Evolving Lando Norris attribute feted as ‘what McLaren have lacked’

Lando Norris has been praised for an improving attribute which addresses a McLaren weakness.

McLaren are set to win the constructors’ championship again and crown the drivers’ champion this season after dominating F1 in 2025.

Norris is nine points behind championship leader and teammate Oscar Piastri after winning the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Lando Norris, who is prone to harsh self-criticism, has been credited for his communication with his race engineer during the grand prix.

“Some of the radio communication with the race engineer was so positive, some really strong decisions were made,” Sky Sports’ analyst Bernie Collins spotted.

“I was so impressed. Even at the end he was asked ‘what do we do now, under the Safety Car?’

“He was straight back: ‘Softs, I don’t want the hards!’

“Really decisive. At times, not just his side of the garage, it’s what McLaren have lacked.

“Given that result, the challenge will run and run.”

Norris fell short in last season’s F1 drivers’ title battle against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

His critics insisted a lack of self-belief cost him, at times, against the ruthless Verstappen.

But this season Norris has returned and is locked in another fight for the top prize.

“My confidence is high, I feel good, I am not lacking it,” he told Sky Sports in Hungary.

“I feel like I’m getting a good amount out of the car. Could I be better? Yes.

“I still feel like there are things I need to work on.

“My Lap 1 [in Hungary] wasn’t so good, but some of my Lap 1s have been fine. My starts have been okay.

“I am not making my life easy, and I need to make it easier.”

Lando Norris advantage over Oscar Piastri?

Norris rejected the theory that edging Piastri would give him an advantage at the next grand prix in the Netherlands.

He said: “Both of us are accepting that one of us will win, and it will go to-and-fro for the rest of the year.

“I got points back but it’s a full re-set for Zandvoort.”

Norris and Piastri battled firmly in the closing stages of last week’s Hungarian Grand Prix but McLaren have backed them to continue being “firm”.

Norris’ late-notice one-stop strategy ultimately prevailed above Piastri’s two-stop.

“It was tough, the last few laps were the toughest. Oscar was pushing flat-out on a nicer tyre than mine,” Norris said.

“I was trying to not make a mistake. When the tyre is at the end of its stint, it’s so easy to lock up.

“It felt so easy to make a mistake. I drove at 100% and it was too much, I’d underrotate and make a mistake.

“If I drove at 98% I felt under the limit and not getting anything out of the car.

“The 99% limit was so difficult to be on. I felt like I was on it for a good amount of the second stint.

“I didn’t expect it to work, I was a long way behind when we committed to a one-stop.

“The end of my first stint was great, the pace was strong. My strength of tyre management helped me out.”