Everything we learned from F1's Belgian Grand Prix

At the 2026 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes discovered two separate power unit issues affecting George Russell: a deployment deficiency into the final chicane costing him 0.2-0.25 seconds in qualifying, and a Turn 1 exit weakness shared across all eight Mercedes-powered cars that contributed to him being 'swallowed' by the pack and colliding with Lewis Hamilton. Team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged that roughly half of Russell's qualifying deficit to teammate Kimi Antonelli could be attributed to the power unit problem on his car. The weekend also featured a driver described by their team as delivering their 'best race,' among other key developments.