Winner in Hungary, Lando Norris believes he is driving better than during his championship year. An observation he is pleased with… without hiding a certain frustration.
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Author of a demonstration at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lando Norris is convinced he has reached a new level this season. The reigning world champion even believes that his driving level is higher than that shown during his victorious campaign in 2025.
A paradox, however, accompanies this progression. Due to a McLaren not being competitive enough for much of the season, the Briton still trails significantly in the championship, a situation he admits is difficult to accept.
One of his best races in Formula 1
In Budapest, Norris finally found the way to victory thanks to the significant upgrades brought by McLaren. Starting from pole position, he briefly lost the lead of the race to his teammate Oscar Piastri before regaining the advantage thanks to a superior pace.
For the British driver, this performance ranks among the best of his entire career.
“I had already had a great race here last year. It was around this time that I started stringing together very good performances, notably in Monaco, Silverstone, and Budapest.”
But according to him, what he has produced this season goes even further.
“Today, I would say this race is among my very best performances. I managed to extract almost all the potential of the car and drive very close to the limit every lap.”
His pace was even so high that McLaren had to ask him to ease off slightly at the end of the race.
“I was so close to the limit that the team asked me to slow down a bit.”
Progress that does not always translate into victories
Despite this success, Norris remains 91 points behind the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, at mid-season.
The reason is simple: before the upgrades introduced in Hungary, McLaren did not have a car capable of regularly fighting for victory against Mercedes and Ferrari.
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The Briton admits that this situation is particularly frustrating.
“It almost hurts me to say it, because it doesn’t necessarily mean we win, but I think I am doing a better job this year than last year.”
According to him, his individual performances have been steadily improving for several months, even if the results have not always reflected it.
“That doesn’t automatically mean we win races.”
Work in all areas
For Norris, this progress is the result of thorough work, both on and off the track.
The McLaren driver explains that he has sought to improve many aspects of his approach, in close collaboration with his team.
“I am doing a better job today, especially thanks to everything we have undertaken in many areas.”
This work was not limited to pure driving.
“Part of it was done with my team off the track, another part directly during race weekends. We have tried to improve wherever possible.”
Details that make the difference
Norris insists that there is no single element explaining this rise in performance.
On the contrary, he believes that the accumulation of many small improvements ends up producing a visible result on track.
“Many small improvements end up adding up, and that’s what we saw today.”
With a McLaren now much more competitive thanks to its new upgrade package, the world champion hopes that this victory in Hungary will not remain an isolated case. If his driving level is truly the best of his career, as he claims, the second half of the season could still offer him several opportunities to prove it.
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