McLaren left the qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix of Formula 1 with reasons to celebrate and also to regret. Lando Norris secured third position in Q3, but will not be able to convert the result into a starting position due to a ten-place grid penalty, which dropped him to P13.
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The Briton’s performance reinforced the perception that the team took a step forward at Spa-Francorchamps. Oscar Piastri, on the other hand, faced a more complicated session, finishing qualifying in seventh after difficulties finding the ideal car balance, but with Norris’s penalty, he will start in P6.
“I’m very happy to have qualified third today. We had an incredible start in Q3, we extracted absolutely everything from the car and managed to put all the pieces together. Unfortunately, the ten-place penalty means we won’t start from there, but it’s good to see that we are heading in the right direction,” said Norris.
The McLaren driver also praised Mercedes’ performance, which took pole position with Kimi Antonelli: “Mercedes on pole is no surprise, so congratulations to Kimi. Still, we can take positives because we are clearly faster than several cars ahead of us on the grid,” he added.
Norris believes the race could offer recovery opportunities: “We hope to make some overtakes and get back near the front. We’ll see what we can do,” the Brit concluded.
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Piastri, in turn, admitted that the team had difficulties throughout Saturday: “It was a more complicated day for us. We had problems finding the right car balance and extracting the maximum in terms of lap time,” he explained. The Australian highlighted that it was necessary to use an extra set of new tires in Q2, evidencing the challenge faced by the team.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella assessed the performance as progress compared to recent stages. According to him, the new wing used in Belgium adapted well to the circuit’s demands, although there are still issues related to the power unit usage and the difference to Mercedes.
“Today was a step forward for us. On such a balanced grid, a few tenths can represent three or four positions. Spa offers racing and overtaking opportunities, so we are confident that we can fight for important points,” Stella concluded, highlighting that Norris has the potential to advance through the pack, while Piastri will try to stay close to the front group.
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