Lando Norris Unstoppable After Major McLaren Upgrade

Lando Norris believes he was in unbeatable form after the pace of McLaren carried him to his first victory of the season in the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Norris started from pole position but lost the lead to Oscar Piastri on the opening lap. Despite running behind his team-mate, the British driver felt he held a clear advantage in both race pace and tyre degradation.

Norris regained his opportunity when Piastri lost time in traffic with lapped cars after completing a pit stop. Norris then moved into the lead and controlled the remainder of the race to finish ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.

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“What pleases me the most is just the fact we were so quick and the car was, of course, very strong today,” Norris said. “The car was still horrible to drive at times, but quick. I would rather have a horrible but quick car than anything else.”

Norris believed he was stronger than Piastri in both outright speed and tyre management. Even after losing position at the start, he remained convinced victory was possible through an earlier stop or by extending his stint before attacking on fresher tyres.

McLaren’s performance step arrived on the same weekend the team introduced a significant upgrade package. The changes strengthened Norris’s race pace, although the car remained difficult to handle and still demanded careful management through several parts of the circuit.

“We were just on another level today, and I felt in a very good flow of things,” Norris said. “When the car is good and when I am in a good flow, there is no stopping me.”

The Hungaroring victory gives McLaren a strong reference point for assessing its latest upgrade, while Norris heads into the next round with renewed confidence after demonstrating a clear advantage in pace and tyre degradation throughout the race.