Lando Norris
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Lando Norris’ defence of his 2025 drivers’ title has left a lot to be desired due to McLaren’s reliability problems, with it largely looking over before it had even properly begun.
Off the back of two consecutive retirements, as well as a DNS at the second round of the season, Lando Norris currently sits 98 points adrift of Mercedes’ high-flying Kimi Antonelli in the F1 standings.
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McLaren’s reliability woes have been at the forefront of their issues this season, with strugglers Aston Martin continuing to remain above the Woking-based outfit in the number of Grand Prix laps completed in 2026 after Norris’ latest DNF in Monaco.
As such, Norris now faces a mountain to climb in order to get himself back into contention, but that ship may have already set sail amid Antonelli’s sheer dominance over the top step of the podium this year.
- READ MORE: Lando Norris says McLaren can’t even ‘expect’ podiums right now after Monaco Grand Prix DNF
David Coulthard and Will Buxton think Lando Norris has ‘accepted’ his F1 title defence is over
During a recent episode of the Up to Speed podcast, former F1 driver David Coulthard and journalist Will Buxton were asked for their thoughts on what Norris can do to bounce back from his DNF-ridden start to the 2026 campaign.
“He’s not going to do back-to-back world championships on the basis of what we’ve seen so far, Coulthard answered. “But McLaren, when they have put themselves in the window, which happened in the Miami Sprint, they were able to get the success there.
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“There will be genuine disappointment for McLaren in the way that the races have worked out. A lot of engine issues as well, can that just all be down to Mercedes, or what is the influence there on the fact it’s strapped into the back of a McLaren?
“We haven’t really got the real spotlight on who’s responsible for that, but I don’t think we’re going to see a demotivated Lando Norris or a demotivated Oscar Piastri; they’ve got to fight for it. They’ve got to get out there and see if they can shake the tree.”
Buxton agreed with the sentiments of his co-host, adding, “Yeah, I agree with that. I think there’s an element of calm to Lando this year. There’s an acceptance of the situation that he finds himself in, there’s no stress there.
“If he were in the midst of a world championship fight and the car was breaking down and he was DNFing, he’d be getting frustrated; he’d be getting annoyed, and that would be bubbling out of him.
- READ MORE: Andrea Stella shares why McLaren are less ‘convinced’ they can repeat Lando Norris title turnaround
“I think he’s accepted what DC sees, that this isn’t going to be a back-to-back season for him. So you just take the good weekends when they come.
“If it’s going to be a s— weekend, as it so often is for him, then you just kind of shrug your shoulders and go, ‘Well, that’s kind of par for the course this year.’ You hope it’s going to be a good weekend and you take them on the rarity that it is a good weekend.”
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