McLaren encouraged by Norris pace despite grid penalty setback
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expressed strong encouragement after Lando Norris demonstrated podium-contending pace at the Belgian Grand Prix, believing the British driver could have finished second without a 10-place grid penalty. Norris took the drop after exceeding his annual allocation of Mercedes batteries due to earlier reliability issues, starting well behind his qualifying position of third behind polesitter Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, who benefited from a tow by team-mate Isack Hadjar.
The team had anticipated that Spa-Francorchamps would offer straightforward overtaking opportunities to mitigate the penalty, but remained uncertain about their competitiveness following struggles at Silverstone. Norris validated the car’s potential with rapid qualifying pace and impressive race speed on an alternate strategy, starting on hard tyres before switching to mediums past the halfway point.
Strategy call under virtual safety car proves costly
A mid-race virtual safety car presented McLaren with a strategic dilemma, and the team opted to keep Norris on track rather than take a cheaper pit stop. The decision was driven by concerns over completing a long stint on medium tyres and a desire to cover against a potential later safety car, but Norris subsequently lost time being overtaken while a slow 7.8-second stop further damaged his podium hopes. Stella acknowledged in hindsight that pitting under the VSC would have been the better choice, as no further safety car materialised.
Stella attributed McLaren’s improved form to Spa’s specific grip characteristics and better exploitation of the Mercedes power unit, noting Ferrari’s power deficit was more pronounced at the Ardennes circuit. He cautioned that the team remains susceptible to track conditions and aims to achieve consistency across all venues. Team-mate Oscar Piastri finished fifth after sustaining damage when squeezed by Charles Leclerc at Turn 5, the resulting loss of downforce hampering his progress in traffic.