Reigning world champion Lando Norris is edging dangerously close to an FIA grid penalty after a troubled weekend for McLaren at the Japanese Grand Prix, where persistent battery issues once again disrupted the team’s progress in the 2026 season.
The Woking-based outfit has endured a frustrating start to the campaign, failing to match the pace and consistency of rivals Mercedes and Ferrari. Despite entering the year as back-to-back constructors’ champions, McLaren have been unable to mount a serious challenge at the front, with reliability problems—particularly involving their energy store systems—continuing to undermine their performance.
As a customer team using Mercedes power units, expectations were high that McLaren would remain competitive. However, while Mercedes have dominated the opening rounds with consecutive one-two finishes in Australia and China, McLaren have struggled simply to complete clean race weekends. Battery-related faults have plagued both drivers, leaving the team on the back foot early in the season.
For Norris, the situation has become increasingly concerning. The British driver encountered multiple technical setbacks throughout the Japanese Grand Prix weekend at Suzuka International Circuit, with his running heavily limited during Friday’s practice sessions due to ongoing issues with his MCL40.
The most significant blow came ahead of the final practice session (FP3). Reports emerged that a fault with the car’s energy store system (ES) would likely prevent Norris from taking part altogether. Although McLaren mechanics worked swiftly to install a replacement unit, allowing him to return to the track late in the session, the damage may already have been done in terms of his season outlook.
According to the FIA Technical Delegate’s report, Norris has now used his third energy store unit of the 2026 campaign—the maximum permitted under the regulations. While this latest change complies with current rules, it leaves him with no margin for further failures. Any additional energy store replacement later in the season would automatically trigger a grid penalty.
This development puts Norris in a precarious position for the remainder of the year. With reliability still a concern, the likelihood of exceeding the allowed component allocation appears high, meaning a penalty at some stage of the season is almost inevitable unless McLaren can stabilise their technical issues.
The problems are not limited to Norris alone. His team-mate, Oscar Piastri, has also endured a miserable run of reliability, having yet to complete a full race distance under the new regulations. The Australian showed glimpses of improvement during the early stages of the Suzuka weekend, but the team’s underlying issues remain unresolved.
McLaren’s struggles were further highlighted at the previous round in China, where separate battery-related failures prevented both Norris and Piastri from even starting the race. In Norris’ case, a software fault rendered his energy store unusable and caused permanent damage, forcing the team to remove it from his component pool entirely.
Despite the mounting setbacks, team principal Andrea Stella remains cautiously optimistic. There is hope within the team that one of Norris’ previously used energy store units can be repaired and returned to service, potentially easing the pressure on his limited allocation.
Speaking during a broadcast segment, it was suggested that while Norris is already at the limit of his allowed components, McLaren may be able to rotate between two functioning units if repairs are successful. This could delay the need for an additional replacement—and the resulting penalty—but it is far from a guaranteed solution.
Even with this potential lifeline, the broader picture remains troubling for McLaren. Their inability to resolve recurring technical issues has left them trailing their main competitors, and the threat of penalties only compounds their difficulties. For a team that entered 2026 with championship ambitions, the current situation represents a significant setback.
As the season progresses, all eyes will be on whether McLaren can address their reliability concerns and keep Norris within the regulatory limits. If not, the reigning champion’s title defence could be further compromised by grid penalties that may prove costly in an increasingly competitive field.
For now, Norris remains on the edge—one more failure away from punishment, and with little room left for error.
