Norris: MCL40 'still just horrible to drive' despite back-to-back wins

Lando Norris has a confession: the McLaren MCL40 is "still just horrible to drive." Yet after back-to-back wins at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix, the reigning world champion believes he's doing a better job than everyone behind the wheel. His admission comes despite McLaren's upgraded challenger proving it can beat the Mercedes W17 on merit.

Why it matters:

Norris's wins have tightened the championship race. He trails leader Kimi Antonelli by 83 points, but Mercedes is now on alert. The tricky nature of the MCL40 makes his consistency even more impressive, especially as teammate gaps have grown across the grid this season. If Norris keeps extracting results from a car he dislikes, the title fight could get even closer.

The Details:

• Norris says the MCL40 remains a difficult car, but he's getting better at understanding it and feeding information back to McLaren.
• He highlighted overnight work between qualifying and the race: "Yesterday to today is a perfect example of the work we put in overnight transformed our race."
• He admits Mercedes has the "better all-round performing car," with McLaren's strength lying in high-speed corners like Turns 7 and 8 at Zandvoort.
• Antonelli conceded Mercedes is "clearly not the fastest car anymore," crediting McLaren's "huge step."
• George Russell, second in the standings, also acknowledged the growing threat from Woking.

What's Next:

Norris believes McLaren now has a car capable of beating Mercedes, but he insists his own performance is the difference-maker. "If I didn't get Kimi when I overtook him, I don't think I would have won," he said, adding that one mistake in qualifying would change the narrative. With the title fight heating up, every detail matters — and Norris seems determined to make the most of it.