Lando Norris has stated McLaren must be “patient” as it aims to become a consistent threat at the front of the F1 field once more.
McLaren entered the 2026 campaign as the reigning champions but fell behind in the pecking order, with Mercedes springing out of the blocks as the fastest team.
It took until round 11 of the campaign for McLaren to return to the top step of the podium, as it won the Hungarian Grand Prix at a weekend in which it introduced a substantial car upgrade.
McLaren is hopeful that its upgrades will allow it to fight at various other track layouts, with the package set to receive its next test at Zandvoort next month.
However, Norris has conceded that it is unlikely to reach the heights that Mercedes enjoyed at the start of the year.
“It’s tough because we’re never going to have an advantage over them like they’ve had over us,” Norris told media including RacingNews365.
“We can maybe catch up to the level that they are, but then to get whatever it is, 100 points back from where I am now, it’s going to be pretty tough.
“I’m more a guy who stays in the present and looks ahead to the future. Honestly, I feel like I’ve driven better in this half of the season than I probably did at this point last year, to a certain extent.
“Sadly I’m not leading the championship by a bigger margin Of course, I want a better car, and I would like a car that can give me more chances and give me results for the performance of driving that I feel like I’m getting out of it.
“But that’s F1. From the job I’m doing myself, I’m very, very happy. Of course, I wish I got more rewards from it.”
McLaren currently sit third in the standings at the halfway point of the campaign, while Norris is fifth in the drivers’ table.
Its Hungary performance sets it up for a strong second part of the year, a prospect Norris is confident about.
“But I still believe we can have good results this season,” Norris added.
“We need to be patient, which is never an easy thing to do in the world of F1, but I still believe we can have good races.”