# The Battery Deficit: Why Lando Norris Dismisses McLaren’s Spa Practice Pace

**By Luca Bertolini**  \nPublished August 4, 2026  \nUpdated September 9, 2026

> Lando Norris clocked the second-fastest time in FP2 at Spa-Francorchamps, but telemetry traces and blunt warnings from the McLaren garage reveal a sobering underlying reality.

When practice pace on a legendary power circuit presents a muddled picture, the timesheets can tell a dangerously flattering story. Nearly a full second separated the top six cars during soft-tyre qualifying simulations in the second practice session at Spa-Francorchamps. Only Lando Norris managed to breach the gap, coming within two-tenths of championship leader Kimi Antonelli's benchmark after finding nearly 1.8 seconds between FP1 and FP2. Yet neither the reigning world champion nor McLaren technical director Neil Houldey were prepared to entertain the notion that second place genuinely reflected the car's position in the competitive pecking order.

FP1 not great, to be honest – FP2 a little bit happier, said Norris (Motorsport.com). I'm still not very happy with the car – it's still very, very difficult to drive, but we seemed a bit closer. But we're always pretty close on Friday in free practice, I think we just show more pace than some of our competitors. From as far as we can see, we made some improvements with the car from FP1 to FP2. We seem relatively competitive. But, yeah, we're certainly not getting ahead of ourselves. I think we shouldn't expect anything different from normal.

Complicating matters further, Norris heads into the weekend facing a 10-place grid penalty for taking new power unit components outside his permitted allocation—specifically exceeding his power electronic units. But the deeper concern for Woking lies away from internal combustion punch and squarely within the complex electrical architecture of the 2026 power units.

## The Energy Budget and Telemetry Realities

Spa has always demanded a brutal setup compromise. The low-drag requirements of the first and third sectors contrast sharply with the high downforce needed for the sweeping radius corners of the middle sector. Under the 2026 regulations, that challenge has multiplied because limited heavy braking zones and sparse lift-and-coast opportunities starve the hybrid system of recharge windows.

There's just lack of deployment everywhere, Norris added (Motorsport.com). Every single straight, we lack deployment, to be honest. I think the worst one is through Blanchimont. We go from almost 320km/h to 270, because we just have no battery left. So, every single straight, we're clipping.

Although McLaren purchases its power units from Mercedes, the works operation maintains a distinct advantage in extracting efficient downforce from its chassis while mastering electrical deployment and harvesting. A side-by-side telemetry comparison of Norris and Antonelli during their qualifying simulations exposes stark tactical differences in how that electrical energy budget is spent:

- **Eau Rouge & Raidillon:** Norris spent less electrical energy on the downhill run, losing ground to the Mercedes. Speed differentials peaked at Raidillon before Norris clawed back velocity, holding a terminal advantage of roughly 5km/h on the Kemmel Straight.
- **Les Combes to Bruxelles:** Antonelli initiated 'super clipping' earlier approaching the chicane, playing a longer game while Norris maintained higher top speed on the run to Bruxelles.
- **Pouhon & Fagnes:** The pendulum swung back as Antonelli reached a peak around 15km/h faster on the descent toward Pouhon, stretching the gap to three-tenths. Norris recouped roughly 13km/h on the run toward Fagnes before Antonelli deployed more aggressively toward Blanchimont.

## Setup Compromises and the Works Advantage

McLaren arrived in Belgium equipped with a new low-drag rear wing, yet the aerodynamic package could not fully mask the energy deficit. While McLaren appeared to deploy more electrical power early on the Kemmel Straight and clip less at its termination, the works Mercedes package executed a more disciplined, sustainable harvesting profile across the entire lap.

I think Lando got the most out of the car as it was in that session, so I don't think we can say that second is the position we're truly in, noted Houldey (Motorsport.com). I think we've got opportunities in deployment – everyone's got opportunities in working out what optimal deployment is for the rest of the weekend. But no, pleased that we're there or thereabouts in FP1, FP2 and therefore hopefully take that through to qualifying.

**Weekend Context:** McLaren's Friday preparations were further compromised by early garage delays—Norris faced minor issues in FP1, while Oscar Piastri lost 20 minutes to a hydraulic leak at the start of FP2. Late running on high fuel was subsequently cut short by a red flag caused by Pierre Gasly's heavy crash.

## Evidence-Led Forecast

As the weekend pivots toward qualifying and Sunday's grand prix, the underlying data points to a tightly compressed field where practice timesheets flatter McLaren's true pace. Norris himself warned that Red Bull traditionally masks its true performance on Fridays, anticipating Max Verstappen's camp to factor heavily into the sharp end of the grid once engine modes and setup windows are fully unleashed. With a 10-place grid penalty locked in for Sunday, Norris's afternoon will rely less on single-lap glory and more on whether McLaren can untangle its deployment deficit overnight.

## Sources

- [motorsport.com](https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/were-not-getting-ahead-of-ourselves-why-norris-was-downbeat-despite-practice-pace-in-belgium/10839588/) — original
- [au.motorsport.com](https://au.motorsport.com/f1/news/were-not-getting-ahead-of-ourselves-why-norris-was-downbeat-despite-practice-pace-in-belgium/10839589/) — original
- [formula1.com](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-wary-of-mclarens-belgian-grand-prix-chances-despite-strong-friday.5Us1OU5GoM5WnIc5ilQTI6) — original
- [autosport.com](https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/were-not-getting-ahead-of-ourselves-why-lando-norris-was-downbeat-despite-belgium-f1-practice-pace/10839605/) — original
- [Newsroom](https://motorcyclesports.net/lando-norris-secures-second-in-belgium-practice-but-warns-mclaren-still-struggles-with-deployment/) — original
- [racingnews365.com](https://racingnews365.com/lando-norris-issues-ominous-red-bull-warning-despite-strong-mclaren-start) — original
- [Stuart Codling Fri, July 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTC · 4 min read](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/were-not-getting-ahead-ourselves-190009407.html) — original