The Belgian GP race left McLaren with a pleasant feeling thanks to the performance of driver Lando Norris. Despite having to recover a 10-position penalty on the grid, Norris showed remarkable speed, managing to climb up to seventh place.
The team principal, Andrea Stella, stated that with a Mercedes battery change that exceeded the allowed limit, Norris could have fought for second place. The intensity of competition at Spa-Francorchamps, a circuit that usually facilitates overtaking, created positive expectations following the disappointing performance at Silverstone.
During qualifying, Norris achieved a promising third position, behind polesitter Kimi Antonelli and world champion Max Verstappen. His speed during the race allowed the team to think they could fight for podium places, despite the initial penalty.
Stella indicated that without the penalty, Norris would have been in a position to compete for a podium place. ‘We are very satisfied with the pace he was able to show,’ Stella said. ‘The car performed well in both qualifying and the race, so it was reasonable to expect more than what turned out to be possible.’
A notable aspect was McLaren’s decision not to pit during a Virtual Safety Car. This choice was based on the idea of managing tire wear but ultimately penalized Norris due to the lack of a subsequent Safety Car opportunity that would have facilitated his strategy.
The notion that the team should have taken advantage of the situation to make the stop became evident in retrospect. Stella admitted that the strategy was not effective, and that, over time, valuable seconds could have been saved during the race. Furthermore, on the horizon, the director emphasized the need to achieve greater consistency in results despite the variability of the circuit.
Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri, also had a complicated day, suffering damage to his vehicle after an incident with Charles Leclerc, finishing the race in fifth place.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
