Lando Norris believes McLaren will have the best F1 car in the second half of this season despite a tough start to their title defense.
Norris suffered his first DNS at the last Chinese Grand Prix due to an electrical problem with his power unit, and was only fifth in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
This leaves the reigning world champion 36 points behind championship leader George Russell ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, while McLaren is 80 points behind Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.
“I don’t remember how many points we were behind Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari in 2024, but I think it was more than 150 points (115 points), but we were still able to come back and win the constructors’ championship,” Norris said.
“What we’re thinking about is first to get on the podium and then get back to winning races. After that, the points will recover on their own and we’ll see what we can get back. But we’re confident in it.”
“I think we’re confident as a team and I’d like to say that we believe in ourselves that the reason we won the last two championships and the drivers’ championship last year was because we were able to build the best car on the grid. And I’m confident we can get that back this year.”
“It just takes time. We have to be patient. But yes, I believe in the team and I think we can build the best car this year.”
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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri discuss what happened after both McLarens failed to start the Chinese Grand Prix due to electrical issues
Norris did not reveal the cause of the power unit-related failure, but said McLaren and engine supplier Mercedes had understood the problem to “ensure it never happens again”.
Due to the high potential of the new 2026 F1 car, speed of development will play a key role during the season, and McLaren has been the best team in recent years to bring upgrades that improve the car’s performance without any problems.
Norris admits McLaren has “things in the works” but it will “take time” to close the gap with Mercedes and Ferrari.
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Despite winning his first world title last year, McLaren’s Lando Norris insists he has never been hungrier to defend his title.
“We’re certainly not where we want to be. The real question you’re probably asking is, is it better for me to be here and win last year, or is it better for me not to win last year and be in a slightly better car than I am now? I think you know my answer,” he added.
“You can’t make everything the best. As a team, we are certainly not where we want to be or where we want to be, but I think we all know within the team what we can achieve. And now is as good a time as ever to prove exactly what we can do as a team – against Ferrari and against Mercedes, where we are performing very well at the moment.
“But I know that all the boys and girls back in the factories are working hard and good progress is happening.”
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Home hero Oscar Piastri crashes on his way to the grid for the Australian Grand Prix in his McLaren
Did last year’s title fight get in the way of McLaren?
Oscar Piastri had an even tougher start to the 2026 season, failing to even complete a grand prix lap due to a crash in Australia on the way to the grid and another power unit issue with Norris in China before the formation lap.
McLaren and Red Bull were the fastest teams at the end of last season, but were overtaken by Mercedes and Ferrari at the start of a new era in F1.
Red Bull continued to upgrade in the second half of 2025 to support Max Verstappen’s refusal to win the drivers’ championship with McLaren, but this could be the reason they fall back down the pecking order. However, Piastri believes that is not the case for McLaren and he is “optimistic” that the team can turn things around.
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Anthony Davidson recalls on Skypad how Oscar Piastri crashed his McLaren on the way to the grid ahead of his home race in Australia.
“It’s a very different set of rules. The engine itself is one of the areas we’re trying to catch up on. We don’t understand as much as we would ideally like,” he said.
“That’s where a lot of the lap times come from, especially in qualifying and the car itself. I don’t think we sacrificed this year to win the championship last year.”
“We haven’t been developing it all year. We were quite bold when we switched to this year’s car. It’s not that we didn’t prioritize it enough, it’s just that we haven’t gotten it right as much as the other cars and we need to catch up.”
Sky Sports F1 Japan GP Schedule
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A look back at the wildest moments captured by in-car cameras at the Japanese Grand Prix
Friday, March 27th
2am: Japanese GP Practice 1 (Session starts at 2:30am)*
4:30am: Team boss press conference
5:45am: Japanese GP Practice 2 (session starts at 6am)*
7:15am: F1 Show*
Saturday, March 28th
2:15am: Japanese GP Practice 3 (session starts at 2:30am)*
5am: Japanese GP qualifying build-up*
6am: Japanese GP Qualifying*
8am: Ted’s Qualification Notes*
Sunday, March 29th
4:30am: Preparations for the Japanese Grand Prix – Grand Prix Sunday*
6am: Japanese Grand Prix*
8am: Japanese GP reaction – checkered flag*
9am: Ted’s Notes*
*The main event will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports
F1 will be at the iconic Suzuka Circuit this weekend for the Japanese Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
