Lando Norris has disagreed with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell for saying McLaren now boasts the best car in Formula 1 - arguing it’s his driving that’s making the difference.
The reigning world champion has won the last two grands prix – Budapest and Zandvoort – from pole thanks to a heavily-upgraded MCL40, which went winless in the opening 10 rounds.
Those early races in 2026 were dominated by Mercedes, who won the first six from pole but has only taken two victories since because of Ferrari and McLaren improving their cars.
So it led to championship leader Antonelli, who finished second at Zandvoort on Sunday, saying Mercedes is “clearly” behind McLaren, and Russell agreed after finishing third in the Dutch GP.
When those comments from the Mercedes duo were therefore put to Norris, he said: “Well, they’re not going to say themselves, are they?
“So they’re the team to beat [even] if they just got beaten today, so I don’t think it’s true. I think if I didn’t get Kimi when I overtook him, I don’t think I would have won the race today.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“It’s hard to say, but I also know how good of a job I’m doing behind the wheel, and of course, 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.”
The 2026 campaign has arguably been Norris at his best because although he isn’t in the championship fight, sitting 86 points behind Antonelli, he has maximised his package.
That is evident when compared to team-mate Oscar Piastri, who finished sixth in the Netherlands to remain seventh in the standings and 55 points behind fourth-placed Norris.
The Briton is also 13-4 up in their qualifying head-to-head (including sprint races) so Norris reckons it’s his driving that’s causing McLaren to look like it’s in the same league as Mercedes.
He even used the Zandvoort sprint race to further illustrate his point, as Russell dominated from pole while Norris only just held off Antonelli for third – the Italian started fifth due to floor damage.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
“We look at yesterday and in qualifying,” added the now 13-time grand prix winner, “but we didn’t win yesterday and we didn’t really change much. But I worked a lot on my driving. I want to believe more than everyone else again, and we turned things around today.
“So 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 [curves]. Turn 7 and Turn 8 were just our biggest two corners where I would gain time today.
“But, yeah, you know, if I make one mistake in qualifying yesterday and P3, P4, P5, I’m not going to win, and then no one’s going to be saying these things. So the fact I’m just doing a good job is, I think, why people are saying it.
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Originally published by motorsport.com —
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