Lando Norris still believes he can force his way into the 2026 Formula 1 title fight after back-to-back victories for McLaren in Hungary and the Netherlands. Mercedes no longer appears as dominant as it did in the opening months of the season, giving both Ferrari and, above all, McLaren hope that the championship picture could still change.
The reigning world champion has been in excellent form during McLaren’s recent surge. Lando Norris won the last two Grands Prix at the Hungaroring and Zandvoort and now wants to continue that run at Monza, supported by an MCL40 that has made significant progress and by the security of his lucrative long-term contract with the Woking team.
Lando Norris still sees a route into the 2026 F1 title fight
McLaren has clearly accelerated its development in recent races, while Mercedes has lost some of the superiority it displayed earlier in the championship. Lando Norris has been one of the main beneficiaries, with his performances in Hungary and the Netherlands confirming the progress both driver and car have made.
The Briton has also recently explained how he believes he has become a better Formula 1 driver in 2026, and his recent results have strengthened the belief that McLaren can remain a serious threat during the second half of the campaign.
Lando Norris must recover 83 points from championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who is set to take a power-unit penalty at his home Italian Grand Prix. It is a substantial deficit, but not necessarily an impossible one to overcome.
There is a recent example of how dramatically a championship can change. Last season, Max Verstappen recovered from a deficit of more than 100 points and eventually finished only two points behind Lando Norris in the final standings.
Norris looks back at McLaren’s costly 2025 setbacks
With plenty of the season still remaining, Lando Norris used some of McLaren’s painful experiences from 2025 to illustrate why he believes unexpected events can still transform a championship battle.
Speaking to RacingNews365, Lando Norris said: “Obviously last year we found ourselves on the less fortunate side, but there’s no point thinking about that now. Honestly, I don’t care what I’m going to do next weekend or the weekend after, but it’s nice to know there’s a chance, and obviously I hope both Mercedes get a double disqualification in Las Vegas like happened to us, or decide not to pit in Qatar for a free pit stop when there’s an opportunity.”
The remarks were delivered with humour, but the underlying point is clear: a championship comeback of this size would require more than McLaren simply continuing to win. Norris would also need events elsewhere to work in his favour, whether through mistakes, reliability problems or other lost opportunities for Mercedes.
McLaren progress gives Lando Norris reason for optimism
Lando Norris ended his assessment on a positive note, pointing out that if his rivals were to make some of the same mistakes McLaren made last season, the task of closing the gap would naturally become easier. At the same time, he acknowledged that every Formula 1 season develops differently.
McLaren still has areas in which it needs to improve. Norris has previously highlighted the MCL40’s remaining weakness in slow-speed corners, even arguing that the team could become capable of fighting for victories everywhere if it solves that limitation.
The Woking team is continuing to develop the car rather than relying solely on its recent momentum, with further McLaren upgrades planned as it attempts to close the gap to Mercedes.
As for his own contribution, Lando Norris explained that he is currently giving everything he can, and that is the only aspect of the situation with which he can be completely satisfied.
“I’m happy, there’s still a long way to go and I’m optimistic. I still believe it’s possible, and that’s all I need for now.”
The challenge remains considerable, and Norris knows that an extraordinary alignment of circumstances may be required before he can genuinely threaten Kimi Antonelli at the top of the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. But after consecutive victories and a clear step forward from McLaren, the reigning champion at least has reason to believe that the door has not yet completely closed.
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