Lando Norris has been handed a 10-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix after McLaren confirmed the British driver would exceed his permitted allocation of power electronics units for the 2026 Formula 1 season. The decision, officially confirmed by the FIA on Friday, follows a challenging series of reliability issues that have plagued Norris and the Woking-based team throughout the year.
McLaren will introduce its latest Mercedes power unit at Spa-Francorchamps, the first use of the advanced engine by the team since the introduction of the Mercedes works squad in Austria. As a result, Norris will take his fourth power electronics unit of the campaign – exceeding the regulatory limit of three.
The FIA’s Formula 1 technical representative, Joe Bauer, confirmed the penalty in a formal note, stating: “The control electronics unit used by Lando Norris is the (fourth) of three (3) new control electronics units permitted for the 2026 championship season and does not comply with B8.2.2e) of the 2026 Formula One Sporting Regulations.”
McLaren explained in detail the technical failures that resulted from this decision. The team revealed that Norris’ first power electronics unit failed before the start in China, preventing him from taking the grid. The second unit installed in Japan was withdrawn for repairs after problems in free practice, forcing the team to switch to the third and final permitted unit. Although the Japanese unit was later repaired, it suffered another terminal failure in FP2 at Monaco, causing it to be removed from Norris’ allocation once again.
In its statement, McLaren explained: “The McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team will fit car No. 1 with a fourth power electronics unit at Spa this weekend, exceeding our permitted number of allocated power electronics units and incurring a 10-place grid penalty. Car No. 1’s first power electronics unit suffered a terminal problem in China, which meant Lando was unable to start the race. Lando’s second power electronics unit, fitted in Japan, suffered issues. After remedial work there was a need to withdraw for free practice, which entailed going to the third and final power electronics unit within the permitted allocation.
The team further explained that while the third unit used has been reliable since Miami, the Mercedes-AMG High Performance powertrain has recently introduced a reliability upgrade to its new power electronics system. To benefit from these improvements, McLaren opted to take penalties at Spa rather than at the upcoming rounds in Hungary or Zandvoort, a circuit renowned for its overtaking opportunities.
McLaren concluded: “We have chosen to do this in Belgium, a circuit where overtaking is relatively more prevalent, unlike the following two events in Hungary and Zandvoort. We now plan to use this fourth power electronics unit for the remainder of the season, in order to maximize reliability while minimizing sporting penalties at Landau.”
The grid penalty is a significant blow for Norris as the team attempts to stabilize its season amid ongoing technical problems.
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