McLaren downplays the impact of Lando Norris’s battery “anomaly” at Spa
McLaren believes that Lando Norris's battery problem at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix did not play a decisive role in the outcome of his race.
Starting from pole after a long delay due to rain and reduced visibility, Lando Norris lost the lead of the race on the first lap, being overtaken by his teammate Oscar Piastri.
An issue with the battery
Shortly after this overtaking, the Briton indicated over the radio that he had encountered an issue with electric energy deployment. However, he downplayed the incident by explaining that the slipstream effect on the long straight had played a much more significant role in his loss of position.
McLaren, moreover, wanted to downplay this technical anomaly. In reality, regarding the use of the battery at the time of the restart, there was a slight anomaly, which actually occurred on both sides, explained team director Andrea Stella, after the race.
« Nothing that particularly penalized Lando compared to Oscar. We continue to analyze the data, but that’s the first feedback I’ve received. »
« I think that overtaking is mainly due to the fact that it is very difficult for the leading driver to maintain the advantage until turn 5. It is not impossible, but you need to have a good lead when crossing the line, which was not the case for Lando », he explains.
Errors that cost Lando Norris the victory?
McLaren allowed an alternate strategy for Lando Norris to give him a chance to catch up to Oscar Piastri at the end of the race. But the British driver made three mistakes that cost him time and left him three seconds behind his teammate at the finish.
Andrea Stella believes that these mistakes prevented any real duel for the victory, while Oscar Piastri extends his championship lead to 16 points.
« Lando locked up the wheels twice at turn 1 and also experienced a small oversteer at turn 9, which made him lose time », explained Andrea Stella.
I think that prevented us from having an interesting battle at the end of the race. But, to be fair, even Oscar lost a bit of time a few times, especially at turn 1.
It’s very difficult when you’re pushing so much in these conditions. It’s hard to stay constantly at the limit of grip, and it’s not always easy to stay on the ideal line, especially when the track remains partially wet and you can very quickly lose grip, he concluded.
