Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri headed into the 2026 F1 season as reigning Constructor Champions with McLaren. The pair are now looking to achieve another championship.
In an interview with McLaren about the 2026 F1 season, the duo weighed in on what the team could still achieve. Norris said, “I think we can have a good season, even if we’re not where we want to be right now.
“And although we haven’t started the season where we want to be, we still want to push hard for the Championship. This isn’t a case of giving up and focusing on next year – I’m not sure if that approach ever really works.”
The Briton continued, “There’s plenty of examples where we’ve not quite been where we want to be at the start of the year, but have ended up in a much stronger position by the end – 2023, 2024 and so on, and we’re a stronger team now than we were then. We’ve been there, done it, learned from it, and I trust that this team knows how to do it again. Plenty of hard work ahead, but we’re ready for it.”
Norris achieved his first win at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix; it was then that the 2024 F1 season changed for McLaren. He went on to face Max Verstappen for the title. While he was unsuccessful in 2024, he clinched the title in 2025.
Piastri looks to achieve more during the 2026 F1 Season
Piastri added, “I’m confident in this team that we’ll be back fighting consistently for wins this season. In Round 3, whilst there was still a gap at the end, we were able to push the boundaries of our initial expectations and, without the Safety Car, could have genuinely been in contention for the win.
“We have a lot of work to do to be back at the front consistently, but closing the gap to Mercedes and out-developing the field is something that’s within our control. This team have proven how we’re able to turn things around, and we’re starting in a stronger position than we have in previous examples of this, such as 2024.
“I have complete trust that the team will do everything they can to get us there, and I am genuinely excited to see what we can achieve.”
The Australian has had a rough go of the season so far after failing to start the first two races. As they head to the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren is hoping for a better outcome during the rest of the 2026 F1 season.
