McLaren driver Lando Norris will take a 10-place grid penalty for Saturday’s Belgian Grand Prix after his team fitted a new energy store to his Formula One car.
The change marks the fourth energy store used by Norris this season, exceeding the three permitted under Formula One’s power unit regulations and automatically triggering a grid drop.
The penalty is expected to compromise Norris’ qualifying result at Spa-Francorchamps, forcing the British driver to fight his way through the field during the race weekend.
Despite the setback, McLaren opted to introduce the fresh component to improve reliability for the remainder of the campaign, prioritising long-term performance over a stronger starting position in Belgium.
With the championship battle entering a crucial phase, Norris will now look to limit the damage by recovering as many positions as possible on one of Formula One’s most demanding and overtaking-friendly circuits.
