McLaren set for major Belgian GP boost to further hammer F1 rivals

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has confirmed his team will be using its new floor on both cars at the Belgian Grand Prix following a successful trial at Silverstone.

The Woking-based squad has enjoyed a triumph-filled opening half to the campaign, winning nine of the 12 races staged.

With a major technical regulation overhaul coming for 2026, teams are beginning to shift their entire focus to next year's challengers.

While McLaren is no exception, it has continued development of the MCL39, which included the deployment of a new floor at the British Grand Prix during free practice.

The unit will now be fitted to both cars at Spa-Francorchamps next weekend.

“More of the same, maybe not a 30-second win, but more of the same,” Brown told Sky F1 when asked for his expectations for the Belgian event. 

“This [the British GP] was a unique race because of the [weather] situation. 

“The floor worked well, so we'll be unwrapping that and throwing that on both cars. 

“It was always intended to just be a test part this weekend, but we were happy with what we saw.”

McLaren holds a strong lead in both championships. In the constructors' standings, it is only a matter of when, not if, it retains its title with a 238-point lead over nearest rival Ferrari.

In the drivers' title race, whilst Max Verstappen cannot be discounted, his challenge appears to be fading as he trails Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by 69 and 61 points respectively.

Brown asserted the season has not been stress-free for McLaren despite its successful journey through the first half of the campaign.

“I think all these races have been epic, even though the numbers are - what is it, nine [wins] out of 12?" he said.

“Every race is pretty high stress, so as long as they're great to watch on TV, I hope we do another nine out of 12, but it's an exciting season.”