Lando Norris will take a 10-place grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix after McLaren exceeded the permitted number of power electronics units. The team opted to incur the penalty at Spa, where overtaking is relatively straightforward, rather than compromise the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix where the car should perform better.

The penalty stems from reliability issues with Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains' power electronics. Norris failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix due to a terminal issue, and subsequent units suffered problems in Japan and Monaco. McLaren stated they will use this fourth unit for the remainder of the season to maximize reliability while minimizing sporting penalties.

McLaren will debut a new rear wing design at Spa with a conventional opening style, unlike the somersaulting designs from Ferrari and Red Bull. Max Verstappen suffered high-speed crashes at the previous two races, forcing Red Bull to revert to a conventional wing.