Lando Norris blames McLaren in bold Belgian GP claim
Norris said McLaren’s strategy and a slow pit stop added 16 seconds to his race time, leaving him seventh after a 30-lap hard-tyre stint.
- On Sunday, Lando Norris finished seventh in the 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, claiming his pace was "good enough for easily a podium" despite a 10-place grid penalty for a Control Electronics Unit change.
- McLaren opted for a long strategy, keeping Norris on his initial rubber during a virtual safety car opportunity, as the driver noted that current power units dictate pace rather than individual driver control.
- During the VSC, the team opted against double-stacking, leaving Norris on track before a lap 31 pit stop where a rear-left tyre problem caused a 7.8-second delay, compounding his misery.
- After the pit stop, Norris became a "sitting duck" as Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri overtook him, with the driver lamenting he could not have made the race "any more difficult."
- Commentator Martin Brundle criticized current power unit concepts after the Belgian and British weekends, urging officials to "get rid of this concept as soon as possible" to preserve great corners at Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The reigning champion was dissatisfied with Spa
Lando Norris blasts 2026 F1 rules for power units controlling drivers, not the other way
Lando Norris has delivered a scathing critique of Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, asserting that the current power units are wresting control from the drivers and jeopardizing the integrity of competition at the highest level. The reigning Formula 1 World Champion, who secured third on the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix, painted a stark picture of frustration and technical unpredictability that is reverberating throughout the paddock. At the heart…
McLaren is behind the development, Lando Norris seems to pay the price for the dramatic final sprint to win the World Cup title from the previous year. What illustrates how dependent the drivers are on their cars.
But a strategic decision by McLaren and a stop at the disastrous stand finally ruined his ambitions despite a spectacular pace. He was sentenced to 13th, but for a long time he had been able to win a podium at the Belgian GP.
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