P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren “resisted the temptation” to cater towards the wet conditions with its set-up choice as its two cars qualified fifth and sixth at Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix. The Woking-based squad entered the round having dominated at the Hungaroring and striving to capitalise on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen taking a 10-place grid drop. However, McLaren’s […]
The Woking-based squad entered the round with high hopes after dominating at the Hungaroring but McLaren’s encouraging practice times didn’t translate to a strong performance in the damp conditions, with Lando Norris finishing fifth and Oscar Piastri sixth. Despite this, Max Verstappen believes McLaren will be strong contenders when the track dries up for the race, praising their pace in dry conditions and their rear wing configuration for overtaking. McLaren’s Technical Director Stella revealed the team’s strategy of maintaining a lower-downforce setup for the dry race at Spa, despite not having a clear advantage in straight-line speed compared to their rivals. Norris remains optimistic about McLaren’s decision, hoping that their lower downforce setup will pay off in the race, while acknowledging Red Bull’s superior performance throughout the weekend, particularly highlighting Sergio Perez’s front row start. Nonetheless, Norris is prepared to take on the challenge of overtaking fast cars like Perez’s Red Bull in the race.
