McLaren Highlights Lando Norris’ Strong Pace That Could Have Secured Second at Belgian GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expressed surprise at the team’s strong performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, noting that Lando Norris, who started seventh due to a grid penalty, had the pace to finish second.

Norris incurred a 10‑place grid drop after installing a fresh Mercedes power unit for the Spa weekend, which exceeded his season‑long allowance following earlier reliability setbacks.

Although McLaren anticipated that the high‑speed layout of Spa‑Francorchamps would present more straightforward overtaking opportunities for Norris to recover from his penalty, the team remained uncertain about its overall performance at the Ardennes circuit following a difficult showing at Silverstone.

Norris excelled in qualifying, securing third position behind polesitter Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who gained an advantage from a tow courtesy of teammate Isack Hadjar. During the race, the reigning world champion also demonstrated strong pace for McLaren, employing an alternate strategy that involved starting on hard tyres before pitting for mediums midway through the event.

According to team principal Andrea Stella, Norris was capable of contending for a podium finish on raw pace had his grid penalty not been imposed.

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Even with the grid penalty, Norris remained in contention for a podium; however, during a mid‑race virtual safety car, McLaren elected to keep him on track rather than pit for a cheaper stop.

The team’s rationale involved running more than half the race on a single set of medium tyres and also safeguarding against a possible later safety car. Nevertheless, a sluggish 7.8‑second pit stop ultimately compromised Norris’s podium aspirations.

Oscar Piastri sustained damage after being squeezed by Charles Leclerc.

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Stella attributed McLaren’s recent performance gains to the unique grip conditions at Spa and the team’s superior utilisation of its Mercedes power unit, whereas Ferrari’s power shortfall was more evident at the circuit and it lacked the corners needed to compensate.

Team‑mate Oscar Piastri endured a difficult afternoon after sustaining damage when squeezed by Charles Leclerc at Turn 5. The resulting loss of downforce hindered his progress through traffic, relegating him to fifth behind Lewis Hamilton, before he inherited fourth following George Russell’s lap‑1 retirement.

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