Norris McLaren’s Spa Masterstroke: Rain and Super Undercut Deliver Points

Lando Norris’ 2023 Belgian Grand Prix weekend at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit began with promising pace, yet his race day appeared to be spiraling out of control as early as lap 17. What transpired next was a masterclass in strategic adaptability and opportunistic driving, turning a potential disaster into a points-scoring finish against all odds.

The McLaren driver’s initial stint on soft tyres proved challenging, with the car struggling for pace and grip, causing him to lose a disheartening four positions within the opening laps. This early struggle prompted the McLaren pit wall to make an aggressive, perhaps premature, strategic call: pit Norris as early as lap five for a set of hard compound tyres. This was a significant gamble, as the team – and indeed, most of the grid – had little to no data or experience with the hard tyres over a race distance that weekend. The gamble quickly backfired, as the hard tyres offered minimal grip, causing Norris to plummet further down the order, eventually being relegated to 16th place by the two Alfa Romeo drivers.

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella openly acknowledged the miscalculation. “The goal was to get Lando out of the cars around him, give him some free air and try to go long to then finish on a soft tyre,” Stella explained, detailing the original intent behind the risky hard tyre switch. “But I have to admit that our judgment on the grip of the hard tyres was incorrect. The tyres didn’t have much grip at all and Lando found himself again in the mix of the other cars.” The initial strategy seemed to have locked Norris into a spiral of underperformance, with little hope of recovery through conventional means.

However, salvation for Norris and McLaren arrived from an unexpected quarter: the heavens above Spa-Francorchamps. Shortly before the halfway point of the 44-lap race, a light drizzle began to fall across the circuit. While the rain never intensified enough to warrant a switch to full wet or even intermediate tyres, it was significant enough to transform track conditions and force every driver to exercise extreme caution. Even race leader Max Verstappen, who reported a massive scare navigating the treacherous Eau Rouge and Raidillon complex, was compelled to back off, losing as much as five seconds per lap during this period. The delicate balance between speed and control became the defining factor on the damp asphalt, leveling the playing field and creating a window of opportunity for those brave enough to seize it.

Recognizing this critical shift in conditions, McLaren saw their chance. They urgently needed to get Norris off the underperforming hard tyres. In a bold and unconventional move, they summoned him into the pits on lap 17 for a fresh set of soft tyres. This timing was remarkably early for a second pit stop, especially considering that some drivers, like George Russell, hadn’t even made their first stop by this point. It was a high-risk, high-reward strategy – an aggressive undercut that hinged entirely on Norris being able to extract maximum performance from the softs in marginal conditions and making them last an extraordinary distance.

The decision proved to be an inspired one. Emerging from the pits in last place, Norris immediately found his rhythm on the fresh, warm soft tyres. The combination of newfound grip and his inherent talent for driving in challenging conditions allowed him to lap seconds faster than the entire field. In a remarkable display of pace between laps 19 and 22, Norris was untouchable. No other driver could match his speed; the second-fastest drivers during these crucial laps – Verstappen on laps 19 and 22, and Nico Hulkenberg in between – collectively lost a staggering 5.3 seconds to the McLaren. This period of blistering pace was the bedrock of his improbable recovery.

Andrea Stella elaborated on the team’s strategic brilliance. “Luckily the race gave us the opportunity to rectify the situation by going on soft very early,” he said, highlighting the pivotal role of the rain. “We timed going on soft with the rain.” This wasn’t merely a stroke of luck; it was the culmination of meticulous preparation and real-time analysis. “I would like to praise the work done by our people that from the factory and from the track supporting the operations by observing the rain development because they gave us information that allowed us to think that we can go through the rain on dry tyres.” This synergy between trackside operations and remote analysis allowed McLaren to make an informed, audacious decision that fundamentally altered the course of Norris’s race.

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“Timing this on to the soft tyres allowed Lando to recover a massive amount of time on anybody else that was out there on the used tyres and they needed to be much more careful than Lando while driving under the rain,” Stella added. Other drivers, still nursing older, harder compound tyres, found themselves losing precious seconds lap after lap to Norris’s relentless charge. This cumulative gain formed the basis of what effectively became a “super-undercut,” a strategic maneuver where a driver gains a disproportionately large number of positions by pitting much earlier and capitalizing on significantly faster out-laps while competitors remain on track with worn tyres. The upshot was an astonishing recovery of 12 places when other drivers eventually made their own pit stops, catapulting Norris into an improbable seventh-place finish. Even Norris himself confessed to being surprised by the outcome, stating, “I wasn’t quite sure how I got there.”

A lesser-known factor contributing to Norris’s remarkable feat was McLaren’s car setup. For the Belgian Grand Prix, the team had opted for an ‘over-winged’ configuration, meaning his car had a higher level of downforce than many of his rivals. While this setup provided greater aerodynamic grip, particularly through the high-speed corners of Spa’s middle sector, it came at the cost of straight-line speed. Before the race, Norris had predicted that McLaren’s rivals would enjoy an advantage of up to 25kph in the DRS zones, a prediction that largely came to fruition in dry conditions. This compromise often puts a car at a disadvantage on a power-sensitive circuit like Spa.

However, what was initially a potential weakness transformed into a significant advantage when the rain began to fall. The extra downforce provided crucial stability and grip on the damp track, allowing Norris to push harder and maintain control where others were struggling. Furthermore, this high-downforce setup proved instrumental in helping him manage and preserve his soft tyres for a mammoth 27-lap stint – an extraordinary distance for a soft compound, especially in mixed conditions. Higher downforce can reduce tyre slip, thereby mitigating wear over a longer run, and in this case, it was a critical enabler for the success of the extended soft tyre strategy.

Stella confirmed the synergy between setup and strategy. “Because we had enough downforce in the middle sector, that’s the reason why we could extend the run on the soft so long and actually retain competitiveness even when the rubber was almost finished on the soft tyres,” he stated. This highlights that Norris’s P7 finish was not just about quick thinking and skillful driving, but also about the underlying engineering choices that, by chance or design, converged to create the perfect storm for a dramatic comeback. It was a testament to McLaren’s ability to adapt, showcasing how a challenging start can be overcome with strategic foresight, effective communication, and a touch of unexpected weather.

2023 Belgian Grand Prix lap chart

The positions of each driver on every lap. Click name to highlight, right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:

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2023 Belgian Grand Prix race chart

The gaps between each driver on every lap compared to the leader’s average lap time. Very large gaps omitted. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:

2023 Belgian Grand Prix lap times

All the lap times by the drivers (in seconds, very slow laps excluded). Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and toggle drivers using the control below:

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2023 Belgian Grand Prix fastest laps

Each driver’s fastest lap provides crucial insight into their peak performance potential and the moments where their car and tyre combination truly shined. While Lewis Hamilton ultimately secured the fastest lap of the race, the list below highlights the single quickest effort by each driver, illustrating individual bursts of speed across various stints and conditions, including how the evolving track conditions influenced overall pace.

Rank	No.	Driver	Car	Lap time	Gap	Average speed (kph)	Lap no.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1’47.305		234.98	44
2	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull-Honda RBPT	1’48.922	1.617	231.49	32
3	23	Alexander Albon	Williams-Mercedes	1’49.841	2.536	229.55	35
4	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas-Ferrari	1’49.907	2.602	229.42	26
5	24	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	1’50.188	2.883	228.83	27
6	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams-Mercedes	1’50.236	2.931	228.73	36
7	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull-Honda RBPT	1’50.308	3.003	228.58	31
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1’50.436	3.131	228.32	30
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine-Renault	1’50.439	3.134	228.31	27
10	77	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	1’50.515	3.210	228.15	26
11	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1’50.603	3.298	227.97	25
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine-Renault	1’50.911	3.606	227.34	25
13	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin-Mercedes	1’50.938	3.633	227.28	42
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas-Ferrari	1’50.993	3.688	227.17	27
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT	1’50.994	3.689	227.17	25
16	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin-Mercedes	1’51.297	3.992	226.55	26
17	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT	1’51.394	4.089	226.35	26
18	4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes	1’51.682	4.377	225.77	26
19	55	Carlos Sainz Jnr	Ferrari	1’53.138	5.833	222.86	9

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2023 Belgian Grand Prix tyre strategies

Understanding the tyre strategies deployed by each team is fundamental to dissecting the ebb and flow of a Formula 1 race. This chart, typically visualizing the sequence and duration of tyre compounds used by each driver, would reveal the strategic choices made under race conditions, the impact of the early rain, and how teams reacted to changing circumstances at Spa.

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2023 Belgian Grand Prix pit stop times

Pit stop efficiency is a critical component of modern Formula 1, with mere tenths of a second often determining track position and strategic success. This table provides a detailed breakdown of how long each driver’s pit stops took, from entry to exit. It highlights the consistency and speed of the pit crews and can reveal any delays or exceptional performances that influenced the race outcome, such as the crucial stop for Lando Norris on lap 17 which set the stage for his remarkable comeback.

Rank	No.	Driver	Team	Complete stop time (s)	Gap to best (s)	Stop no.	Lap no.
1	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	22.61		1	9
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	22.71	0.1	2	29
3	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	22.737	0.127	2	24
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	AlphaTauri	22.843	0.233	1	5
5	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	22.887	0.277	1	14
6	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	23.012	0.402	2	30
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	23.023	0.413	2	27
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	23.085	0.475	1	6
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	23.085	0.475	1	10
10	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	23.09	0.48	1	12
11	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams	23.109	0.499	3	34
12	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	23.148	0.538	2	28
13	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	23.156	0.546	3	42
14	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	23.224	0.614	1	13
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	AlphaTauri	23.29	0.68	2	22
16	55	Carlos Sainz Jnr	Ferrari	23.303	0.693	1	7
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	23.339	0.729	2	25
18	77	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	23.362	0.752	1	6
19	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	23.529	0.919	3	33
20	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams	23.57	0.96	1	8
21	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	23.572	0.962	2	25
22	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	23.596	0.986	2	23
23	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	23.638	1.028	1	5
24	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	23.684	1.074	1	13
25	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	23.744	1.134	2	17
26	77	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	23.786	1.176	2	24
27	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	23.798	1.188	2	29
28	63	George Russell	Mercedes	23.837	1.227	1	22
29	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams	23.938	1.328	2	24
30	24	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo	24.045	1.435	2	25
31	24	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo	24.449	1.839	1	7
32	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas	24.571	1.961	1	12
33	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	25.012	2.402	1	5
34	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	25.015	2.405	1	7
35	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas	25.238	2.628	2	24
36	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	25.397	2.787	1	20
37	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	25.664	3.054	1	23

2023 Belgian Grand Prix

• Haas drivers fear losing battle for seventh after “grim weekend” in Spa
• Mercedes optimistic they’re “in the right place for winter” with development plan
• Ferrari not convinced by call to equalise engines: ‘Renault is not so far away’
• Ferrari staying “calm” amid swings in performance from race to race
• Pirelli proposes new “super-intermediate” to address wet weather tyre problems

Browse all 2023 Belgian Grand Prix articles