Lando Norris told to question McLaren about ‘suspect situation’ that helped Oscar Piastri win Belgian Grand Prix

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Lando Norris looked as if he was beginning to take control of the Formula 1 title fight. But Oscar Piastri reasserted himself by winning the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Norris had won back-to-back races for the first time in his career (in the same season) and arrived at Spa with a chance to take the lead. Instead, Piastri has extended his advantage to 16 points, which should at the very least keep him top heading into the summer break.

The Australian had put his teammate under extreme pressure in Spielberg, and he was seething with the 10-second penalty that handed Norris victory at Silverstone. There had been no real dip in his performance levels even though he’d gone three races without a win.

Taking on the hunter role himself at Spa, Norris made multiple mistakes that squandered the advantage of his more durable hard tyres. Had he kept it clean, he would likely have been close enough to mount a late attack on Piastri.

Matteo Bobbi says Lando Norris must question McLaren battery issues

The decisive moment at the Belgian Grand Prix came on the first racing lap as Piastri powered past Norris on the Kemmel Straight. The race eventually got underway behind the safety car after an 80-minute rain delay.

Norris complained afterwards that he had ‘no pack’ – i.e. insufficient battery to defend. The team replied that he’d burned through some energy before the climb up Eau Rouge.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown said Piastri’s deployment wasn’t optimal either. But Sky Italy pundit Matteo Bobbi noted that the championship leader had a vast speed advantage on the straight even without DRS, and called on Norris to ask questions.

“There’s a battery issue surrounding McLaren’s race at Spa,” said Bobbi, a former test driver for Minardi. “Lando immediately complained about not having any, while the team let him know they’d used it a lot on the descent.

“Then Zak Brown, CEO of Woking, added to Sky that Piastri had the same problem. But in my opinion, there’s something to understand because the speed difference was almost as big as with DRS open. A bit of a suspect situation.”

Lando Norris shows how much he respects Oscar Piastri with McLaren teammate comparison

Damon Hill says Piastri passed Norris with ‘extraordinary’ ease, suggesting that the polesitter was nursing an issue. It’s worth noting that the slipstream effect at Spa is known to be particularly powerful.

Alex Brundle applauded Piastri for his tyre management, which forced Norris to pit. The lap times from car 81 held up much better than expected.

Prior to the race, Norris called Piastri the toughest teammate he’s faced. That’s a mark of just how much he respects the 24-year-old.

Norris hasn’t finished below his teammate in the standings since 2020, just his second year in the sport (when he was alongside Carlos Sainz). But with Piastri providing an answer to everything that’s thrown at him, that streak is now at risk.