McLaren heads to the 2026 Italian Grand Prix chasing a third consecutive Formula 1 victory after Lando Norris won the last two races in Hungary and at Zandvoort. Monza, however, represents a very different challenge for the MCL40 and could provide one of the clearest indications yet of whether McLaren has genuinely closed the gap to the championship leaders.
The Italian circuit could prove an important turning point in the title fight. Drivers are generally concerned about how the new generation of Formula 1 cars will behave at the track with the highest average speed on the calendar, while McLaren in particular wants confirmation that its recent improvement can translate to a radically different aerodynamic environment.
McLaren wants definitive MCL40 confirmation at Monza
More than Ferrari, Mercedes or Red Bull, McLaren is looking for a definitive answer about the performance level of its car: can it genuinely recover its championship deficit?
Lando Norris has little doubt about the potential of the team. As he already suggested around the Austrian Grand Prix, he believes McLaren is capable of winning and that major results were eventually going to return. Those results have now arrived, and completing a hat-trick of victories would send a significant message to the rest of the grid, particularly the two teams currently ahead of McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.
The turnaround has also strengthened the belief that McLaren can still put pressure on Mercedes in the 2026 title fight, even though the gap remains substantial.
Why Monza may not naturally suit the McLaren MCL40
Recent results have demonstrated that the MCL40 driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri performs particularly well through corners, much like Ferrari’s SF-26. Yet despite using the same power unit as Mercedes, top-speed data from Zandvoort placed McLaren further down the order alongside Ferrari, behind both the Red Bull RB22 and Mercedes W17.
This characteristic became particularly noticeable following the upgrades introduced by the reigning Constructors’ champions in Hungary. Before those changes, McLaren had endured considerable difficulties with both drivers.
The Hungarian victory represented a fresh start. Lando Norris won with a clear margin at a circuit often described as “Monaco without the walls” because of its high-downforce requirements and comparatively limited emphasis on engine power.
Zandvoort is different from Hungary, with its elevation changes and long loaded corners, but the two tracks share highly technical layouts where overtaking is difficult. Monza will present an entirely different test. On paper, it is a circuit where victory may be much harder for McLaren to achieve, although the 2026 season has already produced several results that defied pre-race expectations.
That is why McLaren has prepared a specific aerodynamic configuration for Italy, including a new low-drag rear wing and the H-Wing for Monza, as it attempts to adapt the MCL40 to the extreme straight-line demands of the Temple of Speed.
Lando Norris targets third consecutive F1 victory
Lando Norris is therefore aiming for a third victory in succession. Winning the Drivers’ Championship last season appears to have lifted a weight from the British driver’s shoulders, leaving him with greater confidence and belief in his own ability.
Lando Norris has been almost faultless this year, with his main setbacks coming from the MCL40’s poor reliability at the beginning of the campaign. Oscar Piastri, by contrast, has experienced considerably more difficulty adapting to the new car.
Norris has nevertheless continued to perform at a very high level, and the latest races have further strengthened hopes that he can recover points on the championship leader. His own assessment of his progress has also reflected that change, with the McLaren driver recently explaining how he believes he has developed into a better Formula 1 driver in 2026.
Ferrari and Mercedes prepare major Monza response
Heading into the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren is the team with the second-highest number of updates introduced this season, with 38 according to FIA reports. Ferrari and Mercedes, however, have also prepared extensively for Monza.
Kimi Antonelli will receive a fresh power unit as Mercedes looks to avoid reliability problems, while Ferrari is preparing an updated ADUO engine specification in an attempt to fight for victory. The Maranello team’s ADUO-2 specification is set to be used at Monza as part of its push for maximum performance at its home Grand Prix.
Achieving another major result may therefore be difficult for McLaren on a high-speed circuit such as Monza. Yet the last two races have established one clear fact: the British team has little to lose, while Lando Norris remains in pursuit of the championship despite the scale of the challenge and his reluctance to discuss the title publicly in interviews.
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