Lando Norris has delivered a stunning declaration following his consecutive triumphs at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix, boldly asserting he is outperforming his rivals despite piloting a McLaren MCL40 that remains “just horrible to drive.” The British star’s candid admission underscores the extraordinary strides he has made in mastering a machine that he still regards as inferior to the Mercedes W17, yet one capable of toppling the Silver Arrows on its day.
Norris’s back-to-back victories have shaken the Formula 1 hierarchy, positioning him as the most formidable challenger to reigning world champion Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads the Drivers’ Championship by 83 points. After his win at Zandvoort, Norris reflected on his driving evolution: “I was driving at a high level the second half of last year. It’s tough to say, but I do think it’s a trickier car to drive this year in some ways. And I think you can see that because the gaps between teammates are often bigger this year, I would say, than it was last year.”
Despite the MCL40’s persistent handling issues, Norris credits his enhanced ability to interpret and communicate the car’s quirks to his team as the catalyst behind his improved performance. “It’s still just horrible to drive, but I’m doing a better job at just understanding this, relaying this to my team, figuring stuff out,” he explained. “It’s not just I’m driving better on track. I’m certainly eliminating my weaknesses on track, and I don’t have so many, but it’s also how I work off the track. For me, yesterday to today is a perfect example of the work we put in overnight transformed our race and gave me the opportunity to win.”
His candid self-appraisal continued with an unprecedented moment of self-confidence: “Normally I’m never one to over-talk about myself, normally always the complete opposite. But for once, I would give myself a little bit of credit, that I feel like I’m doing a better job than everyone, and I think that can also make a difference.” Norris attributes this success partly to the car’s strengths in specific high-speed corners, notably Turn 7 and Turn 8 at Zandvoort, where he consistently gained time.
Nevertheless, Norris remains pragmatic about McLaren’s overall package compared to Mercedes. “We certainly have a very similar car, I would say, all in all, to Mercedes, but I think they have a better all-round performing car than what we do. We are more specific in high speed,” he stated. He also acknowledged the fine margins of Formula 1, noting that a minor qualifying mistake could have cost him the race win, thereby diminishing the impact of his achievements in the eyes of critics.
Mercedes team principal Kimi Antonelli has conceded that his W17 is “clearly not the fastest car anymore,” praising McLaren’s “huge step” forward. Meanwhile, George Russell, Antonelli’s teammate and second in the standings, remains acutely aware of the McLaren threat.
Norris’s remarkable ability to extract performance from a notoriously difficult car, combined with his growing confidence and strategic acuity, has injected new intensity into the championship fight. His forthright comments and on-track results signal that McLaren, long viewed as the underdog, is now a credible force capable of challenging Mercedes’s dominance this season.