Lando Norris has described McLaren's development progress in F1 2026 as "pretty insane", but he pushed back against suggestions that his team is now the one to beat, a notion floated by Mercedes.
Norris's victory at the Dutch Grand Prix was another demonstration of how far McLaren have come. From being off the pace early in the season, he has now won two consecutive races and trimmed his championship deficit to 83 points. "The fight is still on," he said over the radio, recalling how close he came to the title last year.
Data from official partner Paceteq shows that at the season opener in Melbourne, McLaren were on average 1.34 seconds per lap slower than Mercedes. After a major upgrade in Miami, that gap shrank dramatically, except at tracks with slow-speed corners like Canada and Monaco. Norris admitted that area remains their weakness.
Norris explained that McLaren's focus on last year's title fight meant they deliberately started this season behind. But the speed at which they have caught up is remarkable. "We've outdeveloped them. On a track like this, we were almost a second faster than our competitors. So that's pretty insane," he said.
His claim is backed by data: since the Miami upgrade, McLaren have often had the fastest car. However, consistency and tyre management remain areas to improve. With this form, Norris could once again become a serious title contender.
Mercedes, meanwhile, sees McLaren as the biggest threat. Toto Wolff believes there is little room left for development this season, while McLaren continue to show significant gains. This signals that the second half of the season will be even more competitive, with McLaren as a new force to be reckoned with.
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