Lando Norris, driver for McLaren, has expressed that neither he nor his team have the car required to compete for a championship, despite a recent string of victories. Norris secured his second consecutive win of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix, but he remains grounded about the team's current standing.
"One race at a time," Norris stated, echoing a common sentiment in the racing world but emphasizing its truth in his current situation. He acknowledged the two strong weekends for McLaren but stressed that there are still areas needing significant improvement if the team aims to challenge for the championship. "It's still harder than I would like, and I don't want a bigger gap, so we have to keep working hard. There's still plenty of races, plenty of opportunity for everyone. So, keep my head down, keep working, and they'll keep coming."
McLaren's team principal, Andrea Stella, lauded Norris's performance, describing him as operating at a very high level and driving "at the level of a world champion." Stella noted Norris's continuous improvement, particularly since the start of the 2025 season, a positive approach that is now being applied to teammate Oscar Piastri as well.
Stella observed that the Dutch Grand Prix weekend was not one where victory was guaranteed, especially after Norris finished third in the sprint race behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. He highlighted McLaren's investment in understanding tire exploitation and car development. "And then when you have conditions in which the car slides in the race, there's not much grip, then I think he is the master in these kind of conditions," Stella added.
This progress from McLaren comes amidst a period of stagnation for Mercedes. The team has not introduced a car upgrade since May in Canada, allowing McLaren and Ferrari to close the gap, a development that has drawn attention from rival teams. The next significant upgrade for Mercedes is not anticipated until the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, which is four races away. For Mercedes driver Antonelli, who also faces a grid penalty at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix due to needing a new engine exceeding his allowance, the wait for improvements is pressing.
"Now as a team we need to find a little bit of time because McLaren have done a huge step," Antonelli commented. "So for sure, in this race, it's going to be more difficult, it's going to be challenging, but we're ready to do our best and to maximise every opportunity. And then hopefully it's going to be our turn to bring the package that's going to give us a little bit of the upper hand again."