Lando Norris has made it clear that he is not dismissing the possibility of challenging for the championship again, and he believes the weight of expectation now sits squarely on the shoulders of Formula 1’s points leader, Kimi Antonelli. The British driver secured McLaren’s first victory of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, delivering a masterclass that propelled him to fifth place in the Drivers’ Championship.
Despite the win, he remains 91 points adrift of Antonelli with eleven races still to run. Norris pointed out that a similar scenario unfolded for Max Verstappen last year. Verstappen found himself 104 points behind the leader with ten races left and ultimately fell short by just two points, allowing Norris to claim the title. "The pressure is definitely on him [Antonelli]," Norris told Sky Sports F1.
"I don’t feel any pressure myself – I’m feeling very confident." He added that Mercedes have been prone to more errors this season, while McLaren have been more consistent. "They make more mistakes as a team, we make fewer, and we’ve been strong. I still expect them to win races, but I also expect us to win more. From now on we have to be perfect for the rest of the year." The McLaren crew have been busy developing the car.
A major aerodynamic upgrade – most notably a new floor – was introduced for the Hungarian round, giving the team a noticeable speed boost and allowing them to fight at the front of the grid more regularly. Team principal Andrea Stella said the development race will continue after the summer hiatus.
"This season has always been about a constant flow of upgrades. The good news is McLaren is back in that race for upgrades while still battling for podiums," he explained. "I expect the car that ends the season as the best will have added tenths of a second each race – possibly up to half a second – over the next eleven events. That means a lot of work for everyone, not just McLaren." During the Hungarian race Norris was held up by his teammate Oscar Piastri on the opening lap, despite having clear pace advantage.
He later turned the situation to his benefit by staying out longer on the second pit‑stop window and executing an overcut that saw him rejoin ahead of Piastri. Earlier in the race Norris had communicated to his engineers that he felt "miles faster" and wanted to pit first.
When asked about the intra‑team dynamics, Norris stressed the importance of teamwork. "I just want to win the race. We have rules that prevent us from harming each other by being overly aggressive. But I certainly had more pace than Oscar, and that gave us a better chance of taking the win," he said at the post‑race press conference.
He elaborated on the strategic thinking behind his pit‑stop decision: "When I was stuck behind Oscar, Max was only three or four seconds behind, still a threat. Ahead there was no danger, so I knew we had a strong chance of winning as a team. I wanted to undercut because my pace was so strong that I could have opened up an entire pit‑stop window. The risk was finding the right balance between pitting too early and compromising both of our races.
In the end, the decision was made in the best interests of the team." Norris has generally enjoyed the upper hand over Piastri in recent events, and many observers believe he is performing at a level comparable to his championship‑winning season last year. He admitted he is still trying to understand why his advantage in Hungary was so pronounced, but hopes the feeling will persist after the summer break.
"The cars are identical, and I’ve just been feeling very strong lately. I’ve worked on many areas since last year," Norris explained. "I feel a lot more confident extracting performance, and I’ve spent a lot of time with my engineers to get to grips with this car.
It’s not an easy machine to master, and getting the most out of it consistently takes hard work." He credited both his own effort and that of his engineering team for the progress. "It comes down to hard work – from my engineers and from me – to improve my driving and to understand the car better. That’s the answer." The Formula 1 calendar will pick up again after the summer break with a sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from 21‑23 August.
All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and fans can stream the coverage via NOW without a long‑term contract. Norris and McLaren will be looking to build on the momentum from Hungary, refine the new floor package, and keep the pressure on Antonelli as the championship battle enters its final phase.