Formula 1 World Champion Lando Norris Surprises with His Mid-Season Assessment of 2026: Is His Car Making Him Look Worse?
In the year following his world championship victory, McLaren driver Lando Norris is only in fifth place in the Formula 1 standings heading into the summer break. Nevertheless, Norris claims he’s driving better than ever.
After his victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, he said: “I actually feel that, in this half of the season so far, I’ve driven better at times than I did last year—even if it almost hurts a little to say that, because it doesn’t automatically mean you’re winning.”
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, he is already 91 points behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
What Lando Norris Is Saying Between the Lines
At first glance, his significantly worse starting position in the World Championship doesn’t match Norris’s self-assessment. The McLaren driver is aware of this apparent contradiction. “Unfortunately, I’m not leading the World Championship by a wide margin. I can’t really say much more than that.”
But between the lines, Norris said a great deal: In his view, the McLaren MCL40 isn’t good enough. Only in Hungary did he have “a car that was up to the task” to match his current form: “With a good car, I was able to secure pole position and win very convincingly.”
“I’d even say that 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 on every single lap. So close, in fact, that the team even had to ask me to ease off a bit,” Norris explained.
How Lando Norris has raised his game even further after 2025
But how did the 2025 world champion manage to raise his game yet again? “I’ve been working on a lot of different areas,” Norris said. “I work on some things off the track together with my team, and others right here at the racetrack. Lots of small improvements add up. The result of that was on display in Hungary.”
Will Norris be able to build on this in the second half of the season? According to the McLaren driver, that depends primarily on his MCL40.
“Of course, I’d like a better car,” said Norris. “I’d like a car that gives me more opportunities and allows me to achieve the results that I believe match my driving performance. Because I’m very, very satisfied with my own work. I’d just like to be rewarded more for it.”
Norris remains confident, however, for the second half of the season: “I still believe we can achieve better results this season. We just have to stay patient, and that’s never easy in Formula 1.”