Carlos Sainz is one of several drivers to continue criticising the 2026 regulations, the Williams driver insisting that they have ruined qualifying.

"I think no one out there is enjoying the qualifying lap as much as we did last year," said the Spaniard after qualifying 15th for today's race. "I think it's clear that we've lost quite a bit with these cars around Spa," he added.

"Having said that I don't want to keep belittling my own sport because it's not going to do any good.

As expected, and not for the first time this season, the 50/50 split between ICE and electrical power, and the consequent need for energy management, is handicapping drivers, who are said to be losing as much as 30 mph (50km/h) in S3 as their engines have run out of power.

Sainz wants to know why this wasn't foreseen by the powers that be.

"Hopefully next year is a step better, and the year after that another step better," he continued. "But what I said is whoever saw these simulations in 2022-2023 and looked at it and said ‘how can we even accept that?' He needs to review what happened there because it should have never happened.

"But now we are here, we're having some exciting races, the sport is still growing. So time to move on."

"I'm pretty sure we saw it straight away," agreed Lewis Hamilton, who at the beginning of the season was one of the few supporters of the rules overhaul. "I don't know who made the decision, whoever it is, they've still got their job."

Having claimed pole position, Kimi Antonelli was specifically asked about Pouhon. "From the apex afterwards, we had no deployment, so it was easy," said the Mercedes driver. "It was flat all the way. It was not like last year."

"It's the whole track," added Max Verstappen. "It's a different Spa, but I mentally readjust to it."

"It's not a corner anymore," agreed Lando Norris. "It was easy flat."

Asked, in terms of energy management, what the worst parts of the track are, Verstappen said: "For most of sector two, you run just on the engine, so what is that? Four hundred and fifty, five hundred horsepower, something like that, which is, I guess, more or less what a Formula 3 car has, but with F1 downforce. So, you can imagine, of course, that that is not very exciting to drive.

"But honestly, I don't want to sit here and complain again," he continued, "because probably someone will shoot me outside the door.

"Like I said before, I'm mentally just adjusting to it, and I'm trying to make the best out of it, even though, of course, it's not what I like or what I love to do in Formula 1. But I can also sit at home and drive nothing, and that also doesn't do anything, so I'm just trying my best."