McLaren now have a ‘head start’ on rivals at Belgian Grand Prix after what they did at Silverstone

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McLaren head into the Belgian Grand Prix with a significant points advantage over their rivals, with Lando Norris now just eight points adrift of teammate Oscar Piastri.

The Sprint weekend presents an opportunity for him to level the playing field with just one race left before the summer break, as a win in both races and second-place for Piastri would put them both on 259 points.

McLaren recently introduced an upgraded suspension for Norris, which has enabled him to get closer to Piastri after losing out in the first couple of races in the season.

Martin Brundle has warned McLaren that ‘fireworks’ could come along with two teammates battling for the title, especially after their collision during the Canadian Grand Prix.

Several of McLaren’s rivals have upgrades planned for Spa Francorchamps, but they are already one step ahead, according to journalist Diego Mejia, when speaking on the Formula Latina podcast.

McLaren already tested components at Silverstone in anticipation of Belgian Grand Prix

The unique nature of the Sprint weekends means that teams only have one practice session to sort out their cars, which can lead to mistakes, as seen with George Russell when he was disqualified from the 2024 Belgian GP.

McLaren have the luxury of bringing driver-specific upgrades to their cars, and now they are using their time at races to get a head start.

“McLaren are going to debut new parts this weekend. They are not necessarily going to declare them because they tested them at Silverstone, so they are so advanced that they have the luxury of testing parts for later races,” said Mejia.

“At Silverstone, they tested something they plan to introduce this weekend because Spa is a Sprint race and there’s only one free practice, so there is not much time to test. So they’ve already got a head start on their work at Silverstone, and that will surely allow them to maintain their lead.”

McLaren expected to bring further upgrades to Spa Francorchamps

Regardless of whether they declare them on the usual FIA car presentation submission sheet, McLaren are expected to introduce the new floor that they ran during practice at Silverstone on both cars for Spa.

This is in line with the plan that was outlined by team principal Andrea Stella, where it is expected to be used in both qualifying and the races.

Norris will be hopeful that the new parts help him close the gap to Piastri, especially considering the opportunity he has to level the playing field.

Nigel Mansell has told Norris what he needs to do to beat Piastri, after the Briton said that racing his teammate was ‘stressful’ at the British GP.