Lando Norris is currently the form driver in Formula 1, but even winning every remaining race may not be enough to guarantee him the 2026 World Championship. The reigning champion is fourth in the Drivers’ standings, 83 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli and 24 behind George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who are tied for second place.
Despite that deficit, Lando Norris has emerged as the biggest threat to Kimi Antonelli after a major McLaren resurgence. He is the only non-Mercedes driver to have won more than one race this season and, across the last six Grands Prix starting with Barcelona, no driver has scored more championship points. McLaren’s in-season upgrades have once again delivered a clear step forward, helping Lando Norris claim consecutive victories either side of the summer break in Hungary and at Zandvoort.
Lando Norris believes McLaren can win every remaining race
After winning the Dutch Grand Prix, Lando Norris made clear that he has not given up on defending the world title he won in 2025.
“If we can improve in the slow-speed corners, I’m confident we can win every race this season,” Lando Norris said during the post-race press conference.
His confidence reflects how competitive McLaren has become since its latest development work began to deliver. Lando Norris has already explained that McLaren could be capable of winning every remaining race if its low-speed weakness is resolved, while the team is continuing to push its development programme after the Zandvoort victory.
Even so, the mathematics underline the scale of the challenge. Lando Norris’ comeback would be less improbable than the one Max Verstappen nearly completed last season, but it remains extremely difficult.
Why winning every race might still not make Lando Norris champion
With the current points gap, Lando Norris could theoretically win every remaining Grand Prix between now and the end of the season, including the Singapore Sprint, and still not be guaranteed the championship.
If Kimi Antonelli finished second every time, the Mercedes driver would still win the title by five points. That illustrates how much damage the 83-point deficit does to Lando Norris’ hopes, despite his recent run of form.
McLaren’s progress has nevertheless changed the complexion of the championship. The team’s recent performances have made it a genuine threat to Mercedes, while McLaren’s latest 2026 developments have increasingly brought Lando Norris back into contention at the front.
Lando Norris may need help from George Russell and Lewis Hamilton
There is another complication: the exact number of races remaining in the 2026 championship is still uncertain. Eleven Grands Prix are currently scheduled, but if Qatar and Abu Dhabi were both removed and only Imola were added as a replacement, Lando Norris would have just 10 races in which to attempt his remarkable comeback.
To have a realistic chance, the McLaren champion may therefore need some involuntary assistance from fellow British drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Lando Norris not only needs to beat Kimi Antonelli consistently, but ideally needs as many cars as possible between himself and the Mercedes championship leader.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton would be particularly useful in that respect because Lando Norris also needs to recover points against them. Any result in which one or both finish between Norris and Antonelli could make a significant difference to the championship calculations.
The uncertainty surrounding Qatar and Abu Dhabi also means that the remaining 2026 Formula 1 calendar could still influence the shape of the title fight.
Reliability could still reshape the 2026 title battle
The picture could change significantly if Mercedes suffers further reliability problems. George Russell has already been forced out by technical trouble in Canada, while Kimi Antonelli suffered his own retirement in Barcelona.
However, McLaren has hardly been immune from technical problems itself this season. That means Lando Norris cannot simply rely on Mercedes encountering difficulties while expecting his own car to remain trouble-free.
For now, Kimi Antonelli remains firmly in control of the championship. Lando Norris is producing the strongest run of results in the field and McLaren appears capable of challenging Mercedes on outright performance, but an 83-point deficit means pure speed alone may not be enough. If the reigning world champion is to complete the comeback, he may need George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and the rest of the field to take crucial points away from Kimi Antonelli along the way.
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