{"id":1891577,"date":"2026-04-19T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1891577"},"modified":"2026-04-19T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T05:00:00","slug":"bullish-lando-norris-outlines-mclarens-f1-2026-title-recovery-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1891577","title":{"rendered":"Bullish Lando Norris outlines McLaren\u2019s F1 2026 title recovery plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=1600&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9&#8243;]<\/p>\n<article>\n<header id=\"lbs-article\" class=\"article header article-header section layout layout--article-header\">\n<div class=\"col headline\">\n<div>\n<h1>Bullish Lando Norris outlines McLaren\u2019s F1 2026 title recovery plan<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"summary body\">\n<p>Lando Norris has outlined McLaren&#8217;s ambitions despite a tricky start to F1 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section two-column\">\n<div class=\"col article-info\">\n<div>\n<address> Lewis Larkam <\/address>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><time datetime=\"2026-04-19T09:00:00+01:00\">19 Apr 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col article-actions\">\n<div class=\"block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block\">\n<div class=\"social-sharing-buttons\"><span class=\"ssb-title\"> Share<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div id=\"lbs-content\" class=\"content wide-two-column-sticky section layout layout--wide-two-column-sticky\">\n<div class=\"col first-column\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure> <source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=1920&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1920w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=1800&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=1600&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=1500&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1500w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=1200&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1200w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=900&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 900w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=800&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=600&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=400&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 400w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 710px, (min-width:768px) 62vw, 97vw\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><figcaption>\n<div>Norris is on the back foot as he looks to defend his F1 world title<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-preferred-source\">\n<div class=\"preferred-source-cta\">  Add as a preferred source <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>Lando Norris insists McLaren is not \u201cgiving up\u201d on its world championship hopes despite a tough start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.<\/p>\n<p>Reigning world champion Norris has not made the start to his F1 title defence he would have liked and trails early championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 47 points after Mercedes claimed the first three victories on offer in Australia, China and Japan.<\/p>\n<p>McLaren has endured a difficult start and lagged behind rivals Mercedes and Ferrari at the season-opener in Melbourne, before neither Norris or team-mate Oscar Piastri were able to take the start in China due to a double reliability failure.<\/p>\n<p>Things improved in Japan, where McLaren emerged as Mercedes\u2019 nearest challengers, with Piastri taking second place behind Antonelli, and Norris finishing fifth behind the other Mercedes of George Russell.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think we can have a good season, even if we&#8217;re not where we want to be right now,&#8221; Norris said.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;And although we haven&#8217;t started the season where we want to be, we still want to push hard for the championship, this isn&#8217;t a case of giving up and focusing on next year &#8211; I&#8217;m not sure if that approach ever really works.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s plenty of examples where we&#8217;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 &#8211; 2023, 2024 and so on, and we&#8217;re a stronger team now than we were then.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-91b31ff96e7510644fbf43b76242527337bccfd31331fc684c384938a6bde5b2\">  Lando Norris named on TIME 100 list alongside Donald Trump and Pope   Piastri&#8217;s Nurburgring test cut short after McLaren run into issues <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;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&#8217;re ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McLaren sits third in the constructors&#8217; championship on 46 points, 44 behind second-placed Ferrari and 89 adrift of leaders Mercedes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Norris revealed McLaren is determined to utilise the unplanned five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix and Miami Grand Prix to further improve its MCL40 challenger, as well as the optimisation of its Mercedes power unit.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article_2\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-f480d616ead4e80c70e34737521f338d7b37db20b1481e87bbc6fdd547daec44\">  Norris raises key areas F1 must improve &#8220;for the good of the sport&#8221;   What Red Bull should be \u201cworried about\u201d after Gianpiero Lambiase exit <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not in a terrible position, but we&#8217;ve definitely got to work to get back in contention for wins, and, even then, we need to keep going to make sure we&#8217;ve got a car capable of winning every single weekend,&#8221; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve also had some issues that really haven&#8217;t helped our development of these cars. One thing we realised very early is that time in the car, and getting laps on the board, is so important when it comes to learning how to get the most out of the car, and specifically the power unit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Tiny, tiny margins make significant differences. Combine that with the fact that we didn&#8217;t start the Grand Prix in China, and that we didn&#8217;t get enough track time during practice in Japan, and it&#8217;s easy to see where we&#8217;re lacking.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;However, we&#8217;re using this gap between Japan and Miami to do what we can to fill that gap in our understanding. We&#8217;re putting a lot of time in on the sim, and [we were] back behind the wheel for a tyre test at the Nurburgring. Despite that test being focused on tyres for next year, time behind the wheel is certainly never going to hurt.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block block-echobox\">\n<h2>Subscribe to our F1 Newsletter<\/h2>\n<div class=\"info js-form-wrapper form-wrapper\" data-drupal-selector=\"edit-info\" id=\"edit-info--2\">\n<p>Get the latest F1 news, exclusives, interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"extra-info js-form-wrapper form-wrapper\" data-drupal-selector=\"edit-legal\" id=\"edit-legal--2\">\n<p>For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h2>In this article<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div class=\"field_keywords\">F1<\/div>\n<div class=\"field_keywords\">Lando Norris<\/div>\n<div class=\"field_keywords\">McLaren<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-next-prev\">\n<div class=\"next-prev-pager contextual-region\">\n<div class=\"items\">\n<div class=\"item prev\">\n<h3>  Previous<\/h3>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\"> Rare Abu Dhabi 2021 defence made for \u2018scapegoat\u2019 Michael Masi<\/div>\n<source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=1920&amp;format=webp 1920w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=1800&amp;format=webp 1800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=1600&amp;format=webp 1600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=1500&amp;format=webp 1500w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=1200&amp;format=webp 1200w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=900&amp;format=webp 900w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=800&amp;format=webp 800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=600&amp;format=webp 600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1126213_hires.jpg?width=400&amp;format=webp 400w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 710px, (min-width:768px) 62vw, 97vw\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"item next\">\n<h3> Next <\/h3>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\"> George Russell reveals \u201ctwo headline points\u201d F1 drivers want from rule changes<\/div>\n<source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=1920&amp;format=webp 1920w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=1800&amp;format=webp 1800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=1600&amp;format=webp 1600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=1500&amp;format=webp 1500w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=1200&amp;format=webp 1200w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=900&amp;format=webp 900w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=800&amp;format=webp 800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=600&amp;format=webp 600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1403954_hires.jpg?width=400&amp;format=webp 400w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 710px, (min-width:768px) 62vw, 97vw\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-block block block-configurable-views-block\">\n<div class=\"author-view grid-view js-view-dom-id-f7af360adc68e2f008a58e5cdf2adf11c230c73a517a51245b9feb50b397875c\">\n<div class=\"card user default\">\n<div class=\"image\"> <source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/pictures\/1bc46a82-ac76-40ea-9cf5-d309b802b0ef_1.jpeg?height=270&amp;format=webp 270w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/pictures\/1bc46a82-ac76-40ea-9cf5-d309b802b0ef_1.jpeg?height=180&amp;format=webp 180w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/pictures\/1bc46a82-ac76-40ea-9cf5-d309b802b0ef_1.jpeg?height=90&amp;format=webp 90w\" sizes=\"100px\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"header\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"name\">Lewis Larkam<\/div>\n<div class=\"role\">F1 Editor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"desc\">\n<p>Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"views-element-container block block-views-blockrelated-content-related-content-block\">\n<h3>More News<\/h3>\n<div class=\"grid-view grid-2 js-view-dom-id-e9dc236e3d1d50b86ac39fa062ac02547ec5e47b658fadc3607020f11477dd83\">\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> F1  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>F1 world champion\u2019s daughter makes her racing debut this weekend<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1775826900\"> 10\/04\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/ella-hakkinen-02.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Ella is hoping to follow her father's footsteps at McLaren\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> F1  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>How Max Verstappen\u2019s F1 race engineer will fit in at McLaren<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1775809740\"> 10\/04\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1399065_hires.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Lambiase will complete a shock switch from Red Bull to F1 rival McLaren\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> F1  Feature <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The biggest winners and losers from F1\u2019s surprise five-week break<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1775806200\"> 10\/04\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268868295.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"The start of the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix \" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> F1  Feature <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Verstappen\u2019s F1 future even more in doubt after Lambiase shock <\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1775727047\"> 09\/04\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/si202508310193.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Lambiase has engineered Verstappen throughout his Red Bull career\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> F1  Feature <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Why crucial F1 rules decisions won\u2019t be made in this week\u2019s meeting<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1775722200\"> 09\/04\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/xpb_1404590_hires.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"2026 F1 Japanese GP\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> F1  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>McLaren hands F2 champion Silverstone F1 test<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1775637360\"> 08\/04\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/leonardo_fornaroli_silverstone_5.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Fornaroli at Silverstone. \" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col second-column\">\n<div class=\"sticky\">\n<div class=\"block block-echobox\">\n<h2>Subscribe to our F1 Newsletter<\/h2>\n<div class=\"info js-form-wrapper form-wrapper\" data-drupal-selector=\"edit-info\" id=\"edit-info\">\n<p>Get the latest F1 news, exclusives, interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"extra-info js-form-wrapper form-wrapper\" data-drupal-selector=\"edit-legal\" id=\"edit-legal\">\n<p>For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"summary body\">\n<p>Lando Norris has outlined McLaren&#8217;s ambitions despite a tricky start to F1 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>Lando Norris insists McLaren is not \u201cgiving up\u201d on its world championship hopes despite a tough start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.<\/p>\n<p>Reigning world champion Norris has not made the start to his F1 title defence he would have liked and trails early championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 47 points after Mercedes claimed the first three victories on offer in Australia, China and Japan.<\/p>\n<p>McLaren has endured a difficult start and lagged behind rivals Mercedes and Ferrari at the season-opener in Melbourne, before neither Norris or team-mate Oscar Piastri were able to take the start in China due to a double reliability failure.<\/p>\n<p>Things improved in Japan, where McLaren emerged as Mercedes\u2019 nearest challengers, with Piastri taking second place behind Antonelli, and Norris finishing fifth behind the other Mercedes of George Russell.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think we can have a good season, even if we&#8217;re not where we want to be right now,&#8221; Norris said.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;And although we haven&#8217;t started the season where we want to be, we still want to push hard for the championship, this isn&#8217;t a case of giving up and focusing on next year &#8211; I&#8217;m not sure if that approach ever really works.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s plenty of examples where we&#8217;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 &#8211; 2023, 2024 and so on, and we&#8217;re a stronger team now than we were then.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-91b31ff96e7510644fbf43b76242527337bccfd31331fc684c384938a6bde5b2\">  Lando Norris named on TIME 100 list alongside Donald Trump and Pope   Piastri&#8217;s Nurburgring test cut short after McLaren run into issues <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;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&#8217;re ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McLaren sits third in the constructors&#8217; championship on 46 points, 44 behind second-placed Ferrari and 89 adrift of leaders Mercedes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Norris revealed McLaren is determined to utilise the unplanned five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix and Miami Grand Prix to further improve its MCL40 challenger, as well as the optimisation of its Mercedes power unit.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article_2\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-f480d616ead4e80c70e34737521f338d7b37db20b1481e87bbc6fdd547daec44\">  Norris raises key areas F1 must improve &#8220;for the good of the sport&#8221;   What Red Bull should be \u201cworried about\u201d after Gianpiero Lambiase exit <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not in a terrible position, but we&#8217;ve definitely got to work to get back in contention for wins, and, even then, we need to keep going to make sure we&#8217;ve got a car capable of winning every single weekend,&#8221; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve also had some issues that really haven&#8217;t helped our development of these cars. One thing we realised very early is that time in the car, and getting laps on the board, is so important when it comes to learning how to get the most out of the car, and specifically the power unit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Tiny, tiny margins make significant differences. Combine that with the fact that we didn&#8217;t start the Grand Prix in China, and that we didn&#8217;t get enough track time during practice in Japan, and it&#8217;s easy to see where we&#8217;re lacking.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;However, we&#8217;re using this gap between Japan and Miami to do what we can to fill that gap in our understanding. We&#8217;re putting a lot of time in on the sim, and [we were] back behind the wheel for a tyre test at the Nurburgring. Despite that test being focused on tyres for next year, time behind the wheel is certainly never going to hurt.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block block-echobox\">\n<h2>Subscribe to our F1 Newsletter<\/h2>\n<div class=\"info js-form-wrapper form-wrapper\" data-drupal-selector=\"edit-info\" id=\"edit-info--2\">\n<p>Get the latest F1 news, exclusives, interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"extra-info js-form-wrapper form-wrapper\" data-drupal-selector=\"edit-legal\" id=\"edit-legal--2\">\n<p>For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p>Lando Norris insists McLaren is not \u201cgiving up\u201d on its world championship hopes despite a tough start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.<\/p>\n<p>Reigning world champion Norris has not made the start to his F1 title defence he would have liked and trails early championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 47 points after Mercedes claimed the first three victories on offer in Australia, China and Japan.<\/p>\n<p>McLaren has endured a difficult start and lagged behind rivals Mercedes and Ferrari at the season-opener in Melbourne, before neither Norris or team-mate Oscar Piastri were able to take the start in China due to a double reliability failure.<\/p>\n<p>Things improved in Japan, where McLaren emerged as Mercedes\u2019 nearest challengers, with Piastri taking second place behind Antonelli, and Norris finishing fifth behind the other Mercedes of George Russell.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think we can have a good season, even if we&#8217;re not where we want to be right now,&#8221; Norris said.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;And although we haven&#8217;t started the season where we want to be, we still want to push hard for the championship, this isn&#8217;t a case of giving up and focusing on next year &#8211; I&#8217;m not sure if that approach ever really works.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s plenty of examples where we&#8217;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 &#8211; 2023, 2024 and so on, and we&#8217;re a stronger team now than we were then.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-91b31ff96e7510644fbf43b76242527337bccfd31331fc684c384938a6bde5b2\">  Lando Norris named on TIME 100 list alongside Donald Trump and Pope   Piastri&#8217;s Nurburgring test cut short after McLaren run into issues <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;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&#8217;re ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McLaren sits third in the constructors&#8217; championship on 46 points, 44 behind second-placed Ferrari and 89 adrift of leaders Mercedes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Norris revealed McLaren is determined to utilise the unplanned five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix and Miami Grand Prix to further improve its MCL40 challenger, as well as the optimisation of its Mercedes power unit.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article_2\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-f480d616ead4e80c70e34737521f338d7b37db20b1481e87bbc6fdd547daec44\">  Norris raises key areas F1 must improve &#8220;for the good of the sport&#8221;   What Red Bull should be \u201cworried about\u201d after Gianpiero Lambiase exit <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not in a terrible position, but we&#8217;ve definitely got to work to get back in contention for wins, and, even then, we need to keep going to make sure we&#8217;ve got a car capable of winning every single weekend,&#8221; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve also had some issues that really haven&#8217;t helped our development of these cars. One thing we realised very early is that time in the car, and getting laps on the board, is so important when it comes to learning how to get the most out of the car, and specifically the power unit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Tiny, tiny margins make significant differences. Combine that with the fact that we didn&#8217;t start the Grand Prix in China, and that we didn&#8217;t get enough track time during practice in Japan, and it&#8217;s easy to see where we&#8217;re lacking.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;However, we&#8217;re using this gap between Japan and Miami to do what we can to fill that gap in our understanding. We&#8217;re putting a lot of time in on the sim, and [we were] back behind the wheel for a tyre test at the Nurburgring. Despite that test being focused on tyres for next year, time behind the wheel is certainly never going to hurt.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block block-echobox\">\n<h2>Subscribe to our F1 Newsletter<\/h2>\n<div class=\"info js-form-wrapper form-wrapper\" data-drupal-selector=\"edit-info\" id=\"edit-info--2\">\n<p>Get the latest F1 news, exclusives, interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"extra-info js-form-wrapper form-wrapper\" data-drupal-selector=\"edit-legal\" id=\"edit-legal--2\">\n<p>For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;http:\/\/crash.net\/f1\/news\/1093074\/1\/bullish-lando-norris-outlines-mclarens-f1-2026-title-recovery-plan&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/2268880692.jpg?width=1600&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9&#8243;] Bullish Lando Norris outlines McLaren\u2019s F1 2026 title recovery plan Lando Norris has outlined McLaren&#8217;s ambitions despite a tricky start to F1 2026. Lewis Larkam 19 Apr 2026 Share Norris is on the back foot as he looks to defend his F1 world title Add as a preferred source Lando Norris insists [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[47,226],"class_list":["post-1891577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crash-net","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1891577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1891577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1891577\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1891577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1891577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1891577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}