Ahead of the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP, McLaren announced that it will be bringing a new upgrade package to both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s MCL40 at the Hungaroring. The new package consists of a new floor and other fundamental aerodynamic parts, which the team plans to test throughout all three Free Practice sessions during the weekend.
Norris shares his expectations leading up to the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP
It was a challenging weekend prior at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for Norris. Not only was the reigning champion handed a 10-place grid penalty ahead of the weekend, but his race was also compromised after McLaren had miscalculated his strategy. The team had missed out on a crucial opportunity to pit the Briton under a VSC, resulting in him driving an almost second recovery race for the remainder of the 2026 F1 Belgian GP.
Approaching the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP, Lando Norris is looking to bag a good result. The 26-year-old also remains confident that McLaren has the best power unit package on the grid.
He added that he hopes the incoming upgrades will help diminish some of the problems that have contributed to the team’s performance deficit.
“I think we have probably still the best complete power unit package. We were hopeful for a good weekend in Spa. So hopeful that it can be a good weekend here.
“Honestly, just waiting to see on the upgrade. I think we want to be optimistic about it. We want to be confident and hope that it fixes some of our issues that we’re currently struggling with and limiting us with.”
Maintaining low expectations despite the upgrade package
Despite his confidence in the team’s power unit package and the team’s effort, Norris remains wary of the incoming upgrade package.
The Briton shared that there had been a few upgrades from the season thus far that fell below expectations. Hence, going into the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP weekend, Norris will maintain low expectations prior to testing the upgrades during the Free Practice sessions.
Additionally, the reigning champion also acknowledged that McLaren had a strong track record at the Hungaroring. The Woking outfit has clinched back-to-back 1-2 finishes at the track in both 2024 and 2025, with a 2-4 in 2023. At the 2025 F1 Hungarian GP, Norris had clinched the victory with teammate Piastri close behind in P2.
The Briton anticipates the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP to be a strong weekend for McLaren should the incoming upgrade package work as expected.
“There’s been a few upgrades this year that have maybe not worked exactly as we would have hoped. So I think we’re just being a little bit more cautious on waiting to see if it works exactly as we expect. If it does, then I think it should give us a good boost and add a good amount of performance to the car. And it’s a track that we’ve typically performed well at in the past. So I’m hoping as a combination that it’s a good track for us. I’m hoping it’s a good track for us with this car and that we can have a good weekend. So I’m looking forward to it.”
