Lando Norris believes he is driving better than at the equivalent stage of his F1 title-winning campaign, a claim that should send a shiver down the spines of his championship rivals now that McLaren has returned to winning ways.
The reigning F1 drivers’ champion took his first grand prix victory of the season at the Hungaroring last weekend, converting pole position into a dominant win, finishing over 15 seconds clear of Max Verstappen.
It was a statement performance from a driver who has endured a torrid first half of the year, with mechanical failures in China, Canada and Monaco costing him dearly.
“I think in terms of my driving, and my own performance as a driver, honestly, I’m very happy,” Norris said after the campaign reached its halfway point with the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I feel like I have been doing a good job of maximising the car’s potential.
“I feel like I’ve driven better in this half of the season than I probably did to this point last year, to a certain extent, but sadly I’m not leading the championship.
“Of course, I want a better car and a car that can give me more chances and give me more results for the performance of driving I feel like I’m getting out of it, but that’s Formula 1.”
Up to the weekend in Budapest, MCL40 had been a clear relative step back from the MCL39 that powered Norris to the title.
Where last year’s car excelled in tyre management and was competitive virtually everywhere, this year’s machine has struggled to match Mercedes and Ferrari under the new regulations, sitting noticeably off the front-running pace of the W17. Norris sits fifth in the standings on 128 points, 91 behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
“As a team, and with the car, we’re certainly not quite at the level we want to be at, or we were at last season,” he added.
“We have still had some good results, but we also know we’re not where we should be. We’re not happy with that; we’ve been disappointed with our own performance, but we’re working hard to improve.”
The upgrades introduced at the Hungaroring centred on a redesigned floor, accompanied by additional aerodynamic components around the front and rear corners, wing endplate modifications, and larger brake ducts.
The new floor is understood to improve airflow extraction at the base of the diffuser, addressing a key weakness that has hampered the MCL40 in varying conditions throughout the season.
Given McLaren’s track record of efficient, effective development, the sort that transformed the team into the benchmark last year, rivals would be wise to take notice.
If Hungary proves to be the launchpad for a similar development trajectory, Norris’s assertion that he is driving better than ever becomes a genuinely concerning proposition for those ahead of him in the championship, even with the considerable points deficit.
The 12-time grand prix winner added: “We’re starting to see the benefits of that hard work; our win in Hungary came as a result of strong upgrades to the car, but we need to keep pushing and keep developing if we’re going to continue to fight for wins.”