McLaren blames downforce setup for struggles in wet conditions at Spa

F1 Grand Prix, GP Belgium, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

McLaren driver Lando Norris blamed the downforce setting of his car for his struggles in the qualifying session at the Belgian Grand Prix which saw him take only fifth on the grid.

Alongside a low-downforce setup, McLaren made their life not easy with their approach as they opted to come out on their fresh inters early in Q3. It didn’t prove to be the best strategy as their tyres were not in the best shape as the track improved, and in the end Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had to settle for what will be fourth and fifth.

“Mixed feelings today. I was struggling at points, and it felt like I was a little bit off the pace, which is frustrating. I think we paid the price for a slightly lower downforce, so hopefully, it comes back to us tomorrow after some work overnight.

"Starting P4 tomorrow keeps us in the fight and provides a great opportunity to gain positions," concluded the Briton.

Although Oscar Piastri looked quick in the opening segment of qualifying, he slightly lost out in the final part, taking only sixth on the grid.

Piastri added: "They were tough conditions in Qualifying today and we felt reasonably good, we just didn’t quite get the most out of the new set of tyres in Q3. A little improvement would have made a decent difference, however, we go into tomorrow with confidence. It’s a long run through Eau Rouge and a long race ahead, so we’ve got plenty of chances to move forward and fight for the top spots.”

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella was not too disheartened after the qualifying session as he hopes that the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps will allow overtaking opportunites, enabling Norris and Piastri to gain places in the 44-lap race.

“Qualifying was wet throughout, and conditions were made particularly tricky with the level of rain being variable. We managed the sessions effectively and the drivers drove well.

"We have good positions from which to start the race tomorrow and Spa-Francorchamps is one of the easier circuits on which to overtake. The car also looks strong in the sort of dry conditions that are forecast.

“Of course, having looked very competitive on Friday and even in the rain earlier today in FP3, we felt we could fight for pole position, but the reality this afternoon was that Verstappen was a bit too fast for us, while Leclerc, Hamilton and Perez have done good jobs.

"We may have left a few tenths out there on our final laps but everyone will say the same. We now look forward to making progress tomorrow in the race.”