Lando Norris so far in 2026: A steady start for the reigning champion
25 June 2026The countdown to the 2026 British Grand Prix is nearly at its end, and as Silverstone prepares to welcome Formula 1 back to the home of British motorsport, we’re continuing our look at the home hero drivers who will be looking to deliver in front of the enthusiastic crowd.
Next up is the reigning World Champion, Lando Norris. After claiming his first Drivers’ Championship in 2025, Norris entered 2026 as the benchmark of the field for the first time in his career.
The opening phase of the season has seen podiums, a Sprint victory and plenty of evidence that both Norris and McLaren remain capable of fighting near the front. But there have also been reliability issues and plenty of missed opportunities.
Melbourne: A difficult opener
At the season opener at Albert Park Circuit, and the dawn of F1’s new era of technical regulations, Norris and McLaren quickly discovered that Mercedes had got the better of them in the pre-season development race.
While the Briton remained firmly in the fight at the front end of the field, the race ultimately exposed the gap McLaren needed to close. Norris crossed the line fifth, more than 50 seconds behind race winner George Russell.
For a driver hoping to defend his world title, the lack of outright pace was a concern, and for the first time in a while, the McLaren drivers looked like they were once again the hunters.
Shanghai: Promise and frustration
In the Shanghai Sprint race, Norris delivered a fourth-place finish and was able to keep pace with the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers more comfortably.
But in the Grand Prix itself, a technical issue prevented Norris from making it to the grid, leaving him with a frustrating DNS.
Suzuka: Signs of progress
At Suzuka, there were finally reasons for optimism in the papaya camp. Mercedes had appeared comfortably ahead so far, but in Japan, that gap looked smaller.
Team-mate Oscar Piastri qualified third, with Norris just behind in fifth, suggesting McLaren was beginning to unlock performance from its 2026 challenger.
The race itself was relatively straightforward for Norris. He crossed the line in the same position he started, unable to quite find the pace needed to challenge the leading trio.
But the wider picture was more positive, with Piastri converting his strong qualifying into a second-place finish, proving McLaren had a car capable of challenging for podiums on merit.
Miami: Back to winning ways
At the scene of his first-ever Grand Prix victory in 2024, Norris produced one of his strongest weekends of 2026 so far at the Miami International Autodrome, securing Sprint Pole before converting it into victory on Saturday.
Starting fourth in the Grand Prix, Norris worked his way into contention, and as the laps ticked down, he closed on race leader Kimi Antonelli. Ultimately, however, it proved a little too big of a gap to bridge.
Second place still represented his best Grand Prix result of the season and confirmed there was untapped potential in the MCL40.
Canada and Monaco: Momentum stalls
In Canada, Norris qualified strongly for both the Sprint and Grand Prix and briefly found himself leading the Grand Prix after McLaren’s rogue tyre strategy gamble. But an early switch from intermediate tyres put him back in the pack, and his recovery drive was ultimately cut short by gearbox trouble.
Then, in Monaco, a difficult qualifying session left Norris down in eighth, and during the race, power unit issues brought his afternoon to an early end, making it back-to-back technical retirements.
Barcelona: Back on the podium
Qualifying fourth at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Lando appeared set to finish exactly where he started, but Kimi Antonelli’s late retirement elevated Norris onto the podium, allowing him to leave Spain with a valuable third-place finish and a welcome boost after two frustrating weekends.
Building momentum at Silverstone
Despite suffering a DNS and two retirements, Norris has still scored two podium finishes and a Sprint victory.
At the same time, the challenge facing McLaren has become increasingly clear.
The encouraging sign for Norris is that McLaren's pace has improved since Melbourne, and Miami showed that race-winning speed is somewhere within the package.
Perhaps, heading to his home turf at Silverstone, Lando will find a little something extra to give the Landostand and the home crowd something to cheer for at the British Grand Prix.
