– In the year after his World Championship win, McLaren driver Lando Norris is only in fifth place in the Formula 1 overall standings at the summer break. Nevertheless, Norris claims he is driving better than ever.
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He said after his win at the Hungarian Grand Prix: “I actually feel that in this half of the season up to this point I have driven partly better than last year – even if it almost hurts a bit to say that, because it does not automatically mean that you win.”
Because in 2025, after eleven Grands Prix, Norris was in second place in the World Championship with 201 points, 15 points behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. In 2026, however, his deficit to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is already 91 points.
What Lando Norris says between the lines
The significantly worse World Championship starting position does not seem to match Norris’ self-assessment at first glance. The McLaren driver is aware of this apparent contradiction. “Unfortunately, I am not leading the World Championship by a large margin. I really can’t say much more about that.”
Between the lines, however, Norris said a lot: According to his assessment, the McLaren MCL40 is not good enough. Only in Hungary did he have “a corresponding car” to do justice to his current form: “With a good car, I was able to achieve pole position and win very convincingly.”
Photo series: The astonishing parallels between Hamilton 2008 and Norris 2025
“I would even say that this was probably one of my best performances ever when it comes to getting the maximum performance out of the car and driving as close to the limit as possible in every single lap. So close that the team even had to ask me to take it a bit easier,” explained Norris.
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How Lando Norris has improved again after 2025
But how did the 2025 World Champion manage to raise his level once more? “I have worked on many different areas,” said Norris. “In some things, I work off-track together with my team, in others directly here at the racetrack. Many small improvements add up. The result of that was visible in Hungary.”
Whether Norris can build on that in the second half of the season? According to the McLaren driver, that mainly depends on his MCL40.
“Of course, I want a better car,” said Norris. “I would like a car that gives me more opportunities and with which I can achieve the results that, in my opinion, match my driving performance. Because I am very, very satisfied with my own work. I would just like to be rewarded more for it.”
For the second half of the season, Norris remains optimistic: “I still believe that we can achieve better results this season. We just have to be patient, and that is never easy in Formula 1.”
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