Lando Norris showed promising speed during the second free practice session at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing just behind Kimi Antonelli. Despite this encouraging pace, the McLaren driver remains cautious about his team's overall competitiveness for the weekend.
Norris posted the second fastest time in Free Practice 2 at Spa-Francorchamps, trailing Antonelli by less than two-tenths of a second. However, he assessed McLaren as still "probably the fourth fastest" car on the grid, reflecting a realistic view of the team's position relative to rivals like Red Bull, Mercedes, and Alpine. Norris is set to take a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding the permitted number of power electronic units, but he emphasized that this penalty has not altered McLaren's approach to the race weekend.
The driver also noted that Red Bull typically does not reveal their full pace during Friday sessions, expecting them to be quicker in qualifying and the race. Norris experienced some car issues during the first practice session, while his teammate Oscar Piastri faced a hydraulic leak that delayed his start in FP2. Additionally, a red flag late in the second session limited the opportunity for high-fuel runs, restricting the team's data collection for race pace.
Between the two practice sessions, McLaren made some improvements to their car and aimed to continue progressing in the third free practice. Norris expressed some skepticism about maintaining the Friday pace into qualifying and the race, referencing previous occasions this season where strong FP2 times did not translate into similar results later in the weekend.
Overall, Norris’s comments underline a measured and pragmatic outlook on McLaren’s performance at Spa-Francorchamps. While the team showed encouraging speed in practice, the challenges of the weekend remain, especially with the grid penalty and the usual unpredictability of race pace at this circuit.
This assessment provides insight into McLaren’s current standing in the competitive field and highlights the cautious optimism within the team as they continue to develop their car throughout the weekend.