Norris says McLaren ‘a long way behind’ Mercedes after difficult Austrian GP

Norris rejects Mercedes comparison after Austria struggle

Lando Norris insisted McLaren remain ‘a long way behind’ Mercedes after a demanding 2026 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix ended with the Woking team well adrift of the front-running pace.

“We’re a long way behind,” Norris told media including Motorsport Week.

“There’s a reason he [Russell] is on pole by four tenths,” he added.

Russell later converted that advantage into victory, a result covered in our report on how George Russell won the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. For McLaren, the same weekend instead reinforced the scale of work still required.

Balance issues leave McLaren searching for answers

Norris said the MCL40 remained difficult to manage, with balance limitations and high thermal degradation compounding an already challenging race. His assessment was blunt: the car was ‘incredibly difficult to drive’, and the solution would require more time and effort from the team back at base.

“I think we still struggled with the balance and it’s still incredibly difficult to drive the car,” Norris explained.

“I expect that’s probably a similar story for everyone on track today, so we didn’t change anything, we still have the same struggles and we just need time still to improve it.”

That message echoed the wider pressure on McLaren after Austria, where the gap to Mercedes had already prompted internal urgency around development. As previously reported, Andrea Stella urged McLaren to raise its development intensity following the qualifying deficit.

Norris surprised by Ferrari’s race pace

Norris was also struck by Ferrari’s lack of performance. The Maranello team arrived in Austria following Lewis Hamilton’s maiden Ferrari win in Barcelona and introduced engine upgrades at Spielberg under the FIA’s ADUO scheme.

But Norris said Ferrari’s race pace, especially on the straights, was a surprise.

“I mean I would say the pace seems to be a little bit better than we probably expected into Sunday, the shock was probably Ferrari today struggling so much,” he said.

“So, to be honest I feel bad for them, I mean when you have no power you have to push like hell in the corners and you can’t do that with these kind of tyres, so it’s a tough race for them but otherwise not a bad race.”

Norris and McLaren will now look for a stronger response as Formula 1 moves to Silverstone for the 2026 British Grand Prix.