Norris rejects 'failure' label for McLaren's 2026 but admits the car is hard to drive
Lando Norris says calling McLaren's 2026 season a failure is the wrong mindset, pointing to two wins and the cost of last year's title push. In Mexico City he also said the car is too difficult and unpredictable over one lap after qualifying sixth.
Two messages from one weekend
Lando Norris gave two answers about McLaren's season in Mexico City that look different at first. In one, he defended the year. In the other, he explained why qualifying has been so hard. Together they show where the team stands with five rounds to go.
Not a failure
As reported by PlanetF1, Norris rejected the idea that 2026 has been a failure, calling that the wrong mindset. He argued that the team paid for the work it put into the 2025 car that won the championships, saying McLaren knew it would pay for it with the biggest regulation change ever. He called the two wins "a pretty huge success from where we were", given the difficult start to the season. He admitted rivals' upgrades have worked better than McLaren's in recent months, and said the focus is now on understanding the car for a title push in 2027.
Hard to drive over one lap
RacingNews365 reports that after qualifying sixth, about three tenths behind pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton, Norris said the car is too difficult and unpredictable over one lap. He said watching other drivers' onboards left him baffled at how McLaren can be quick at times, and that he can put a really good lap together "maybe one in 50" times. Teammate Oscar Piastri was eliminated in Q2.
By the numbers
Our data supports the picture. Norris has won twice in 2026, in Hungary and the Netherlands, and has five podiums: second in Miami, third in Barcelona and Madrid, and the two wins. Piastri's best finishes are second in Japan and third in Miami. Since Madrid, Norris has finished no higher than fourth: Singapore, fourth, then Austin, fifth. PlanetF1 puts McLaren third in the constructors' standings, 252 points behind Mercedes, with Norris sixth in the drivers' table.
What comes next
The Mexico City Grand Prix starts at 20:00 UTC (21:00 in Vienna) on Sunday, with Norris on the third row. McLaren has gone four races without a podium, the longest dry spell of its season.
