Lando Norris Reflects on McLaren's 2026 Progress Amid Mexico City Grand Prix Preparations

Lando Norris is standing by McLaren's development efforts as they gear up for the Mexico City Grand Prix, asserting that the team has had "a pretty good year" despite initial setbacks. The reigning champions faced a rocky start to their 2026 campaign, notably missing out on the Chinese Grand Prix due to a lack of reliability.

Progress has been forthcoming throughout the season, with Norris clinching consecutive wins in Hungary and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, a third victory in Madrid slipped away, thwarted by a poorly timed Virtual Safety Car. While recent races have seen McLaren struggle with car handling, Norris is satisfied with the strides made. "The car has been horrible and difficult to drive the whole season," Norris admitted during a media session in Mexico City. "But considering where we started, winning almost three races is a significant achievement."

He went on to highlight the team's improvements from being over a second behind at the start of the year. "To have closed that gap and almost won three races is something to be proud of," Norris added. "We started well behind and have done better than most teams on the grid."

Currently, McLaren finds itself tied with Red Bull for third in the constructors' standings, with Max Verstappen's recent victories keeping the competition tight. Oscar Piastri shares a cautious optimism about staying ahead of Red Bull, noting McLaren's ongoing efforts to enhance performance. "We’re not as consistently competitive as Red Bull, but we’re still adding performance to the car," Piastri remarked. "Reliability has been a big issue this year, so the situation could change."

Piastri acknowledges that outperforming Red Bull will be a formidable task, but is undeterred. "It's a big challenge, but we're always up for it," he concluded, as McLaren's focus begins to shift towards the 2027 season.