Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has made a bold prediction about Lando Norris's future in Formula 1 2026. According to him, the McLaren driver will finish second in the championship despite fierce competition from Ferrari and Mercedes. Steiner shared this view on The Red Flags podcast, praising Norris's recent surge in performance.
Currently, Norris sits fourth in the standings with 186 points. He has shown a remarkable resurgence in the last four Grands Prix, including wins in Hungary and the Netherlands. However, at the Spanish GP at the Madring circuit, Norris had to settle for third after an ill-timed virtual safety car cost him a chance to win. Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes and Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished ahead of him.
The top of the standings is currently occupied by Kimi Antonelli with 292 points, 106 points ahead of Norris. Antonelli's teammate, George Russell, is second with 211 points, followed by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton with 191 points. Steiner believes Norris can overtake Russell if his impressive form continues. "He will be second if he continues like this. Look how happy the Lando boy is," Steiner said.
Steiner's confidence is not unfounded. Norris's qualifying performance at the Spanish GP earned praise from McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. Stella described Norris's pole lap as one of the best of his career, with incredible precision in every corner. "It was a consequence of pushing to the level that Lando managed to push to. When you look at the telemetry, the precision, the braking, the speed carried on entry, everything was executed with a pretty unique level of precision," Stella said.
Norris himself admitted that the pole lap at Madring was one of the best laps he has ever done. "One of those laps when everything came together. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, and my brain let me do it almost perfect," he said. With such performances, it's no wonder that Norris is considered a serious threat for the remainder of the season.
McLaren is not standing still. They plan to reintroduce the 'Macarena' wing upgrade package at the upcoming Azerbaijan GP. This upgrade is expected to provide a significant performance boost for Norris and the team. If successful, Norris could find himself fighting at the front more often, challenging the dominance of Antonelli and Russell.
With eight races remaining, the battle for the world championship is still wide open. Norris has momentum and strong team support. Steiner's prediction might sound bold, but given Norris's recent form, it's not impossible for him to finish as runner-up by the end of the season.
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