Piastri’s key suspension decision

The thrilling all-McLaren title fight between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris heads to the iconic Spa Francorchamps this weekend and the Aussie has a key decision to make.

Since the Canadian Grand Prix, McLaren has tweaked the front suspension geometry and it has helped Norris rediscover his best.

The Brit was previously struggling with “numbness” in the MCL39, but the slight suspension tweak has helped him trim Piastri’s championship lead from 22 points to eight after back-to-back wins in Austria and Great Britain.

Whilst Norris himself has played down the impact, stating it is “impossible to put a number on it” the results are clear.

However, Piastri has yet to adopt the suspension layout and has continued racing with the earlier design, as the Australian has not experienced the same dramas as his teammate.

The boy from Brighton does not appear too keen on adopting it and following Norris’ lead given he had adapted well to the original car and it will be interesting to see if he choses to run it at Belgium or Hungary in the following two weeks.

Lando Norris, McLaren, driving on track during FP2 at the 2025 F1 British Grand Prix. Image: McLaren.

The #81 driver was very clear to label it as “something different” and not an upgrade.

“I’ve not used it ever yet,” Piastri said. 

“The thing is, for me, it’s not an upgrade. It’s just something that is different.

“It makes some things potentially a bit better, it makes some things a bit worse. 

“If it was just all benefits, I would be putting it on with no questions asked. 

“But for me I’ve not really struggled with that kind of particular feeling.

“The year has been going pretty well, so I’m more keen to just keep the car consistent and worry about how we get the most out of the set-up and the other upgrades we actually have, than this change to the suspension.”

However, the decision may not be solely Piastri’s call with McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella revealing the team is weighing up whether the suspension geometry should be rolled out across both cars.

“The different front suspension set-up does not complicate the way we look at the data, or the way we compare how well the two cars are doing from a car performance point of view or a driving performance point of view,” Stella told The Race. 

“That’s not a problem itself.

“If anything it is more a problem from a parts point of view, because we need to have various specifications that we carry with us.

“We are actually discussing whether some of the options adopted by Lando might be interesting for Oscar in the future. This will be evaluated.”

Oscar Piastri flew at Spa last year.Photo by Sam Bagnall / LAT Images

No matter what suspension Piastri persists with, he will be a threat to become the third Australian to win the Belgian Grand Prix, following Jack Brabham (1960) and Daniel Ricciardo (2014).

He is not afraid to reveal the famous track that blasts through the scene of the Battle of the Bulge is his favourite on the F1 circuit.

It is a place he has always enjoyed, getting a podium in his first Spa start in the 2018 Formula Renault Northern European Cup.

He took a Belgian victory during his 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup title campaign before finishing fifth and sixth in F3.

Spa was where Piastri challenged for a f1 victory for the first time in 2023, leading the Sprint before finishing a strong second to the near-unbeatable Max Verstappen.

Piastri and the team celebrate his podium in the Spa Sprint Race. Image: LAT

Following an unlucky DNF due to a first-corner clash with Carlos Sainz on the Sunday, the Aussie bounced back well when he returned in 2024.

Starting fifth Piastri was the only driver to challenge the fast Mercedes during the Grand Prix and secured second which proved to be a solid back up from his maiden win the week before.

“The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is my favourite track, so I’m excited to return to Belgium,” he said.

Image: McLaren

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