Lando Norris says McLaren is aiming high after its breakthrough victory in Hungary, but has warned that the MCL40 remains “very, very difficult to drive” as Formula 1 resumes at Zandvoort. The reigning world champion also played down his chances of overturning a 91-point deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli, despite McLaren appearing to have made an important step forward before the summer break.
Formula 1 returns from its summer break with the possibility of a very different second half of the season compared with what unfolded across the opening 11 Grands Prix. Rewind a few weeks to Hungary and McLaren revived its campaign by claiming its first victory of 2026 through Lando Norris, but the British driver was keen to keep expectations under control during the press conference that opened the Dutch Grand Prix weekend.
Lando Norris plays down 2026 F1 championship chances
“The championship? Honestly, I only think about it when you ask me. I haven’t thought about it at all this year, especially after the first few races,” Lando Norris said when the subject of the title fight emerged during the press conference.
The 91 points separating him from Kimi Antonelli at the top of the Formula 1 driver standings represent, in Lando Norris’s view, a gap that will be extremely difficult to close. Nevertheless, victory in Budapest gave both the British driver and McLaren a level of confidence that had largely been missing during the first half of the campaign.
“I’m never the type of person who thinks too far ahead, so I’m not going to say we’re going to win again, but we’re aiming high. We need to understand whether the package we introduced in Budapest is also good here, but the step forward we’ve made is a good sign.”
The upgrades introduced at the previous Grand Prix transformed the MCL40 into the strongest car in race conditions, offering some hope that McLaren can again fight at the front in the Netherlands. The similarities between the Budapest and Zandvoort layouts could also work in the team’s favour, while McLaren has continued refining the car with further MCL40 rear-end developments for the Dutch Grand Prix.
“We just have to wait and see. It’s clear what some of the weaknesses of the car are, but the performance we had on Sunday in Budapest was one of the best we’ve ever had, compared with last year.”
Norris warns McLaren MCL40 is still difficult to drive
Despite the major step forward seen in Hungary, Lando Norris stressed that McLaren has not suddenly solved all the limitations that affected the team during the first part of the 2026 season.
“The car is still very, very difficult to drive,” the reigning world champion continued. “Obviously it can be incredibly fast, as we saw last time, but you can’t just put it on the track and be quick. You have to understand how to drive it in every corner and during every phase of the tyre’s life.”
“If, for example, we look back at Monaco, it was a horrible race for us, so in certain types of corners we’re not strong enough.”
McLaren’s ability to extract performance from the MCL40 across different circuit characteristics will therefore be crucial during the second half of the campaign. The team has also attracted attention with its aerodynamic approach for Zandvoort, including an unusual rear-wing solution aimed at the Dutch GP.
McLaren development gives Lando Norris confidence
Despite the weaknesses that have held McLaren back during the first half of 2026, Lando Norris remains confident in the people around him, particularly given the progress the Woking team has demonstrated in recent years.
“There’s a really good mindset at McLaren right now, with the people we have, what we’ve achieved over the last few years and the leadership we have. My team is very reassuring and if I drive like I did in Budapest, I’m also very confident in myself.”
Turning again to the team’s development programme, Lando Norris added: “Time is the factor we need most, in everything. I feel like we can continue to improve in development and performance.”
How effectively McLaren can transfer its Budapest gains to Zandvoort will therefore be one of the central questions of the weekend. The Dutch circuit presents its own set-up and tyre demands, with the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix presenting a particularly compressed technical challenge.
Lando Norris reacts to Zandvoort exit and Max Verstappen renewal
Another subject raised during the press conference was Zandvoort’s departure from the Formula 1 calendar, with the Dutch circuit preparing to stage its final Grand Prix appearance this weekend.
“It’s a shame,” Lando Norris said. “There’s a really great atmosphere and it’s a better race than some of the others on the calendar. If it were up to us drivers, we’d keep it. I hope it can come back in the future.”
Max Verstappen’s contract extension with Red Bull until 2030 was another major talking point in the Netherlands on Thursday. The Dutchman’s new deal has brought an end to speculation over his longer-term future, while keeping Max Verstappen with the team where he has achieved his greatest Formula 1 success.
Lando Norris was also asked about previous suggestions that Max Verstappen could potentially have joined McLaren.
“I heard about Verstappen at McLaren from you journalists. I would have welcomed anyone to the team, especially someone like him, but Piastri is my team-mate for the future,” Lando Norris concluded.
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