McLaren have yet to hit their stride this Formula 1 season, as the reigning constructors’ champions have yet to win a race. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri came close to winning in Miami and Japan, respectively, but to no avail. And these two Papaya stars have fallen behind their counterparts in the drivers’ standings.
Defending drivers’ champion Norris is currently fifth with 97 points, while teammate Piastri is behind him with 82 points. These McLaren stars had mixed fortunes in the previous race, the British Grand Prix, as Norris finished fourth while Piastri finished 11th.
And right below them is Max Verstappen, who has been recently linked to a sensational move to the Woking-based outfit. The Dutchman also plans to bounce back in the Belgian Grand Prix, but first he has to address his long-term plans with his current team, Red Bull.
Here are the latest Belgian Grand Prix 2026 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Norris dealt with upgrade blow
Lando Norris has improved his form recently after back-to-back DNFs in Canada and Monaco. The Briton finished third in Barcelona, seventh in Austria, and fourth in Silverstone, giving him some momentum ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
However, he will start Sunday’s race on the back foot, as Norris will take a 10-place grid penalty. McLaren decided to fit a new power electronics unit to Norris’ car to address recent reliability struggles of his MCL40, exceeding their permitted number of allocated power electronics units.
Norris has been held back on multiple occasions by issues with the power unit, which caused him to fail to start in China and further problems in Japan and Monaco. Drivers’ standings frontrunner Kimi Antonelli also had similar power unit problems with his W17 in Barcelona and Silverstone. Besides addressing his power unit, Norris shared that McLaren will give him a new rear wing for this weekend’s race, as well as upcoming planned packages in Hungary and the Netherlands.
Norris’ penalty is a huge boost to teammate Oscar Piastri, who suffered an opening-lap collision with Liam Lawson during the British Grand Prix that dropped him to the back of the field before he eventually finished out of the points in P11.
Vertstappen tight-lipped on Red Bull future
Max Verstappen was recently linked to a potential move to McLaren, where he’ll likely swap with Oscar Piastri. On top of that, the Dutchman even floated the idea of walking away from Formula 1, since he is becoming disillusioned with his current team’s direction. He is currently seventh in the drivers’ standings with 76 points, as he has yet to win a race this season.
When he was recently asked about his future, Verstappen didn’t say much to the media. The fact he didn’t reaffirm his commitment to Red Bull speaks volumes, although any chatter about him leaving the Milton Keynes outfit is pure speculation at this point.
History
The Belgian Grand Prix is one of the most iconic events on the Formula 1 calendar, and it is also known for its unpredictable weather. This was the case last year when the formation lap was suspended due to the inclement weather, and the race began under intermediate conditions with the drivers moving behind the Safety Car.
Oscar Piastri won last year’s edition after a late lock-up by teammate Lando Norris for his eighth career victory. This also marked the first time McLaren won in Spa since 2012, when Jenson Button won the race, and their first one-two finish at the circuit since 1999. At the time, this was also McLaren’s sixth one-two of the campaign, making it the most they had achieved in one season since Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna achieved 10 in 1988.
What are the odds?
The Belgian Grand Prix 2026 odds don’t exactly favour the Papayas this weekend. In qualifying, Kimi Antonelli (2.50) and George Russell (3.50) are expected to battle for pole position, with Lewis Hamilton (4.50), Charles Leclerc (6.00), and Max Verstappen (9.00) lurking, and Oscar Piastri (29.00) and Lando Norris (34.00) are distant challengers.
This is also the case on Sunday, as Norris and Piastri are priced to win the actual race at 26.00 and 51.00. Meanwhile, the drivers above them are Antonelli (2.40), Russell (4.00), Hamilton (4.50), Leclerc (6.50), and Verstappen (13.00). McLaren are also expected to be the fourth-best team on the grid at 15.00.
Moreover, rounding out the Top 9 are Isack Hadjar (81.00), Arvid Lindblad (401.00), and Liam Lawson (401.00), and the rest are quite a long shot at 501.00 to win.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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