RacingNews365 reports drivers could get their first competitive wet running in the 2026 cars at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, with current forecasts predicting rain across all three days at Spa. Some drivers have driven in the wet during pre-season shakedowns or Pirelli tyre tests, but there has yet to be a fully wet session during a grand prix weekend this season, with only light sprinkles at the start of the Canadian GP.

Lando Norris has said McLaren “should just be doing a better job” in some areas after an untelevised radio message at Silverstone in which he told the team: “Let’s get it right for once, please.” Asked about the remark, Norris would not go into detail but said it was about “stuff that just limits our performance and limits our potential to get podiums and points”. Norris also described McLaren’s current car as “not a nice car to drive” and “one of the hardest cars I have ever driven in Formula 1,” adding that he felt the team had not brought upgrades that have delivered as much performance compared to rivals.
Lando Norris says racing the Le Mans 24 Hours with McLaren is part of his long-term plan, but he is unsure when he could do it. Norris said: "That's the plan. One day. I don't know how far away it is. I don't know if it's going to be in two years, three years, four years or 10 years. But, like I said, I'm a fan of racing, so I want to try a bit of everything. With Valentino [Rossi], I said I want to try a bike. Andrea [Stella] is here, so he's shaking his head."

Charles Leclerc says he has told himself “not to get carried away” after his British Grand Prix win at Silverstone, adding he cannot assume his recent struggles with the Ferrari are now over. Leclerc said: "However, as I said, it's still the beginning. It's only one race, and I must not get carried away thinking that the war is over. I mean, the battle with this car has been quite a lot recently, and I cannot take it for granted that now it's behind me. So, I'll keep working and try to get that feeling more often going forward."

McLaren has confirmed it will stage an end-of-season live show in London in December, following the “Victory Lap” event earlier this year. ‘McLaren Racing Live’ will take place at The O2 on Monday 14 December, eight days after the Abu Dhabi finale, with Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella set to appear. Priority tickets go on sale at 10am UK time on Thursday, with general sale at 10am on Friday. Brown said the night will be “an exclusive team debrief as we reflect on the 2026 season, share behind-the-scenes stories and insights, and look ahead to 2027”.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says the team is likely to struggle at the Belgian Grand Prix because Spa-Francorchamps should be another “energy-starving” circuit like Silverstone. Laurent Mekies said: "So, on tracks where energy limitations are strong, we seem to be struggling more compared to the competition, and in that respect, I'm afraid Spa-Francorchamps is probably in that category as well."

Audi Formula 1 chief Mattia Binotto says the series’ next engine rules must remain “highly efficient”, as F1 and the FIA discuss a move to cheaper and simpler V8 engines with a smaller electric component, running on advanced sustainable fuels. Binotto said: "Audi has always supported the importance of efficiency. The technology that allows for highly efficient engines is the same one that is then applied to road cars. When we talk about efficiency, we're talking about fuel consumption, emissions, and technology transfer between motorsport and series production."

McLaren CEO Zak Brown says he cannot offer Max Verstappen a seat at the team, amid reports linking the four-time world champion with a possible move. Brown said: "I haven't really thought about that because I've got two drivers in the seats. So, what I couldn't offer him was a seat in my race car. But I think McLaren's an awesome team. So is Red Bull, and so is Alpine, and so is Ferrari. The Formula 1 teams are amazing. I think we've got a unique environment, but as do all race teams."

Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1’s 2026 power-unit energy management is confusing for fans and drivers, and that the removal of the MGU-H can mean taking high-speed corners flat out is “penalised” later in the lap. Hamilton said: "It's really hard for fans to fully understand, and it's hard for us to understand as well, because the ultimate goal when you're driving a Formula 1 car is to push it to the limit.... we have less charge this year because they took away the MGU-H that we had last year, which is a bit confusing. So basically, if you take a high-speed section flat out, if you're more committed, take more risk and go faster through a corner, you get penalised afterwards because you don't charge enough."

Toto Wolff says Ferrari will be Mercedes’ biggest threat for the rest of the season after Ferrari won in Silverstone and Barcelona. Wolff said: "We need to look at ourselves. They said before the weekend that they were going to be lacking energy at this track. They haven't. They were a strong competitor, and this is to be expected now for the rest of the season."
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