Fears Belgian GP will highlight biggest F1 2026 headache

Energy management is expected to dominate this weekend’s Belgian GP, with McLaren boss Andrea Stella warning Spa-Francorchamps’ long straights will produce overtaking driven by energy deployment rather than traditional racing.

Spa-Francorchamps has long been identified as one of Formula 1’s most energy-starved venues under the 2026 regulations, making deployment and harvesting strategy critical throughout the lap.

Belgian GP tipped to highlight F1 energy management issues

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New regulations for F1 2026 have introduced a host of unpalatable driving techniques, with drivers backing off in unusual positions in an attempt to charge their energy for use down the straights where its deployment is more efficient.

The Belgian GP features a traditional race weekend format, leaving teams without the opportunity to learn from one another ahead of time as they did at the British Grand Prix.

The Silverstone Sprint race proved a chaotic affair, though also offered a learning opportunity for teams when it came to deployment strategy.

Sunday’s race therefore played out in a more traditional fashion as teams and drivers optimised their deployment and harvesting strategies, masking the underlying issue. That same opportunity is not available this weekend.

“Spa will be an interesting track for everyone,” Stella told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media.

“Similarly to Silverstone, it will be a heavily energy-starving circuit.”

The ebb and flow of that process has produced more overtaking, but often with considerable ease and little of the tension that traditionally accompanies a pass, changing the nature of on-track battles.

It was a point acknowledged by all involved with tweaks made to the regulations ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, and while things have improved the underlying issues remain.

Those are especially evident at high-speed circuits, with Belgium expected to be among the worst.

Despite the overtaking spectacle seen in Silverstone, Stella noted concerns from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri over the British GP weekend that could carry over into this weekend’s event.

“In listening to our drivers, they raise flags in terms of how unpredictable is the speed difference,” he said.

“This is a point that we should listen to, because when drivers say like that, they do it for a reason.

“So I think we take away this element of concern from [Silverstone]; it may be similar in Spa, the straights are even longer in Spa, and there will be some challenges in terms of power unit exploitation.

“It will be about energy deployment for sure.

“There’s some areas in which you will not be able to deploy the straight mode, because there’s some full throttle areas, but there’s some lateral force, so we will not be allowed…”

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An updated Spa-Francorchamps track map revealed five Straight Mode zones across the lap, including on the approach to the infamous Eau Rouge/Raidillon sequence and another leading into Blanchimont– though it must be deactivated before the ultra-fast left-hander.

It marks only the second time a circuit has had five Straight Mode zones, the only other venue having been Albert Park at the start of the F1 2026 season.

The prevalence of Straight Mode zones could also disincentivise teams from introducing Spa-specific aerodynamic designs.

Where once teams would look to reduce drag in exchange for a higher top speed down the likes of the Kemmel Straight, active aero significantly reduces the impact such designs now have.

“We will see whether some teams will actually bring some low drag packages, like we used to see in Spa, and we will see the interpretation of this regulation, because with the Straight Mode now you are less incentivised to use smaller wings,” he suggested.

“Like [Silverstone], in the past, you would have come with a smaller wing, but teams didn’t do that [for the British GP].

“It’s interesting to see if this happens in Spa.

“I think we will see quite of an exciting racing when it comes to overtaking, because of deployment, for the very same reason of the energy starvation that we are here in Silverstone.”

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