Guenther Steiner believes Lando Norris will overtake George Russell to finish as runner-up in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers' championship. The former Haas team principal made the claim on The Red Flags Podcast.
Currently, after the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit, Norris sits fourth in the standings with 186 points. Mercedes' Russell is second with 211 points, while his teammate Kimi Antonelli leads with 292 points.
Steiner argues that Norris's recent performances show he has what it takes to close the gap. "He will be second if he continues like this," Steiner said. "Look how happy the Lando boy is."
McLaren had a tricky start to the season, but upgrades introduced by the team helped Norris secure back-to-back wins at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix. He then finished fourth at the Italian Grand Prix. Those results put him back in the championship conversation.
Speaking to Sky Sports after announcing his contract extension with McLaren until the end of 2030, Norris expressed confidence in the team's potential. "The team is working better than they've ever worked before," he said. "They're working in a more efficient, harder way, even than the last couple of years. And that level was world championship-winning level. So, it's not that I don't think we can win it."
Norris added that the team has a lot of what it needs to compete, though certain areas on the car still need improvement. "We just need to improve some things with the car, and I'm still confident we can do that," he said. "We proved over the last few weekends that we can still win races, and we have very good momentum."
With 11 races remaining, the battle in the drivers' standings is heating up. Norris needs to consistently score maximum points to catch Russell, while Antonelli remains ahead. Will Steiner's prediction come true? Only time will tell.
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