Norris wary of McLaren's Belgian GP chances

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleResultsStandingsDriversTeamsF1 UnlockedOpen menuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-wary-of-mclarens-belgian-grand-prix-chances-despite-strong-friday.5Us1OU5GoM5WnIc5ilQTI6.5Us1OU5GoM5WnIc5ilQTI6"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-wary-of-mclarens-belgian-grand-prix-chances-despite-strong-friday.5Us1OU5GoM5WnIc5ilQTI6","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-wary-of-mclarens-belgian-grand-prix-chances-despite-strong-friday.5Us1OU5GoM5WnIc5ilQTI6","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-wary-of-mclarens-belgian-grand-prix-chances-despite-strong-friday.5Us1OU5GoM5WnIc5ilQTI6","datePublished":"2026-07-17T17:17:56.787Z","dateModified":"2026-07-17T17:17:56.787Z","headline":"Lando Norris wary of McLaren's 2026 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix chances despite strong Friday","author":"F1","description":"Lando Norris believes that McLaren is \"still probably the fourth fastest\" car on the grid despite an encouraging day of practice ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9Centre/f_auto/q_auto/v1784215796/trackside-images/2026/F1_Grand_Prix_of_Belgium___Previews/2286389913.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Lando NorrisOscar PiastriMcLarenShow more tagsNorris wary of McLaren's Belgian Grand Prix chances despite strong FridayMcLaren's Lando Norris finished second fastest in Free Practice 2 in Belgium after a productive day. Lando Norris believes that McLaren are "still probably the fourth fastest" car on the grid despite an encouraging day of practice ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. The reigning World Champion finished second quickest on Friday at Spa-Francorchamps, just under two tenths slower than Kimi Antonelli in the day's second, one-hour session. Norris heads into the weekend knowing that he will also serve a 10-place grid drop for Sunday's race due to exceeding the permitted number of power electronic units, but that did not change how he or McLaren approached the sessions. "We've not really changed anything this weekend, no reason for us to expect anything different," said Norris post-FP2. "Red Bull don't normally turn up on Friday, so we're going to get two [cars in the mix] tomorrow, they'll be just as quick or if not quicker, so let's wait and see. "I think we probably turned up with the Mercedes and the rest of them didn't, so I think we're still probably the fourth fastest. Seems like if we can get things right then we might be a little bit closer than we were in Silverstone." Norris was delayed slightly at the beginning of FP1 due to car issues, while a hydraulic leak kept McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri in the garage for 20 minutes at the start of FP2. Despite showing impressive one-lap pace, Norris was sceptical whether this would remain throughout the weekend, while a red flag at the end of FP2 after a crash for Alpine's Pierre Gasly limited runs on high fuel. "I think in terms of pace at the end we seemed good on one lap," said Norris. "We seemed reasonable but there's been quite a few times this season where we seem good enough in FP2 and we're off come Qualifying. "Today was more just getting through our plan in FP1. Wasn't the cleanest FP1, we had a few problems and a few issues which didn't allow us to get out of the garage as quickly as we wanted to. "Obviously would have been nice to get a few more laps in the end without the red flag to learn some more about high fuel. I think we made some improvements between the sessions and we have to see if we can do another step into FP3." Download the Official F1 AppYour ultimate companion into
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