Lando Norris brushed off concerns about McLaren's 2026 form ahead of Mexico City, pointing to three near-wins as proof the team has overachieved despite a difficult car. McLaren started the season one-and-a-half seconds off the pace and suffered a double DNF in China, but Norris took back-to-back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands before a poorly timed VSC cost him Madrid. Recent races have been tougher—the handling hasn't improved while rivals brought more upgrades—but Norris insists McLaren has done better than most in clawing back the deficit. Oscar Piastri was blunter, admitting Red Bull has the edge on pure performance and that staying ahead in the constructors' fight will be difficult. McLaren sits level with Red Bull on points for third after two recent Verstappen wins. The team's attention is already drifting toward 2027, which raises the question: can they hold off Red Bull long enough to salvage third this year?
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