F1 star called to FIA stewards before Belgian GP as possible penalty awaits
An F1 star has been called in by the FIA just before the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Lando Norris has already faced a big setback ahead of the 10th race of the season. The British driver and reigning world champion got a 10-place grid penalty for using more engine parts than allowed.
Norris’ McLaren will have a new battery, which is the fourth one this season—more than the FIA rules let them use.
McLaren decided to take this penalty now because the Spa-Francorchamps track is known for easy overtaking.
This race is also the last chance before McLaren brings their first of two upgrade packages.
Norris comes into the weekend fifth in the drivers’ standings with 97 points and two podiums so far.
Even with this challenge, Norris said he still plans to do well in Belgium: “I hope my weekend doesn’t end before it starts, but I’m confident we can have a good race.
“I’ll have to see how easy overtaking is. We might have a little straight-line speed advantage over some drivers behind us, so that could help.
“Overtaking here can be tricky, but the slipstream effect is strong, and there are a few long straights where you can gain speed from it.”
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Meanwhile, one of Norris’ rivals might face a penalty as well. Haas’ Esteban Ocon was called to the stewards after arriving late to Thursday’s FIA drivers’ press conference.
The French driver, currently 17th in the standings with three points, was supposed to appear with Max Verstappen and Alex Albon but didn’t arrive on time.
The summons said, “The driver and team representative must report to the Stewards at 12:00 on Friday, July 17, 2026, about this incident.”
They noted that Ocon broke Article B10.1.1.a of the FIA F1 Regulations for being late to the press conference.
This rule says that selected drivers must take part in official media activities within a set time before the first practice session. If they miss it, they have to join a separate media session organized by their team.
A similar case happened before: Charles Leclerc and Norris both got €5,000 fines in Monaco, with the penalty suspended for 12 months.