At Spa, Sebastian Vettel's SF71H was equipped with a new internal combustion engine, a new turbo and a new MGU-H. The German driver had therefore reached the allocated quota for the whole season: any subsequent replacement will result in a penalty.
Kimi Räikkönen, for his part, received only a new internal combustion engine, to avoid a demotion on the grid. Drivers from the Maranello's customer teams had access to the spec-3 engine at Hungarian Grand Prix, and are now in the same situation as Vettel (see the table below).
| Driver | Team |
ICE | TC | MHU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Hamilton | Mercedes (Mercedes) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| V. Bottas | Mercedes (Mercedes) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| D. Ricciardo | Red Bull (Renault) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| M. Verstappen | Red Bull (Renault) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| S. Vettel | Ferrari (Ferrari) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| K. Räikkönen | Ferrari (Ferrari) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| S. Pérez | Force India (Mercedes) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| E. Ocon | Force India (Mercedes) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| L. Stroll | Williams (Mercedes) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| S. Sirotkin | Williams (Mercedes) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| F. Alonso | McLaren (Renault) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| S. Vandoorne | McLaren (Renault) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| B. Hartley | STR (Honda) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| P. Gasly | STR (Honda) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| R. Grosjean | Haas (Ferrari) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| K. Magnussen | Haas (Ferrari) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| N. Hülkenberg | Renault (Renault) | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| C. Sainz | Renault (Renault) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| M. Ericsson | Sauber (Ferrari) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ch. Leclerc | Sauber (Ferrari) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Simultaneously, Shell introduced a new formulation of its fuel, the last of the season after a first evolution appeared in Canada. This mixture pushes the knocking limit, i.e. the risk of uncontrolled fuel explosions, while maintaining the calorific value of fuel. Knocking disturbs the combustion process, which affects performance, and can also damage the inside of the piston (read here our complete file on the techniques of ignition in prechamber of combustion). According to Autosport, this new formula, which is said to be expensive and complex to produce, is currently limited to the factory team.
According to the oil company, the development of fuel and lubricants represents over 20% of the Italian engine's power increase since 2014.
Aston Martin finally revealed its 2026 challenger, the AMR26, on Thursday afternoon at the Circuit…
Mercedes provided its rivals with another definitive reality check on Thursday in Barcelona, with George…
Lewis Hamilton finally unleashed Ferrari’s SF-26 in the dry on Thursday in Barcelona, racking up…
Arvid Lindblad stepped into his Racing Bulls cockpit in Barcelona this week carrying the weight…
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has offered a positive review of the team’s progress…
Jody Scheckter, Formula 1's 1979 World Champion, celebrates his 76th birthday on this day. The…