F1's Busy Weekend In Belgium Headlined By Announcements, Engine Penalties

Formula One is back in Belgium hoping to make up for what became a farcical 2021 Grand Prix, that included one lap and half points.

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit nestled in the Ardennes Forest is a fan favorite and has a few reprofiled corners that were already giving some drivers issues.

The first day of the race weekend was already more interesting than last season's rain-soaked semi-Grand Prix. There were announcements galore and crop of fresh engine penalties for two championship hopefuls.

Alfa Romeo Leaving F1

Alfa Romeo was one of the earliest names in Formula 1 and has been on and off the grid over the years. They returned most recently in 2018, but have announced that their name will not appear on the grid after 2023.

The current iteration of Alfa Romeo is a commercial and technical partnership with Sauber Motorsport. While the relationship between the team and the Italian automaker goes deeper than just the name, the team isn't a full-on works team like a Mercedes or Ferrari.

Alfa Romeo has had a strong season, but the iconic Italian brand will no longer be part of Formula 1 after 2023. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)

“Since the economic and industrial turnaround of the brand will be achieved in 2022, Alfa Romeo will now evaluate among the many opportunities on the table, and decide which will be the best one to sustain the long-term strategy and the positioning of the Brand,” they said in a statement.

Losing a big brand like Alfa Romeo isn't great for F1, but fortunately, another one announced its F1 plans.

Audi Will Enter F1 In 2026

Formula 1's released the next generation of engine regulations over the summer break. One of the main goals was to keep costs down to entice new manufacturers into the series.

That already seems to have worked as German manufacturer Audi announced their plan to enter Formula 1 as an engine supplier starting in 2026.

Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the Formula One Group, Mohammed ben Sulayem, FIA President, Oliver Hoffmann of Audi, and Markus Duesmann Audi CEO announce that Audi will join F1 as an engine supplier from the 2026 season before practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Audi is part of Volkswagen Group. What's interesting is that so is Porsche. They're believed to be close to a deal for a partnership with Red Bull.

The Red Bull-Porsche announcement hasn't been made yet but it was alluded to. Volkswagen brass confirmed that the Audi and Porsche F1 projects will be completely separate.

You Get An Engine Penalty And You Get An Engine Penalty

It was like Oprah Winfrey was handing out the engine penalties this weekend. Seven drivers will be taking new power unit parts resulting in grid drops, including championship leader, Max Verstappen.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc — currently second in the driver standings — will also start from the back of the grid. He took new components related to the power unit's electrical energy system, namely a new MGU-K and energy storage.

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen is one of six drivers already taking engine penalties for the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix. (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)

Also taking penalties are McLaren's Lando Norris, Alfa Romeo's Valteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, Alpine's Esteban Ocon, and Haas' Mick Schumacher.

Many teams have opted to take the inevitable engine penalties at Spa for a reason. It's a track suitable for overtaking, allowing teams to make up lost ground.

Qualifying will be extra important with so many drivers taking penalties. A strong showing on Saturday will help minimize the points damage.

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