will remain uncertain if Mercedes don’t confirm their driver line-up for next year.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are out of contract at the end of this year.

While both drivers expressed confidence in being retained by Mercedes when speaking to the media, including Crash.net, at the British GP, the rumour mill isn’t slowing down.

With Christian Horner’s sudden departure adding another layer to the story, Thursday’s media day will be dominated by talk of Verstappen’s future again.

The F1 title battle

In case you’ve forgotten, there’s an F1 title battle ongoing.

Eight points separate Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the top of the drivers’ championship.

The momentum is with Norris after taking back-to-back victories.

The McLaren pair are closely matched on pace, with fine details deciding who comes out on top.

Norris dominated qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, but Piastri would likely have won had he been able to make a move stick in the first stint.

Piastri led by over 12 seconds at Silverstone before the various Safety Cars neutralised the race.

A rare mistake under the Safety Car resulted in an unprecedented 10-second time penalty after he was deemed to have dangerously jammed on the brakes.

Piastri will be keen to halt Norris’ recent run of wins.

Watch out for Mercedes?

Mercedes claimed a 1-2 finish at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix before Russell’s post-race disqualification.

Conditions are set to be cool and damp, making this weekend one that plays into Mercedes’ strengths.

Over the last 18 months, Mercedes’ best races have been on weekends when the weather has been cool and the track characteristics require a low-downforce configuration.

Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix from pole position.

Similarly, at the end of last year, Mercedes dominated the Las Vegas GP.

Is Colapinto on borrowed time?

It’s a crucial two weeks for Franco Colapinto, who’s fighting for his F1 future.

The Argentine is reportedly under pressure to keep his Alpine drive amid suggestions that Flavio Briatore is weighing up another driver swap.

Colapinto has been underwhelming since being handed Jack Doohan’s Alpine drive following the Miami GP.

Briatore has been rumoured to have held talks with Mercedes over signing Valtteri Bottas.

With the summer break following next weekend’s trip to Hungary, Colapinto will need to put together two encouraging races to ensure he’s at Alpine after the shutdown.