Shock for Norris/McLaren: 10-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix – due to Mercedes

This is a bitter pill to swallow for Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris: On 16 July, his team McLaren admitted that a fourth control unit was required for his car’s engine, which, according to the regulations, results in a 10-place grid penalty.

During the Chinese Grand Prix, the first control unit failed, meaning the Englishman was unable to even start the race.

The second control unit started playing up during free practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka and had to be removed again; at the time, the hope was that it could be repaired and reused later. So the third control unit was fitted to the car, and no more than three of these components are permitted per season.

Control unit number 2 was indeed successfully repaired and was used in Monaco, where it then failed during the second practice session.

McLaren has stated: “The third control unit is performing reliably, but Mercedes has since made some adjustments to the electronics. To benefit from these improvements, it is essential to use a new unit.”

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“As Belgium is a circuit where positions can be made up, we have chosen this track for the mandatory change. That is a wiser choice than the Hungaroring or Zandvoort.”

“We expect to be able to use this fourth control unit in Lando’s car until the end of the season.”