Lando Norris Unfazed Despite Long Victory Drought Ahead of Hungarian GP

Pole-sitter Lando Norris insists he has nothing to prove in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix despite not winning since his maiden victory in Miami in May. Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri lead the grid, ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen, presenting a prime opportunity for McLaren to score significant points.

Norris dismissed suggestions that he needs to demonstrate his capabilities after missing out on wins in several recent races. “Every single qualifying is important and every single race is important. It’s not all of a sudden I need to do it and prove my point—I don’t,” Norris said.

McLaren has shown consistency since introducing a major upgrade package in Miami, although Norris acknowledged they haven’t had a dominant weekend yet. Hungary marks their closest attempt, with Norris fastest in Friday practice and during Saturday’s final session before qualifying, securing pole despite only having one new set of tires.

Norris managed to take pole by 0.328 seconds over Verstappen, with Piastri and Verstappen narrowing the gap on their second sets of new tires. This achievement marks McLaren’s first one-two on the grid since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Norris expects a challenging race, particularly with Piastri and Verstappen close behind. He emphasized the importance of maximizing every race to gain points on Verstappen and Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

Verstappen, while leading the championship by 84 points, expressed concerns over Red Bull’s performance despite their significant upgrade package. “For sure [the upgrades] work, but we are still not first, right? So we need more. It’s as simple as that,” Verstappen stated, highlighting the need for continued improvements.

Mercedes, aiming to win three consecutive races this year, faces an uphill battle. Lewis Hamilton starts fifth, while George Russell is 17th after struggling with the mixed conditions in the first session. Hamilton admitted, “The McLarens and Red Bull will be quicker in the race. We are there or thereabouts with the Ferraris, so I think we will have a battle with those guys.”