Lando Norris will head to Spa-Francorchamps on the back of a pair of podium finishes at Silverstone and the Hungaroring, and the British racer is aiming to make it a hat trick this weekend.
The McLaren F1 Team driver has benefitted from updates to his MCL60 that were first introduced in the Austrian Grand Prix by finishing second in both the British and Hungarian Grand Prix, the first time in his career that he has taken top three finishes in consecutive races.
Norris says McLaren belong fighting for podiums, but he knows there is still work to do to ensure they continue their form into the rest of the season, and he hopes the hard work and good results continue in Belgium.
“Back-to-back podiums!” said Norris. “It feels good to be back where we belong, but we still have more work to do to keep it consistent for the rest of the season.
“I’m looking forward to racing in Spa. It’s one of my favourite tracks and it should be a good circuit for us. Of course, it can be challenging depending on the conditions, but we will do our best to finish the first half of the season in a strong position.”
“Hopefully, we have another good weekend ahead of the summer break” – Oscar Piastri
Team-mate Oscar Piastri first tasted the updates at Silverstone, and although the Australian rookie is still searching for his maiden top three finish in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, he has seen a dramatic upturn in form that has seen him finish fourth and fifth in the past two races.
Piastri ran as high as second last weekend at the Hungaroring but fell down the order as he struggled with high tyre degradation, which was brought on by damage to his floor.
He goes into his first Belgian Grand Prix with a lot of confidence, and he hopes to carry the recent momentum into this weekend as he bids to join Norris on the podium.
“Belgium up next,” said Piastri. “It’s always good to go racing in Spa, it’s a really great track, and I enjoy a Sprint weekend. The car has been good to us in the last two races, which is positive, but there’s a lot of learning to take into this weekend.
“I was back in the sim at the MTC this week to make sure we extract all the data. Hopefully, we have another good weekend ahead of the summer break.”
Oscar Piastri has finished inside the top five in the two previous races – Credit: McLaren F1 Team