For Mercedes, McLaren’s new parts alone do not explain Lando Norris’ dominance at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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Lando Norris’ resounding victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix marked a turning point in McLaren’s season. Thanks to a significant package of developments, the British team secured its first win of the year, suggesting that it has now returned to the fight for the top positions.
At Mercedes, it is readily acknowledged that these upgrades allowed McLaren to take a step forward. But Simone Resta, deputy technical director of the German team, believes it would be reductive to attribute this performance solely to technical developments.
Obvious progress, but not the only explanation
In Budapest, McLaren introduced several new features aimed at bringing the MCL40 closer to the Mercedes cars, which have dominated since the start of the season.
The result was immediate: Norris took pole position before converting it into a victory, giving his team its first success of the year and only the third win for a non-Mercedes car in 2026.
For Simone Resta, there is no doubt that these developments brought a real performance gain.
“The package of developments was clearly significant and it necessarily contributed to their performance.”
But according to the Italian engineer, another factor played an equally important role.
Norris made the difference
Mercedes notably relies on the gap observed between the two McLarens during the Hungarian weekend to put the effect of the new parts into perspective.
If the developments were the only factor, the performances of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri would probably have been much closer.
“When you look at the gap between their two cars, it is clear that there was something else besides just the developments.”
For Resta, Norris simply had one of his best weekends of the season.
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“Since the start of the year, we have seen McLaren be very competitive several times, but with a different balance between its two drivers depending on the circuits.”
The technical director believes several parameters perfectly aligned for the reigning world champion.
“We have already seen Lando deliver very strong performances this season. Budapest was perhaps simply a weekend where he felt particularly confident with the car, the setup, and tire management.”
According to him, Norris’ dominance is therefore the result of a mix between the technical progress made by McLaren and the excellent driving level displayed by the Briton.
“I think it is probably a combination of these two factors.”
Mercedes remains confident
Even if the gap seems to have narrowed in recent weeks, Mercedes still holds the lead in both championships as the second half of the season approaches.
The German team can also count on a particularly strong driver duo, composed of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Simone Resta did not fail to highlight the strength of this pairing.
“We are lucky to have two extremely fast drivers. George and Kimi have both taken pole positions this season and won races.”
According to him, their internal rivalry is a real driver of progress for the team.
“At different moments in the season, each of them has delivered exceptional performances. It is a tremendous asset for the team. The competition between them constantly raises the level and allows us to achieve better results.”
While McLaren seems to have regained momentum thanks to its latest developments, Mercedes therefore believes that the revival of its rival is not explained solely by the technical side. The level displayed by Lando Norris in Hungary also largely contributed to this demonstration.
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