McLaren was forced to fit Norris' third and final allowed battery pack to enable his participation in final practice and qualifying at Suzuka on Saturday after identifying a fault, according to team principal Andrea Stella. This follows a similar problem that sidelined Norris at the Chinese Grand Prix a fortnight ago due to an issue with his engine's battery. Stella confirmed the battery component from China is lost, compounding the team's challenges.
The team hopes to repair the failed battery pack from Suzuka and that Norris has not lost another component of the three allowed in a season, with Stella noting they hold out hope that Norris might retain two functioning battery packs: the one installed for the race and the one removed before final practice. If the failed battery pack cannot be fixed and a fourth is needed later this season, Norris' predicament will become truly critical, potentially triggering a penalty. Meanwhile, an unintended overtake during the Japanese Grand Prix has highlighted broader control issues, with Martin Brundle expressing serious concerns regarding Formula 1's 2026 regulations after Norris disclosed that his vehicle passed Lewis Hamilton entirely without his intention.
The problem we noticed before the start of FP3 was on the same power unit component, the Hertz module, which includes the battery. The only way was to remove the pack is to investigate it. Once investigated, we realised that it will take time to attempt a repair. We needed to give Lando the possibility to do the session, so we introduced a third battery pack, but we hope that we are going to be able to repair this [failed] battery pack and that we have not lost another component of the three allowed in a season, because the one that had the fault in China, that one is lost.
Norris explained that he didn't want to overtake Hamilton, but it happened due to battery deploys he couldn't control. The battery problems at Suzuka required McLaren to make another change before final practice and qualifying after identifying a fault, adding to the urgency of the situation. To participate in those sessions, McLaren had to fit Norris' third and final permitted battery pack for the entire season, leaving no room for further failures without penalty.
Stella's confirmation of the lost component from China underscores the cumulative impact of these issues on Norris's season-long allocation. The specific technical details of how McLaren plans to manage Norris's battery usage for the remaining 19 races of the season remain unclear, as does whether the failed battery pack from Suzuka can be repaired and reused. It is unknown if Norris will need a fourth battery pack later in the season, which would result in a grid penalty.