Mercedes and Ferrari wary of each other ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa this weekend

On paper, Spa is a track where the Mercedes W17 can flex its muscles, but that was also the case in Silverstone, where Ferrari emerged on top with Charles Leclerc winning from George Russell as Kimi Antonelli retired with car problems. Lewis Hamilton was on the podium in third.

And while the W17's dominance has been more consistent, Ferrari's form has fluctuated over the course of 2026 so far, so will the Scuderia's SF-26 perform well this weekend at Spa and spring another surprise on a track where power is king?

"For me, ​Silverstone and Spa are two tracks that will suit ⁠Mercedes a lot better," Leclerc told the media in Spa on Thursday. "At Silverstone, it was ​honestly a surprise for us also to be strong.

"But we were also lucky on the Sunday because Kimi was probably as strong as what ​we expected.

"So, yeah, I think in Spa Mercedes is still ​the favorite," the Monegasque maintained.

On the other hand, Formula 1 Championship leader Antonelli admitted Mercedes will be in good form in Spa but insisted Ferrari cannot be overlooked.

He said: "Our car has been quick at every race, so for sure I’d expect ​us to be up there. But Ferrari were also very strong at Silverstone.

"It was a surprise, but to be fair, we always kind of expected them to ⁠be ​up there because, especially when it comes ​to qualifying, they seem to find some extra time.

"So definitely we think they can ​be up there this weekend," the 19-year-old Italian concluded. (Reporting by Agnes Carlier from Spa-Francorchamps)