Norris: “Ferrari has always been among the contenders for the title. If the engine improves it could become the favourite”

McLaren fears Ferrari The weekend in Barcelona has put Ferrari back at the center of discussion in the paddock. Lewis Hamilton’s triumph, which certainly came with the help of a pinch of good luck but based on a real consistency of pace both in terms of pace and in qualifying, created some alarm in Mercedes and naturally in McLaren, which was clearly the third force at Montmeló. Now comes the Red Bull Ring, a track that should highlight the great flaw of the SF-26 project net of the first improvements granted by the ADUO. Here McLaren was dominant in 2025, but Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri do not believe they can repeat the double of 12 months ago. For the world champion, Ferrari has always been strong since the beginning of the year, and the latest changes are a refinement of an already solid base. Norris’ words “I don’t think Ferrari has made much progress since the beginning of the year. I think they have been one of the best teams so far. They have certainly made progress, but it is clear that Mercedes is the best car overall”, this was Norris’ comment in Austria. “I don’t know how much the engine upgrade will help her this weekend, but it’s clear that she’s losing time on the straights. Maybe half their problems are due to power and a good part are due to aerodynamic drag, but if she makes a big step forward with the engine, she can easily become the favorite. It’s not that she’s suddenly improved, she’s been strong all season although probably not the best. She’s among the title contenders and always has been.” Piastri’s words Even Piastri, in the press conference dedicated to the drivers, indicated Ferrari as one of the favourites: “We need other updates to catch up with Mercedes and Ferrari, if they will maintain this type of performance. We need to make the car faster and we need to do it quicker than everyone else.”

Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News

2026-06-26 02:30:00