Belgian Grand Prix: F1 trial new driver change...have you spotted it yet?

Belgian Grand Prix

F1 trial driver change at Belgian Grand Prix...have you spotted it yet?

Keep your eyes peeled for this change this weekend!

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 27 July 2025 13:27

Formula 1 are trialling a new change to cars this weekend, in the hope of being able to help fans to spot their favourite drivers more easily.

F1 heads to Spa-Francorchamps and the iconic circuit for the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, the 13th round of the 2025 F1 season.

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It's the 100th anniversary since the first ever Belgian GP, and motorsport has moved on radically since then, with 2025's F1 car designs hitting the track's iconic corners at unprecedented speeds.

However, one aspect of F1 that still proves to be tricky for fans of the sport, and indeed for commentators, is distinguishing between the two different cars per team, and spotting certain drivers.

Now, F1 have implemented a new measure to try and help with this, with driver name abbreviations set to appear on the 'T-cam' this weekend to help fans pick out their favourite driver.

The T-cam sits on top of all cars, and has already often been used to pick out drivers, with it largely being recognised that the 'number one' driver has a black T-cam, while a second driver in the team has a fluorescent yellow T-cam.

This unwritten rule has become harder to use in recent years, however, with many teams preferring to have two equal drivers. The abbreviated names will help with this, and will be in place from the Belgian GP weekend onwards.

Iconic helmet designs have been one way of keeping track of drivers during races

2026 regulation changes

While these superficial changes will be implemented for the rest of the 2025 season, 2026 is set to see a whole range of technical regulation changes.

Both power units and car designs will undergo radical change in 2026, which will likely cause a shake up in the competitive order up and down the grid for various teams.

Max Verstappen - who is all but out of the 2025 drivers' championship battle - will be hoping that his Red Bull team are able to get the jump on their competitors in 2026, and give him a car that is once again capable of challenging for titles.

Car numbers have been another way of being able to spot drivers in recent years, particularly since they were enlarged on car designs back in 2017, and Verstappen's number has been one since the 2022 season.

Only the world champion at the time is able to select the car number one, so Verstappen is looking likely to lose that privilege for 2026 as it stands.

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Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps