Dr Helmut Marko is tempering expectations for a Max Verstappen win this Sunday at Spa-Francorchamps.
Despite a strong recovery from the Hungary debacle, showing impressive pace in the initial practice session at his preferred circuit in Belgium, Verstappen was subsequently slower than both McLarens in the second practice session.
"We're in the running," team principal Christian Horner asserted. "According to our measurements, (Lando) Norris was pushing the engine harder than us.
We're comparing ourselves more with (Oscar) Piastri," who edged out Verstappen by a mere two-thousandths of a second.
Following its introduction in Hungary, the newly designed engine cover, notable for its lack of the usual humps, was reverted to its old style on Verstappen's car on Friday. Horner clarified that this swap was pre-planned.
"We are only using the different engine cover," he explained. "The rest of the car is the same.
"This has always been the plan for the fast tracks - here and Monza.
We change depending on the circuit."
While Sergio Perez continues with the pre-Hungary car specification, Verstappen tested a novel wave-shaped rear wing during the Belgian GP practice.
Verstappen is also debuting a new power unit, resulting in a ten-place grid penalty. "It will be very difficult on Sunday," team consultant Marko acknowledged.
"At the moment it does not look like it will be a victory. We will see if we can make any (setup) changes, but we are not so worried about McLaren's pace. It's about finding the right balance in the car."
Additionally, on Friday, the FIA mandated that all teams apply specific reference stickers and cameras on the front wings, aiming to investigate the field's emerging and newfound flexibility methods.
"The intention is to measure all front wings over several race weekends," an FIA source revealed.
"The data we collect will lead to a better general understanding of flexibility in order to define future regulations."
