Lando Norris targets another win but fears McLaren’s Baku weakness

Norris arrives in Baku with confidence — and caution

Lando Norris believes he is driving with greater consistency and extracting more from a difficult car as he looks to extend McLaren’s recent upturn at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Norris has won two of the last four Grands Prix and was on course for another victory in Madrid before an ill-timed Virtual Safety Car disrupted his challenge. McLaren has also emerged as the quickest team across the last three races, according to Norris, giving the Briton renewed confidence against the frontrunning Mercedes.

“I trust more myself and my abilities”

Asked whether becoming reigning World Champion had strengthened his performances, Norris played down the idea that he had simply transformed compared with last season, while acknowledging progress in key areas.

“I certainly feel like I’m doing a better job in places and I think maybe a bit more consistent,” Norris said. “I think I’m doing a better job at extracting things out of, let’s say, a tricky car.”

He added that he feels more relaxed than at the same stage last year and has greater faith in his own ability. Norris also rejected any suggestion that he is currently focused on challenging Kimi Antonelli for the drivers’ title, trailing the Mercedes driver by 106 points with nine Grands Prix remaining.

Baku presents a different test

Despite McLaren’s recent pace, Norris expects the Baku circuit to expose a potential weakness. The team’s 2026 car has performed particularly well through high-speed corners, but the Azerbaijan venue contains no high-speed corner and not even a medium-speed one.

Norris compared the challenge to Monaco, where McLaren struggled, and admitted that Baku is the circuit he has been least keen to visit among the recent venues. Last year’s weekend was also disappointing for the team.

“Out of the last few circuits, this is the one I’ve not been looking forward to the most,” Norris said.

McLaren’s stated objective remains victory, but Norris knows the team may need to adapt its approach if it is to maintain its recent advantage on Baku’s low- and medium-speed layout.