Update: Steiner backs Norris surge in 2026 title race
This piece has been updated on 28 September 2026 to reflect the latest position in the norris f1 standings battle. Lando Norris remains fourth in the drivers’ championship, but Guenther Steiner reckons the McLaren driver has the form to chase down George Russell for second place before the season ends.
Steiner’s backing follows a strong run for Norris, built on McLaren upgrades that arrived in the middle of the year. We covered the shifting picture in our original report on Norris and Russell, and the gap has narrowed since.
Steiner sees championship momentum behind Norris
Norris took back-to-back wins at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix once McLaren’s updates landed, then added a fourth-place finish in Italy. Steiner has watched that run closely; he believes it points to something bigger than a short purple patch.
“He will be second if he continues like this,” Steiner said.
Steiner also pointed to the change in mood around Norris since the upgrades arrived.
“Look how happy the Lando boy is,” Steiner said.
It’s a nod to how much freer the McLaren driver looks with a car he can push. Those margins matter in a title fight this tight.
Norris confident McLaren can improve car performance
Norris is careful not to get ahead of himself. He says the pace is there, but the car still needs work before McLaren can talk seriously about the title itself.
“I’m confident we have a lot of what we need in place. It’s just certain areas on the car that we need to improve. And I believe we can. It’s just a race against time, as always, within Formula 1. But we proved over the last few weekends that we can still win races, and we have very good momentum,” Norris said.
He wants more before he’ll call McLaren genuine title contenders again.
“I always want that little bit more, and I want to be confident that we can improve the car enough to easily say, ‘Yeah, we can fight for this world championship,'” Norris said.
That mindset extends to the team as a whole, not just his own driving. Some of that development work echoes the kind of road-relevant performance upgrades and tech developments that eventually filter down from the sport.
“So, we can easily fight as a team. We just need to improve some things with the car, and I’m still confident we can do that,” Norris said.
Norris F1 standings update: Can he catch Russell?
Following the Spanish Grand Prix at Madring, Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with 292 points. George Russell sits second on 211, with Norris fourth on 186, a gap of 25 points. Norris has ground to make up, but the current norris f1 standings show that gap closing rather than growing.
Those numbers are the clearest answer to how close this fight really is. Antonelli still holds a commanding lead at the top, and Russell’s cushion over Norris is real, but not huge given how form has swung through the season.
What happens next in the 2026 drivers’ championship
Norris is contracted to McLaren through the end of the 2030 season, so this fight is one of several he’ll get the chance to have in papaya. For now, the focus stays on closing that 25 point gap to Russell before the year is out.
Steiner’s view carries weight given his experience reading form across a season, and McLaren’s recent results back it up. If Norris keeps winning the way he did in Hungary and the Netherlands, second place in the standings looks within reach. For more on how the picture has developed across the paddock, check our regular motorsport news and talking points.
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