Lando Norris delivered a commanding performance to return McLaren to victory at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, immediately capitalising when the MCL40 proved competitive. Formula Medicine mental coach Riccardo Ceccarelli believes the reigning world champion demonstrated how much he has matured, while Oscar Piastri is increasingly struggling against his team-mate’s superiority, regardless of the gearbox failure that ended the Australian driver’s race.
Hungary brought a competitive McLaren back to the front, and Lando Norris responded by claiming the 17th victory of his Formula 1 career and his first of the season. His performance at the Hungaroring raised an important question: what effect could such a breakthrough have on the reigning champion over the remainder of the campaign?
Riccardo Ceccarelli praises Lando Norris and McLaren
“It was a perfect weekend: Lando drove an exceptional race, but McLaren also deserves credit,” Riccardo Ceccarelli explained. “I heard Andrea Stella’s comments in which he had announced developments for the car, and they worked.”
The upgrades helped Lando Norris convert pole position into a decisive victory, with the British driver later describing the performance as one of the best drives of his career.
Riccardo Ceccarelli also recalled McLaren’s dramatic progress two seasons earlier, when the team recovered from the bottom of the standings after introducing effective updates and became a leading force over the course of the championship.
“I remember that two seasons ago McLaren was also last in the standings, and then the updates allowed it to turn everything around and become a major contender during the championship,” he continued. “That means Andrea Stella’s team works very well when developing the car.”
McLaren could have secured a one-two finish in Hungary before Oscar Piastri’s retirement, but another aspect of the race made an even stronger impression on the Formula Medicine mental coach.
Lando Norris’ advantage over Oscar Piastri
“That is true, but there is one aspect that struck me: I am talking specifically about Lando Norris’ overwhelming superiority over Oscar Piastri,” Riccardo Ceccarelli said. “Even if we look back at their history, Lando has always shown a certain advantage, except during the first part of last year, when it seemed that Oscar was about to pull clear.”
Riccardo Ceccarelli pointed to the Dutch Grand Prix, where an engine failure for Lando Norris appeared to have removed the British driver from championship contention. In his view, the way the McLaren driver responded demonstrated determination and resilience.
“In the Netherlands, when the Englishman suffered an engine failure, it looked as though he was out of contention,” he explained. “Instead, with great determination, he managed to recover against his team-mate and win the title.”
The Hungarian Grand Prix offered further evidence, in Riccardo Ceccarelli’s opinion, that Lando Norris is a worthy reigning world champion. Despite Oscar Piastri making an excellent start and taking the lead, the balance of performance changed decisively once Lando Norris was able to exploit the McLaren in clean air.
“Lando’s superiority in Hungary was crushing as soon as he had a winning car in his hands, notwithstanding Oscar’s excellent start, which took him into the lead,” Riccardo Ceccarelli argued.
The mental coach stressed that he did not question Oscar Piastri’s ability, but suggested that the relationship between the Australian driver and McLaren may never have worked perfectly.
“I fear that the chemistry between Oscar Piastri and McLaren has never worked perfectly, although I have no intention of questioning the Australian’s quality,” he said. “I wonder whether there may still be some residue in his mind from last season. At one stage of the championship, he did not feel comfortable with the car and made more mistakes.”
“The gap now appears clear, even though I do not believe there can truly be such a large difference between two top drivers.”
What could explain the gap between the McLaren drivers?
Several factors can create a performance difference between team-mates, even when both are operating at an elite level. Setup choices, circuit characteristics and the way each driver interprets the track can all play a role.
“Sometimes it can be the choice of setup or the interpretation of the circuit,” Riccardo Ceccarelli explained. “There can be many variables, so it is always difficult to judge from the outside. However, what struck me most about this Grand Prix was undoubtedly the ease with which Lando Norris pulled away once he took the lead.”
Oscar Piastri lost time while lapping Carlos Sainz, an incident that affected the Australian driver’s race before his eventual retirement. Riccardo Ceccarelli nevertheless believed the strongest driver on the day ultimately won.
“It is true that Oscar Piastri was hindered by Carlos Sainz while lapping the Spaniard, but I think the driver who deserved it won,” he said. “I am curious to see how McLaren’s season continues now that the car is more competitive. I expect more from Oscar.”
Oscar Piastri’s gearbox failure ultimately ended McLaren’s opportunity to place both cars on the podium, allowing only Lando Norris to finish after the team’s competitive breakthrough. The incident formed part of a dramatic race in which McLaren’s double-podium hopes disappeared.
Should Oscar Piastri consider leaving McLaren?
Comments from Oscar Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, have offered no indication that the Australian intends to leave McLaren in search of a new challenge. Riccardo Ceccarelli believes any such decision would depend entirely on which alternatives were realistically available.
“It depends on the alternatives, but when you drive for McLaren, you have to make a move that represents an improvement,” he explained. “Today, that would mean going to Mercedes or Ferrari. However, if there is no free seat, it is better to remain where you are.”
Asked whether staying in those circumstances could amount to resignation, Riccardo Ceccarelli emphasised the relationship between wellbeing and performance at the highest level of sport.
“I always say that, for an elite athlete, where the difference is measured in milliseconds—or centimetres in other sports—there must be a combination of wellbeing and performance,” he said. “Those two words must go hand in hand, and you cannot perform if you are not in a state of wellbeing.”
Riccardo Ceccarelli suggested that the issue could be more about a driver’s personal perception and the possibility of losing the chemistry that previously existed with the team. Such a change could disrupt the wider environment that allows an athlete to feel comfortable and produce maximum performance.
“It may be more of a feeling experienced by the driver, who might have lost that chemistry with the team and disrupted the ecosystem that puts the athlete in a state of wellbeing,” he continued.
However, Riccardo Ceccarelli made clear that this was not intended as criticism of McLaren. Having spent four years inside the organisation, he believes the team treats its two drivers equally and operates without internal political manoeuvring under Andrea Stella.
“It is not a criticism of McLaren: I spent four years inside the team, and I know it does not treat its drivers differently,” he said. “Where Andrea Stella is, there is no politics.”
Why the gearbox failure was not Oscar Piastri’s biggest setback
Oscar Piastri’s retirement was caused by a gearbox failure and cost him what would otherwise have been second place. However, Riccardo Ceccarelli does not believe the lost podium was the most damaging element of the Australian driver’s afternoon.
“Not that much, because it was already a race from which he had emerged comprehensively beaten,” he argued. “Yes, a podium is positive and provides valuable points, but ultimately he is not fighting for the World Championship.”
“Even without the retirement, he would have left this race somewhat shaken. When Lando asked over the radio for the positions to be swapped, Oscar may not have thought that his team-mate could change pace and pull away.”
That is precisely what Lando Norris achieved after moving into clean air. Having already ended Mercedes’ qualifying run by securing pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the reigning champion then produced the speed required to control the race.
“That is what the Englishman did as soon as he found himself in clean air,” Riccardo Ceccarelli concluded. “He had an ace up his sleeve, played it well and set extraordinary lap times.”
The result gave Lando Norris his first victory of the 2026 season, while Oscar Piastri left Hungary without the second place he appeared set to secure. The complete 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix classification underlines the contrasting outcome for the two McLaren drivers as the championship enters its next phase.
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