Lando Norris believes the praise from Mercedes leaders Kimi Antonelli and George Russell for McLaren’s 2026 car is wrong; the Briton insists his own driving is the decisive factor.
Maddening claims from the Mercedes front‑line
After taking victory in Budapest and Zandvoort from pole with the heavily upgraded MCL40, Norris faced a “best car” remark made by Antonelli and Russell, who had finished second and third respectively in the Dutch Grand Prix.
Antonelli, heading the championship, declared that Mercedes was now behind McLaren in terms of car quality, a statement supported by Russell after his third‑place finish.
Season‑long performance landscape
Mercedes dominated the first half of 2026, converting their first six entries from pole into wins, yet they have captured only two victories since, as both Ferrari and McLaren have closed the gap with improved machinery.
While the championship leader remains 86 points ahead of Norris, the McLaren driver has taken full advantage of the upgraded car, leaving teammate Oscar Piastri 55 points behind at a season’s end.
Norris’s driving edge over Piastri
In qualifying, Norris has eclipsed Piastri 13 times to 4, including sprint events, and argues that, without his improved pace, the car’s potential would stay unrealised.
During the Zandvoort sprint, Russell defied expectations to start from pole and run free, yet Norris clawed third behind Antonelli, who began the race in fifth after floor damage.
Norris admitted, “If I hadn’t overtaken Antonelli, I wouldn’t have won today.” He highlighted that the MCL40 looks comparable to Mercedes overall, but McLaren performs better in high‑speed sections like Turns 7 and 8.
He added that little changes were made to the car since the previous race, suggesting that the driver’s improvements are the main engine behind the recent surge, not mechanical upgrades.
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