McLaren now has a car capable of challenging Mercedes after its major aerodynamic upgrade delivered a breakthrough victory for Lando Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix, according to Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft. The result has also revived hopes that Norris could still force his way into the 2026 Formula 1 title fight despite reaching the summer break 91 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
McLaren arrived in Budapest with an important development package for the MCL40 after spending the early part of the season trying to adapt to Formula 1’s new technical regulations. The upgrades produced an immediate step forward, with Norris converting the improved performance into victory and giving the Woking team fresh momentum ahead of the second half of the championship.
David Croft believes McLaren can now challenge Mercedes
David Croft believes McLaren’s progress is not simply the result of one strong weekend. The Sky Sports F1 commentator pointed out that the team has now accumulated considerably more experience with its power unit and overall package than it had during the opening rounds of the season.
“Eleven races have passed since the start of the season, and McLaren understands this power unit considerably better than it did during the opening Grands Prix,” David Croft said.
Mercedes itself took notice of the size of McLaren’s step forward in Budapest, with the championship-leading team surprised by the scale of the MCL40 upgrade introduced in Hungary.
Hungaroring form complicates the McLaren picture
David Croft nevertheless stressed that the characteristics of the Hungaroring have historically suited McLaren, meaning its performance in Hungary should not be interpreted without considering the circuit itself.
“Is it a surprise that they did so well in Hungary? Based on past results, no. They finished first and second in Budapest in the last two years. But it is a small surprise considering how large the gap to Mercedes was in Monaco.”
McLaren undoubtedly struggled to adapt to the new regulations earlier in the season, but David Croft believes the MCL40’s underlying potential is now beginning to emerge. Its Budapest performance also followed a broader development process, with the team’s development work ultimately producing the Hungary breakthrough.
“This year it took them some time to make up ground, but now they are doing it. The signs were there from the beginning of the weekend in Hungary, with Lando building his rhythm throughout the weekend, showing that it was a good upgrade. They had the pace and they were ready to challenge Mercedes.”
McLaren closes the performance gap to Mercedes
Although McLaren has traditionally performed strongly at the Hungaroring, David Croft stressed that Lando Norris’s victory was far from inevitable given how substantial the performance difference between McLaren and Mercedes had been earlier in the season.
“Lando’s victory is a small surprise considering how large the gap to Mercedes was in Monaco. It could be a driver-related issue, and it could simply be that Kimi Antonelli was exceptional that weekend, but I don’t think Mercedes was weak at a circuit like Budapest.”
The successful aerodynamic upgrades have improved the MCL40’s performance and altered the outlook entering the summer break. Lando Norris is fifth in the Formula 1 driver standings with 128 points, leaving him 91 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Despite that sizeable deficit, David Croft does not believe Norris should yet be discounted from the championship battle.
“I think the Drivers’ Championship is still very open. I don’t think Lando is so far behind that he can’t close the gap.”
Can McLaren maintain its Hungary momentum?
The bigger question is whether McLaren can reproduce its Budapest competitiveness when Formula 1 returns from the summer break. David Croft believes maximising every advantage will be essential if the team wants to turn one breakthrough weekend into a sustained challenge against Mercedes.
“McLaren needs to find a way to maximise every advantage. For me, one of the big questions coming out of the summer break is: can they carry this momentum forward?”
That development race is set to remain a major theme during the second half of 2026. McLaren’s approach of introducing larger packages also contrasts with Ferrari’s strategy of bringing developments when individual components are ready, as shown by the different Ferrari and McLaren upgrade philosophies.
Could McLaren put its title hopes behind Lando Norris?
David Croft also raised another important issue: how McLaren intends to manage its renewed competitiveness if Norris continues to emerge as its stronger championship option.
“Will they put everything behind Lando Norris? Will it prove to be a winning move again in the Constructors’ Championship?”
At present, the British driver is performing much more effectively than his team-mate. If McLaren wants to keep alive its hopes of recovering ground in the championship, focusing on the driver currently showing the strongest form could therefore become increasingly important.
The increased competition also adds another dimension to the second half of the Formula 1 season. McLaren’s successful Hungary upgrade has brought another major team closer to the front, and the crucial question when racing resumes will be whether Norris and the MCL40 can sustain that level of performance across circuits that provide a very different test from the Hungaroring.
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