Lando Norris nears grid penalty as McLaren face more battery issues at Japanese Grand Prix | Latest Sports News

McLaren’s battery swap for Lando Norris at the Japanese Grand Prix has put him just one replacement away from a grid penalty.

Lando Norris is close to the punishment after McLaren was forced to make another battery change ahead of the third and final practice session in Japan, his second swap this season. Under F1 regulations, drivers are limited to just two battery packs per season, and this latest change means Norris is now on his last allowable unit.

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Norris’ start to the season has been plagued with reliability problems. An electrical issue in China meant he couldn’t even start the race, and similar technical problems followed him into Japan.

After missing out on Friday’s track time due to both electrical and hydraulic issues, he managed only 14 laps during FP3 before heading back into the garage with more car troubles. The team did get him out in time for some late laps, but every missed minute added up ahead of qualifying.

Adding to that workload was another hydraulic problem that ended his first session early and took until midway through FP2 for engineers at McLaren’s Woking headquarters to fix.

Another battery swap would trigger a grid penalty for Lando Norris

Ted Kravitz reported during FP3 coverage that all three of Norris’s battery packs are now in his pool. Any further issues with this component will lead to a grid penalty under the current rules.

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“On fire up, they found there was a problem with the battery pack, and bear in mind that it was already the second of the three that he’s allowed for the season,” Kravitz said.

“So, this is number three going in now. Of course, once they identify and they’re able to fix the pool of three batteries, then that might mean that you can do half a season or maybe more on three energy recovery system battery packs.

“Use more than three, and you’ll get a grid penalty. That’s probably the least of Lando Norris’ worries, something for the future.”

The team have had ongoing issues adapting to Mercedes’ 2026 power unit regulations while Mercedes themselves have looked strong since the start of testing.

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Andrea Stella had anticipated an early-season jump in performance after testing but says Brixworth’s lack of technical support has been a hurdle for their customers.

Mercedes monitoring McLaren battery issues closely as concerns grow

McLaren’s struggles with their Mercedes-supplied battery packs haven’t gone unnoticed, especially by the team at the front of the grid. During FP3, Ted Kravitz pointed out that engineers from Mercedes were seen taking an active interest in what was happening in the McLaren garage.

Speaking during Sky Sports F1 coverage, Kravitz said: “Somebody from Mercedes has actually been into the garage. I mean, Mercedes rather than Mercedes High Performance Powertrains on the McLaren side.

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“So, one of the top battery guys from Mercedes, I’ve just seen him poke his nose in the back of the McLaren garage because of course they’re neighbours in the pit lane, and what happens for McLaren could so easily happen to George Russell or Kimi Antonelli.

“So Mercedes wants to understand exactly what the problem is, what McLaren are doing to fix it, and diagnosing everything on that side of the garage.”

Kravitz suggested that there was “a lot more going on” behind closed doors with more people getting involved at Woking as they try to figure out a solution before Norris needs another change.

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