McLaren confident Lando Norris crash power unit salvaged

Lando Norris following his Belgian GP qualifying crash — Photo: © LAT Images

McLaren

McLaren confident Norris crash power unit salvaged

Norris was using a new PU at Spa-Francorchamps

Ian Parkes

Tuesday 31 August 2021 18:10

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McLaren is confident the new power unit fitted in Lando Norris' car ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix can be re-used later this season following his crash during qualifying.

Norris has been the standout performer on Saturday after topping both Q1 and Q2 in the wet conditions when he aquaplaned off the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and into a barrier through Eau Rouge, eventually coming to rest at the Raidillon run-off.

McLaren switched out the power unit for the second one in its pool as a precaution, with team principal Andreas Seidl believing no damage was sustained.

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“We did the inspection on Saturday night and I think also, thanks to the angle of the impact that Lando had, the monocoque was still okay so we could reuse that because that was the first worry," said Seidl.

“It was pretty quickly clear that the gearbox had to be changed so we had to accept the five-place penalty and, obviously, the power unit was inspected in detail once it was out of the car.

“Power unit number three looks basically okay. There are still more checks that need to be done, so as a precaution we went back to power unit number two for the race with the intention to reuse power unit three at future races.”

Seidl praises Norris attitude

Despite the treacherous conditions, Norris immediately apologised for the incident, which Seidl believes says a lot about the British driver's character which is setting an example to the rest of the team.

“With everything Lando has shown so far since he entered Formula 1, he is clearly showing he has everything he needs in order to become a top driver in the future," added Seidl.

“He is only in his third year now but it is impressive to see what he is pulling off inside the car and also outside the car in terms of how he works together with the team, how he voices clearly what he needs from the team in order to perform.

“On top of this is his character, where he is very self-critical as well and is the first one to raise his hand if something went wrong on his side. That is an attitude I like a lot and we like a lot in the team.

"I want to have this culture and attitude from every single member of the team because that is the only way of getting better as a team and moving forward.”