Lando Norris issues declaration over F1 form with reality that 'hurts'

Lando Norris has asserted that his performances during the current season eclipse those on display during his title-winning campaign last year.

Norris took to the top step of the podium last Sunday in Hungary, marking his first race victory of the season.

McLaren's surge in performance came at a weekend in which it delivered a significant upgrade package as it seeks to consistently join the fight at the front of the field.

Despite slipping behind team-mate Oscar Piastri early on, Norris visibly had pace over Piastri and moved ahead when the Australian ran into backmarker trouble following his pit stop.

Now in his eighth F1 campaign, Norris asserted that his performance at the Hungaroring sits among his best ever.

“I drove a good race here in Budapest last year,” he told media including RacingNews365. 

“At this point, I started to have some good races, you know, in Monaco, Silverstone, Hungary. 

“Right now, I would probably say it was up there with one of my best performances, in terms of extracting performance out of the car and being so close to the limit every single lap.

“So close that the team had to ask me to peg it back a little bit.”

Norris' chances of back-to-back titles appear slim with half of the season in the books, as he sits 91 points down on leader Kimi Antonelli.

Having not had the car to constantly challenge for wins this year, Norris admits that it “hurts” to be driving in better form compared to 2025 and not have the car to deliver similar results.

“Although it kind of hurts me saying it because it doesn’t mean that you just win, I feel like I’m doing a better job this year than I was last year, and I have done for a little while,” he said.

“It just doesn’t mean you win the race, When we had a car, I think the words when I said, 'I think my performance is some of my best,', I proved exactly that: that I could go out and win very convincingly and be on pole in a good car. 

“I’m doing a better job, and that’s because of working in many different areas, some away from the track with my team and some here at the track as well. 

“Just working in as many areas as possible. A lot of small differences add up, and you see the result today.”