Lando Norris Frustrated by Multiple Belgian GP Setbacks

Lando Norris believes he had the pace to challenge for victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, but a series of setbacks removed that opportunity throughout the race.

The McLaren driver originally qualified third. However, he received a 10-place grid penalty for taking new power unit components outside his seasonal allocation and therefore started from 13th.

Norris then worked his way through the field but did not pit when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Several rivals running hard tyres benefited from the intervention, while the timing of the VSC was considered too early for Norris’ strategy.

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“The pace was incredible. We were quick enough for a podium, but everything was made tougher by the fact that I had to start from P13,” Norris said.

He estimated that he lost approximately 10 seconds by not stopping under the VSC. That deficit was then increased by another five or six seconds through a slow pit stop when Norris eventually entered the pit lane.

“So there were around 16 seconds added to my race time. That made my life incredibly tough,” he added. McLaren will review whether Norris should have been called in during the VSC period.

Norris believed the car possessed the outright pace required for a podium and potentially a challenge for victory. However, the grid penalty, strategic circumstances and slow pit stop made his race increasingly difficult from the start.

The result added to McLaren’s frustration during a challenging season. After beginning 2026 aiming to defend its championship, the team remains without a victory and again failed to convert its underlying pace into the maximum result in Belgium.