Lando Norris has defended McLaren’s difficult 2026 Formula 1 season, insisting that the team’s decline following its 2025 world championship triumph should not be considered a failure. Ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, the British driver explained that McLaren knew it would pay a price for continuing to fight for last year’s titles rather than switching its attention earlier to the new regulations. Oscar Piastri has also highlighted the technical weaknesses of the current car, with both drivers now focused on laying the foundations for a stronger 2027 campaign.
After a successful 2025 season that ended with world championship glory, McLaren has faced a considerably more complicated challenge under Formula 1’s new technical regulations. The Woking-based team entered the development race later than it would have preferred after remaining committed to its championship battle against Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Although McLaren has managed to secure two victories in 2026, its subsequent loss of competitiveness has exposed the limitations of the current package.
Lando Norris explains why McLaren’s 2026 F1 season is not a failure
Lando Norris strongly rejected the suggestion that McLaren’s 2026 campaign should be regarded as unsuccessful, emphasising the sacrifices required to secure both world championships the previous year. The British driver believes the team made the correct decision to prioritise its title ambitions, even though that commitment inevitably affected preparations for the new regulatory era.
“I don’t consider this year a failure at all. I think that’s completely the wrong mindset to have, especially when you consider how hard we had to work last year to win the world championship. We knew we would pay a price, particularly with the biggest regulation change ever in F1 history,” Lando Norris explained.
“At a time when you would like to be able to drop everything and dedicate more time to the new project, we couldn’t do that because we had a Drivers’ and a Constructors’ Championship to win. I’m more than happy with the sacrifice we made for last year.”
McLaren’s approach meant that valuable development time had to be devoted to its 2025 championship campaign rather than the 2026 car. The consequences became apparent at the beginning of the current season, when the team found itself facing considerable challenges in adapting to the new generation of Formula 1 machinery.
Nevertheless, Lando Norris considers the achievements of 2025 more than sufficient justification for that decision. Rather than interpreting the current difficulties as evidence of failure, he believes they must be assessed in the context of the team’s previous success and the demanding transition between regulatory cycles.
McLaren’s Mercedes customer status adds to 2026 F1 difficulties
Another complication identified by Lando Norris concerns McLaren’s position as a Mercedes power unit customer. The British driver believes the integration advantages enjoyed by the works Mercedes team created an additional challenge for McLaren at the beginning of the season, even before considering differences in the competitiveness of the two cars.
The difficulties were compounded by the progress made by rival teams during the second half of 2026. McLaren had briefly appeared to rediscover its competitive form with two consecutive victories around the summer break, but subsequent upgrades introduced by its opponents allowed them to regain an advantage.
“Not starting the season in the best way makes the first race very difficult. As a Mercedes customer team, that made things even harder: even if we’d had the same car, they would have beaten us because of the package integration,” Lando Norris explained.
“What hurts a little is having fallen away from the front after our two victories this season, mainly because the other teams brought significant upgrades and improved more than we did over the last few months. But considering where we started, winning races was a great achievement, and what we’ve learned about the current car will be fundamental for next season.”
The development battle has become an increasingly important factor in McLaren’s 2026 campaign. While the team has introduced improvements of its own, the progress achieved by its competitors has changed the competitive order, with Red Bull drawing level with McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship following a difficult sequence of races.
Ferrari has also made significant progress through its development programme, with McLaren previously examining the speed and effectiveness of Ferrari’s 2026 upgrade process as part of its assessment of rival teams.
Oscar Piastri reveals why McLaren’s 2026 F1 car is so difficult to drive
Oscar Piastri shares his teammate’s assessment of McLaren’s challenging season but has focused particularly on the technical characteristics of the current car. The Australian explained that the 2026 machinery requires a substantially different driving approach compared with previous seasons, making it difficult to extract consistent performance.
One of the main problems is the extremely narrow operating window of the McLaren. Changes in wind conditions, bumps and other external factors can significantly affect its behaviour, while reduced downforce and tyre characteristics add further complications.
“I have to drive very differently compared with the past, and it’s been a considerable challenge. The car is sensitive to many factors, not just bumps: the operating window is very narrow and specific, so when external elements such as wind or an uneven surface come into play, the challenge becomes even greater,” Oscar Piastri explained.
“I think it’s a combination of factors: the lower downforce doesn’t help, and neither do the tyres. In general, racing this year has required a more aggressive driving style, almost like qualifying, and finding the right limit is really complicated.”
These characteristics have made achieving a consistent balance particularly difficult throughout the season. The Australian’s comments also help explain why McLaren has struggled to maintain the same level of competitiveness across different circuits, with the drivers required to continually adapt their approach to the car’s limitations.
The problems were also evident at the United States Grand Prix, where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri identified difficulties with McLaren’s race pace. Understanding why the car behaves differently depending on the conditions remains a central objective for the team.
McLaren targets Red Bull battle and crucial 2027 F1 development
Despite the difficulties encountered throughout 2026, both McLaren drivers remain determined to achieve the strongest possible results during the final races. However, their priorities now extend beyond the immediate championship standings, with the team seeking information that can help prevent similar problems from recurring next season.
Oscar Piastri explained that McLaren still wants to finish ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship, while also using the remaining race weekends to improve its understanding of the current car. A podium or another victory would be welcome, but he believes the greater long-term value lies in identifying solutions to the weaknesses that have undermined the team’s performances.
“Obviously, we want to try to stay ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship, but beyond that, the main objective is to learn as much as possible for next year. A podium or a victory before the end of the season would be fantastic, but for me the most important thing is understanding the problems we’ve encountered this year,” Oscar Piastri said.
“We’re not fighting exactly where we’d like to be, but I’m confident that next year we can get back to fighting for both championships. I want to arrive in 2027 with as many answers and tools in my arsenal as possible.”
For the Australian, the final part of the championship therefore represents an opportunity to gather valuable technical information rather than simply chase individual results. McLaren’s ability to understand its narrow operating window, aerodynamic limitations and tyre behaviour could prove decisive in determining how competitive its next car becomes.
Lando Norris believes McLaren can build on difficult 2026 season
Lando Norris expressed a similar view, arguing that defending McLaren’s championship titles was always going to be an exceptionally difficult task given the competitive environment and the team’s development position at the beginning of the year. Although the reality has been frustrating, he believes the squad has achieved more than the results alone might suggest.
The British driver remains satisfied with some of McLaren’s performances and considers the technical knowledge accumulated during the season an important achievement. In his view, the progress made from such a difficult starting position should provide encouragement as the team prepares for another attempt to fight at the front in 2027.
“Achieving success this year, with the competition we have and starting from the situation we were in last year, made it almost impossible to dream of defending the title. It’s hard to accept, but that’s the reality,” Lando Norris admitted.
“I still consider some of the results we’ve achieved a success, as well as the understanding we’ve gained of this car ahead of next season. Compared with the lack of preparation we had when we started the year, I think we’ve ultimately done an excellent job.”
McLaren consequently approaches the closing races of 2026 with a clear objective: defend its position against Red Bull while continuing to learn from the technical difficulties that have characterised its campaign. Neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri considers the season a failure, with both convinced that the lessons learned could help McLaren return to championship contention in 2027.
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