– McLaren driver Lando Norris does not believe in a realistic title chance in the 2026 Formula 1 season after two recent pole positions and two Grand Prix victories at the Hungaroring and in Zandvoort: “It’s not like last year, when we were pretty good everywhere,” said Norris. Because his current McLaren MCL40 is only very strong “in certain areas”.
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The car shines especially in fast sections, Norris explained. “That’s where we improved it the most, and no one can keep up with us there. That’s good, of course.”
In Zandvoort, this was particularly evident in turns 7 and 8, i.e., in the two challenging right-hand corners at the beginning of the second sector. There, McLaren had an “incredible pace advantage” over Mercedes.
The data from GP-Tempo confirm this thesis: The mentioned passage was the point of greatest McLaren dominance in qualifying in Zandvoort. Norris gained about one and a half tenths of a second there on championship leader Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes.
Where McLaren is (still) at a disadvantage with the MCL40
But according to Norris, that’s only one side of the coin: “Mercedes also has an incredible pace advantage over us in slow corners.” And that’s the reason for Norris’s restraint when he talks about the rest of the season.
“I’m not confident enough to say: ‘Yes, I can easily fight for the world championship for the rest of the year.’ I simply don’t have the car I need for that right now.”
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Norris: If McLaren improves now, then …
He was aware of the implications of his statement, Norris said. “But I believe I realized in 2025 what I need from a car and what I have to achieve myself. I also know which tracks are still ahead of us and on which we will certainly face greater difficulties.”
“That’s why I’m doing my part to ensure that we as a team don’t let up and certainly don’t become complacent. We have to work harder than ever before – even harder than in the past two years when we won world championships,” Norris explained.
The goal is to improve vehicle performance in slow sections. Then, according to Norris, it would be possible “that I can win every race this season. But if we don’t improve in slow corners, it will be much harder for me to believe that.”
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And then there’s the current situation in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings: Norris has caught up with his victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, but still only occupies fourth place with 159 points – currently 83 points behind championship leader Antonelli.
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