Lando Norris issues grim McLaren verdict: ‘We’re a long way behind’

Lando Norris finished seventh at the 2026 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, ending more than 30 seconds behind race winner George Russell of Mercedes. The 2025 F1 World Champion described McLaren's MCL40 as 'incredibly difficult to drive' and acknowledged a significant performance gap to Mercedes, noting Russell had taken pole position by four tenths of a second during qualifying. Norris cited poor car balance and high thermal degradation as key issues that McLaren will need to address back at their Woking base.