‘Not where we want to be’: Norris cautious on Silverstone prospects

Lando Norris is refusing to get carried away ahead of his home Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver admitting the team is still chasing the level of performance it expected to have by this stage of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Although recent upgrades have moved McLaren closer to the front of the field, Norris believes the pecking order remains too unpredictable to make bold predictions for this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

McLaren's campaign has been anything but straightforward so far this season. Reliability setbacks in China, Monaco and Canada interrupted the team's momentum, while the introduction of Formula 1's new regulations has made extracting consistent performance a challenge.

The squad has responded with significant updates in recent races, introducing revisions to the front wing, rear wing and rear corner assembly.

Those developments helped Norris return to the podium in Spain before another competitive, if less rewarding, outing in Austria, where he finished seventh.

Despite the difference in results, Norris believes the team's underlying pace remained largely unchanged between the two events,” he told reporters on Thursday.

"Actually, I don’t think the Red Bull Ring was that much worse than Spain. I think we just had a few other cars in the mix,” he added.

Rather than viewing Austria as a step backwards, Norris pointed to the rapid development race unfolding across the grid, with rival teams also introducing substantial upgrades that have reshaped the competitive order.

"We were quicker than the Ferraris on Sunday, slower than the Red Bulls. So it’s just things change around us at the minute. But we’re just simply not where we want to be."

The comments reflect a growing recognition within McLaren that progress alone is not enough if its rivals continue advancing at a similar pace.

Waiting for Silverstone to reveal the truth

Silverstone holds special significance for Norris after last year's emotional home victory on the way to securing his maiden Formula 1 drivers' title. Yet sentiment is taking a back seat to realism as he prepares for this weekend's race.

Rather than making confident predictions, Norris insists the team must first see where it truly stands once running begins.

"I have no idea. I’d just rather wait and see how we’re going to do,” he said.

He also acknowledged that the mood inside McLaren is noticeably more restrained than it was 12 months ago, even if the team's ambitions remain unchanged.

"I think we’re probably not coming in quite as optimistic as we were this time last year,” he continued.

"But we’re still optimistic that we want to aim for all four of them, and we still want to get two cars out there and in the points. And of course, personally, that’s something I’d like to achieve this weekend too."

• Read also: Norris: ‘Only one place I’d ever be interested in’ beyond McLaren

With Mercedes continuing to set the benchmark and the competitive order shifting as upgrades arrive across the grid, Norris knows Silverstone could offer another stern examination of McLaren's progress.

For now, the Briton is choosing caution over confidence, determined to let the stopwatch – not expectations – determine where the team really stands.

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