McLaren driver Oscar Piastri lost significant time on the straights during qualifying for the Belgian GP despite using the same power unit settings as his teammate Lando Norris. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella attributed this to the self-learning systems in the 2026 power units, which recalibrate themselves on every lap, and even within a single lap, anticipating energy management needs.
The spa's energy deficiency made the situation even worse.
Spa-Francorchamps, with its long straights and fast corners, is one of the tracks that offers the least opportunity for energy recovery. Under these conditions, drivers had to navigate the second sector with only about 540 horsepower from the internal combustion engine; this is even less than the 620 horsepower produced by the Mecachrome engines used in Formula 2 races. According to Stella, the self-learning system is extremely sensitive: very small changes in the driver's pedal or uncontrollable factors such as grip and sudden fluctuations in wind direction can translate into large time differences later in the lap. Indeed, Piastri noticed that even though he performed equally well against Norris in all corners during qualifying, a gap of up to two seconds formed at the end of each section.
Piastri summarized the situation to Motorsport.com with these words: “It’s a terrible feeling, I can’t express it any other way. You finish qualifying and look at all the corners, you’re on the same level as your teammate but you’re still behind him. That’s not a good feeling at all. A racing mentality where the qualifying grid is determined by computers, whether they behave or not, is really awful.” It should also be emphasized that Piastri is not the only driver experiencing this problem; according to him, George Russell also experienced similar power unit failures at Spa and with Kimi Antonelli in the last few race weekends.
Norris: 'It cost me dearly throughout the entire season'‘
Ironically, Norris was on the advantageous side at Spa this time, stating it was the first weekend he had been pleased with his performance on the straights. However, the current world champion emphasized that the problem had persisted for him throughout the season: “To be honest, this has cost me dearly all year. I think this weekend is the first race in the whole season where I’ve been competitive on the straights. Pressing the button a few meters early or late sometimes makes a big difference; some things are under your control, but many things, more than necessary, are completely out of your control,” he said. Norris added that in 2026, drivers’ influence on qualifying results will decrease dramatically, especially at tracks like Spa.
There is no short-term solution.
Piastri knows that the ratio of internal combustion engine to electric power will eventually shift to a 60-40 balance, but he doesn't think this change will solve the problems. “It’s directly related to engine calibration and learning; changes in fuel flow or reduced storage won’t solve these specific issues. There will be improvement as all manufacturers get to know their engines better, but when I talk to other drivers, I understand that this problem exists in all engines, not just ours or Mercedes',” he stated. According to Piastri, the fact that the problem has reached this magnitude is already disturbing in itself.