McLaren “Ready to Challenge” Mercedes After Hungary Upgrade

Key Takeaways

What happened at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Lando Norris delivered his first grand prix victory of the 2026 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, ending a demanding opening half of the campaign for McLaren. The result came after the Woking team introduced a fresh upgrade package aimed at closing the gap to championship leader Mercedes, and Norris carried strong pace through every session of the weekend at the Hungaroring.

McLaren has now finished 1-2 in Budapest across the last two seasons, a record Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft pointed to when assessing whether the Hungary result was a surprise. “Is it a surprise they did so well in Hungary? On past form, no,” Croft said. “They were 1-2 for the last two years in Budapest.” The win arrives 11 races into the 2026 season, at a point where McLaren has spent much of the year working to understand its power unit better.

Why Croft says McLaren is ready to challenge Mercedes

David Croft says McLaren’s upgrade has unlocked genuine pace and turned the tables on its power unit supplier after months of playing catch-up. “We’re 11 races into the season now, and McLaren are understanding the power unit way better than they were at the start of the year,” Croft said on the Sky Sports F1 Show. He noted the signs were visible before the Hungarian Grand Prix even began, as Norris built up his pace through practice and qualifying.

“They’ve taken their time this year to play catch-up, but they are now catching up, and the signs were there right from the start as Lando built up the pace into the weekend, that this was a good upgrade,” Croft said. “They had the pace, and they were ready to challenge Mercedes.” Croft added that he wants the 2026 title fight to “go right to the wire” now that a second team is applying pressure at the front.

Monaco contrast and the Mercedes picture

Croft says the strength Mercedes showed at Monaco does not necessarily mean the car is weak at a track like Budapest. “But it is a little surprise given how strong Mercedes were in Monaco,” he said, before adding a caveat about driver form. “That might be driver-specific in that respect, and it might just be that Kimi was exceptional that weekend, but I don’t think the Mercedes is necessarily weak at a track like Budapest.”

The comment frames the Hungarian result less as a sign of a struggling Mercedes and more as evidence that McLaren has closed a genuine performance gap through its upgrade programme. With both teams now within range of each other at different circuit types, the remaining rounds of the 2026 season carry more weight for the constructors’ fight as well as the drivers’ standings.

Where the drivers’ standings sit after Hungary

Lando Norris sits fifth in the 2026 drivers’ standings with 128 points, 91 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes. Croft argued that despite the gap, Norris and McLaren could still pose a threat to the title fight over the remaining rounds, pointing to the summer break as a moment where the reigning champion needs to carry momentum forward rather than lose it.

“McLaren have got to find every way to maximise every advantage,” Croft said, adding that one of the key questions coming out of the break is whether McLaren can carry that Hungary form into the second half of the season. For a driver 91 points off the top with races remaining, sustained upgrade gains matter as much as any single result.

Podium visuals: the display-worthy moments from Budapest

The Hungaroring podium gave McLaren its clearest visual statement of the 2026 season so far, with Lando Norris’s race-winning livery and helmet design front and center in the post-race photography. The papaya colour scheme against the Hungaroring backdrop, combined with the champagne-soaked celebration on the podium, produced the kind of imagery that fans return to long after the chequered flag falls.

Moments like a first win of the season tend to define how a driver’s helmet design from that race is remembered, and Norris’s Hungary weekend is likely to be one of the reference points for the 2026 campaign. For collectors following McLaren’s season, race-winning helmet designs from meaningful results like this one are typically the pieces most in demand once they arrive as full-size 1:1 display replicas.

FAQ

Q: Did McLaren win the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix?
Yes, Lando Norris won the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, his first grand prix victory of the season, following McLaren’s introduction of a new upgrade package.

Q: What did David Croft say about McLaren’s upgrade?
David Croft said McLaren’s upgrade delivered genuine pace and left the team “ready to challenge Mercedes,” noting the team is understanding its power unit better 11 races into the 2026 season.

Q: Where does Lando Norris sit in the 2026 drivers’ standings?
Lando Norris is fifth in the 2026 drivers’ standings with 128 points, 91 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes.

Q: Has McLaren performed well at the Hungaroring before?
Yes, McLaren has finished 1-2 at the Hungarian Grand Prix for the past two seasons, a record Croft cited as part of the team’s strong recent history at the circuit.

Q: Is Mercedes considered weak at tracks like Budapest?
Not necessarily, according to Croft, who said the Hungary result may reflect Kimi Antonelli’s driver-specific form at Monaco rather than a genuine weakness in the Mercedes car at Budapest.

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