Welcome at RacingNews365

Become part of the largest racing community in the United Kingdom. Create your free account now!

  • Share your thoughts and opinions about F1
  • Win fantastic prizes
  • Get access to our premium content
  • Take advantage of more exclusive benefits
Sign in
Lando Norris

Lando Norris on brink of F1 penalty after major McLaren change

Lando Norris could be facing a grid penalty sooner rather than later.

XPB 1403562 Hi Res
Article
To news overview © XPBimages

Lando Norris is sitting on the brink of an F1 grid penalty after exhausting his allocation of critical power unit components just three races into the 2026 season. 

The reigning world champion has already used all three of his permitted energy store and control electronics components, leaving him with zero margin for error should further reliability issues strike.

Under FIA regulations, any driver requiring a fourth component of either type will incur an automatic 10-place grid penalty for the first offence, with subsequent violations carrying five-place drops.

The 26-year-old has endured a nightmare opening to the campaign, languishing in sixth place in the drivers' standings with just 15 points. 

His troubles were augmented last time out in China, where a catastrophic battery failure prevented him from starting the race. 

The software issue permanently bricked the energy store, wiping out one-third of his season's allocation in a single stroke.

Further misery followed at Suzuka, where a hydraulic leak confined Norris to the garage for over 20 minutes during FP2, severely hampering his preparation.

The team was then forced to carry out another power unit change ahead of the final practice session, keeping him in the garage for another lengthy period of time.

Explore the latest F1 results and every stat you can imagine - From Max Verstappen to Michael Schumacher and from Ayrton Senna to Lewis Hamilton — explore every stat from the first Grand Prix to the latest race.

Explore the RN365 Stats Hub

Join the conversation!

Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.

Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar

A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..

F1 calendar 2026
Race Date
jpn Japanese GP 29 Mar 2026
usa Miami GP 03 May 2026
can Canadian GP 24 May 2026
mco Monaco GP 07 Jun 2026
esp Barcelona GP 14 Jun 2026
aut Austrian GP 28 Jun 2026
Full calendar
x
LIVE 2026 F1 Japanese Grand Prix - Qualifying