Lando Norris warns Kimi Antonelli over F1 title pressure
Defending Formula 1 champion Lando Norris insists all the pressure rests on current leader Kimi Antonelli after securing a dominant victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver sits 91 points behind the Mercedes youngster with 11 rounds remaining in the 2026 season.
Despite the significant gap, the British racer has refused to rule out a spectacular championship fightback following his impressive weekend in Budapest.
Chasing down the championship lead
Overcoming large points deficits is not unprecedented in recent Formula 1 history.
Last year, Max Verstappen trailed by 104 points with 10 events remaining before ultimately falling just two points short of the title won by the current McLaren star.
“The pressure is on him for sure,” Norris told Sky Sports F1.
“There’s no pressure on me. I’ve been feeling very confident.”
The relentless race for upgrades
The Woking-based outfit introduced a major upgrade package in Hungary, featuring a newly designed floor that significantly boosted their pace.
That added speed allowed the defending champion to successfully overcut team-mate Oscar Piastri during the second pit stop phase on Sunday.
“They have made more mistakes as a team and we have made less and we have come strong, but I expect them to still win races,” Norris added.
“We just need to be perfect from here on now for the whole year.”
Team principal Andrea Stella believes the development battle will dictate the second half of the campaign.
“I expect that the car that will be the best car at the end of the season will keep adding tenths of a second in the next 11 races,” Stella explained.
“So definitely a lot of work ahead of everyone, not only McLaren.”