McLaren determined to return: "We've been through this before, we've done it, and we've learned from it."

Three races, three victories Mercedes Benz. McLarenFerrari, the reigning Constructors' World Champion for the second consecutive year, is not living up to its ambitions at the start of the 2026 season. However, neither Lando Norris ni Oscar piastri They don't seem ready to throw in the towel. In Japan, during the third race—the first in which both cars were able to start—a safety car likely deprived Piastri of a real fight for the win—a detail that fuels optimism within the McLaren camp. The message from both drivers is clear and unanimous: the season is long, McLaren knows how to bounce back, and the work starts now.

The championship is not yet decided.

Norris puts this difficult start to the season into a broader perspective. For him, the situation is not new and the team has already demonstrated its ability to react: "There are many examples where we weren't quite where we wanted to be at the start of the year, but found ourselves in a much stronger position at the end – in 2023, 2024 and so on – and we are now a stronger team than we were then." The Briton insists on a fundamental point: "It's not about giving up and focusing on next year – I'm not sure that approach really works."

Piastri agrees, with an important clarification regarding the team's condition in relation to previous reversals of fortune: "We are starting from a stronger position than in previous editions, such as 2024." The Australian clearly identifies the levers on which McLaren can act: "Closing the gap to Mercedes and getting ahead of the rest of the field is something that depends on us." This statement underlines the team's confidence in its development program, even though the road to catching up with the Silver Arrows, who seem to have perfectly digested the new regulations, looks set to be long and demanding.

The drivers have no doubt about the capabilities of their single-seater.

What is striking in the two drivers' statements is less the displayed optimism than the solidity of its foundations. Norris and Piastri are not pretending: they acknowledge the gap, assess the work to be done, but rely on a confidence built by the results of previous years. “We’ve been through this before, we’ve done it, we’ve learned from it, and I’m convinced this team knows how to do it again. There’s still a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re ready to take on the challenge.”Norris summarizes, while Piastri concludes: “I am confident that this team will once again be able to fight for victories throughout the season […], and I am really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve.”

The next race will be in Miami, from May 1st to 3rd, for the fourth round of the season, a first test of this ability to progress. McLaren shone in Florida in previous editions, and the sprint format of the weekend will offer a further opportunity to gauge the true gap with Mercedes. For now, the battle for the title seems complicated, but in the paddock of Formula 1Three races do not make a season.

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