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Lando Norris to serve 10‑place grid penalty at Belgian GP
McLaren confirmed that British driver Lando Norris will start the Belgian Grand Prix from tenth place on the grid after the team fitted a fourth power‑electronics unit to his car. The FIA permits only three such units per season, and the fourth exceeds the limit, triggering an automatic 10‑position penalty. McLaren explained that previous units suffered reliability failures in China, Japan and Monaco, and that the latest Mercedes‑supplied upgrade offers improved durability, prompting the change at Spa‑Francorchamps where overtaking is easier than at the upcoming Hungarian and Dutch rounds.
During the weekend, Max Verstappen topped practice sessions, leading the field on a fast lap, while the race schedule runs from 17 to 19 July on the historic 7‑kilometre Spa‑Francorchamps circuit.
The penalty reduces Norris’s chances in the tightly contested 2026 championship, where he currently sits fifth behind leaders Kimi Antonelli and others.