Lando Norris, the current world champion, still has a realistic chance of mounting a dramatic comeback to defend his Formula 1 drivers' title, according to Sky Sports F1 analyst David Croft. Norris secured his and McLaren's maiden victory of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, cutting the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli down to 91 points with just eleven of the twenty‑three scheduled races completed before the summer hiatus. The dominant nature of the Hungarian win, achieved after McLaren introduced a substantial aerodynamic upgrade package for the Hungaroring, has sparked optimism that the Woking team may have finally cemented its place among the regular race‑winning outfits and that the British driver could re‑enter the title fight. On the most recent edition of Sky Sports' The F1 Show podcast, Croft highlighted that the decisive factor will be whether McLaren can sustain its newfound pace and continue to out‑perform Antonelli's Mercedes squad.
Croft asked, "One of the big things coming out of the summer break, can McLaren carry this on? Are they going to put their eggs in a Lando Norris basket? And is it going to come up trumps once again?" He went on to stress that the Constructors' Championship remains wide open and that, in his view, Norris is not so far behind in the Drivers' standings that a comeback is impossible. "I haven't even gone on holiday yet," he added, "I can’t wait to get back to business at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
I don’t want a three‑week break; I want the racing thick and fast!" One persistent weakness for McLaren this year has been its inability to extract the full potential of the Mercedes‑supplied power unit, a shortfall that the factory team has exploited more effectively. Hungary, being a relatively low‑downforce circuit, does not stress the engine as much as many other venues, which raises questions about whether McLaren can replicate the Hungarian performance on more power‑hungry tracks. Nevertheless, Croft pointed out that the Hungaroring shares certain characteristics with Monaco, a circuit where Mercedes managed to claim victory earlier in June.
"We’re 11 races into the season now, and I think McLaren are understanding the power unit way better than they were at the start of the year," he said. "Is it a surprise they did so well in Hungary?
Well, on past form, no – they were one‑two for the last two years in Budapest. It’s a little surprise given how strong Mercedes were in Monaco, but I don’t think Mercedes are necessarily weak at a track like Budapest." He praised the impact of McLaren’s upgrade, noting that stronger competition to the championship leaders makes the title race more exciting. "What delighted me in terms of stronger competition to the championship leaders, and we want to see this championship go right to the wire because that’s way more fun, was that McLaren's upgrade worked.
They've taken their time this year to play catch‑up, but they are now catching up, I think. The signs were there right from the start as Lando built up the pace into the weekend – this was a good upgrade, they had the pace, and they were ready to challenge Mercedes." There remains some uncertainty about whether all twelve of the remaining scheduled rounds will proceed as planned due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Yet Sky Sports F1 commentator Bernie Collins believes Norris still has ample opportunity to turn the tide. "I think this year is going to be about upgrades," Collins said on The F1 Show podcast.
"It’s going to be about who can get on top of these cars, who can get the best out of the cars, the best out of the engines. At the moment, as the calendar stands, we’ve done 11 rounds; we’ve got 12 still to go.
So there’s still lots and lots of points on the board." Collins reminded listeners of last season’s dramatic swing when Max Verstappen trailed championship leader Oscar Piastri by 104 points with nine races left, only to fight back and finish just two points shy of Norris in the final standings. He added, "We’ve seen McLaren this weekend at least have a little bit of the upper hand.
And maybe Mercedes have been a bit distracted with each other in some of the earlier races as well. So, I think that it’s still all to play for. You’ve pretty much got three cars, maybe Verstappen as well in that fight, that I think who knows as we go through later races who will be at the front week in, week out.
And that’s really interesting to watch." The Formula 1 calendar will resume after the summer break with a sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort from August 21‑23, with every session broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. The combination of McLaren’s newfound speed, Norris’s determination, and the remaining points still up for grabs ensures that the championship battle will remain fiercely contested right up to the final race.