F1 Q&A: Verstappen and McLaren, Hamilton and Alonso’s longevity, Spa and will Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix take place?

As Formula 1 prepares for this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, the fight for the drivers’ championship has intensified.

Kimi Antonelli’s lead over his Mercedes teammate George Russell decreased to 25 points, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was seven points behind.

BBC Sport F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions ahead of the race at Spa-Francorchamps.

I have a hard time seeing how Max Verstappen can go to McLaren. They have never had a number one driver and last year Max was laughing at the decisions McLaren made trying to be fair to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri; such as a slow pit stop exchange at Monza. To keep things fair, Max won’t accept a team order to let his teammate pass (just like he didn’t do in Brazil in 2022). Would he tear McLaren to pieces if he went there? -Team

The first thing to say here is that McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is doing his best to dismiss the idea of ​​Max Verstappen moving to McLaren in the near future.

Brown said his recent talks with Verstappen’s management at the British Grand Prix had “led nowhere”, that he was “very happy with my two racing drivers” and that “I couldn’t offer him (Verstappen) a seat in my race car”.

Be that as it may, Verstappen and his management are exploring their options and McLaren is one team they are considering.

Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028, but his contract includes a performance clause that could mean he can leave at the end of this year if he wishes.

This clause does not come into force until October, so there is plenty of time before anything is likely to happen and sources have told BBC Sport that Verstappen has not yet made a decision.

Would it work if Verstappen wanted to go to McLaren? First of all, Brown would need to find a way to unseat one of his current drivers, world champion Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.

If he can achieve this, justice will be the fundamental basis of McLaren’s philosophy. Its drivers are allowed to race against each other and the team will only intervene in certain situations, such as those that occurred several times last year.

It’s worth noting that this is a different approach to the one traditionally taken at Red Bull, but it’s the same approach used by Mercedes, another team Verstappen has been in talks with.

Neither of their approaches will change if Verstappen joins the team, but why would he have a problem with that?

I’m sure he’ll back himself to win any fight with any teammate he faces.

Equally, any team competing with Verstappen will be aware that they will be exposed to a level of stress that no other driver has experienced and that this will test their management skills.

But while some may argue that Verstappen’s unique, uncompromising approach is a reason to shy away from signing him, F1 teams ultimately care about performance. And signing Verstappen is a guarantee of the highest possible performance in the cockpit on arguably the most consistent basis.

This could be a very attractive offer for McLaren, who are experiencing some of the disadvantages of being a customer motor team this season in a way they have never experienced before, as they are looking for every advantage they can.

Lewis Hamilton, 41, recently won a race for Ferrari. Fernando Alonso, 44, consistently outperforms his younger teammate and could probably win a race as well if given a comparative car. Are the cars easier to drive, or is it because some drivers’ ability to drive at the highest level lasts longer? -Matthew

It’s true that Grands Prix are less physically demanding than they were in the mid-2000s, for example, when there was refueling, tire wars and races were straight from start to finish.

This is no longer the case with tires and energy management.

Make no mistake, driving an F1 car is still a very demanding physical experience and Hamilton and Alonso are in excellent shape.

The answer is that the real limiting factor for a racing driver as they get older is mental, not physical, as long as they can continue to meet bodily demands.

Riders tend to lose the desire and determination required to test themselves to their limits in an extremely dangerous environment.

In F1 you really have to want it to perform at the highest level, to push the limits every time you get in the car, no matter how competitive it is. Hamilton and Alonso are completely committed and in love with what they do.

Combine this with their absolutely phenomenal level of talent (they are, after all, two of the best drivers to ever exist) and you have reasons why they can continue to perform like this.

But the fact that so few people have achieved this over the years shows how extraordinary it is and how extraordinary what they do is.

The spa is considered by many to be one of the best events of all time. What makes it so good? So will this 2026 car work well there? – Clive