Lando Norris left Miami with a statement of intent in his F1 title ambitions, but Bernie Collins believes McLaren still have work to do to show they can back him up with a winning car.
The season started with Mercedes taking an early lead over Ferrari, while McLaren rolled out a more basic version of their car. But their first major upgrade, introduced in Miami, hinted that they could become serious contenders as the year progresses.
Norris claimed victory in the Sprint from pole and had a genuine shot at the main race too if not for McLaren losing track position through the undercut by Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli. In clean air, Norris didn’t quite have the pace to reclaim it, but there were still positives to take away from his weekend.
McLaren are only just getting started with upgrades for the MCL40, having shown just 60% of their planned developments in Miami. More changes will arrive at the Canadian Grand Prix later this month. Mercedes will also bring their first major upgrade package to Montreal, so we’ll get a clearer picture then of how these teams match up.
McLaren still have to prove they can develop a title-winning 2026 F1 car for Lando Norris
Collins believes that both championships this season could come down to which team handles their updates better, and thinks it’ll be a while before the true order becomes clear. The former McLaren strategist doesn’t expect things to settle for “several” races.
But Norris’s win in the Miami Sprint and his P2 finish from fourth on the grid showed Collins that the reigning champion isn’t ready to give up his title just yet, even with a 49-point gap to overcome.
“I think he signalled that he obviously intends to,” Collins told Sky Sports News (06/05, 16:35). “But McLaren, we’ve seen in the past have been very, very good at upgrading that car, very good at bringing development to it, to try and close that gap.”
“The Miami Sprint last weekend, they were right there. They got on the Sprint weekend very, very quickly. So the question is that development race as we go through the year.
“Can Mercedes hold on to the lead that they have at this stage? Or can McLaren close that gap? And we don’t know the answer to that or we won’t I think for several races into this season.
“So I think this season has potential really pushed drivers and teams right through until then.”
Norris has managed just over half of Antonelli’s total so far with 51 points after four rounds. George Russell had a tough outing in Miami but still sits second behind his Mercedes teammate on 80 points.
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