The 2026 F1 championship battle could be heading for another twist, with former Haas boss Guenther Steiner backing Lando Norris to overtake George Russell and finish second in the Drivers' Championship. The prediction comes after a strong mid-season turnaround from McLaren, which has reignited Norris' title ambitions.
Key Points:
- Guenther Steiner predicts Lando Norris will finish second in the 2026 F1 Drivers' Championship.
- Norris currently sits fourth with 186 points, 25 points behind George Russell in second.
- McLaren's upgrades helped Norris secure back-to-back wins in Hungary and the Netherlands.
- Norris remains confident in McLaren's title potential despite areas of the car still requiring improvement.
Steiner's Bold Prediction: Norris to Overtake Russell?
Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner has backed Lando Norris to climb into second place in the 2026 F1 Drivers' Championship. Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner was confident that Norris can overhaul George Russell if his current form continues.
"He will be second if he continues like this," Steiner said.
Following the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madrid circuit, Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with 292 points. Mercedes driver George Russell is second on 211 points, while Norris sits fourth with 186 points. Norris therefore trails Russell by 25 points, leaving plenty of time for the McLaren driver to close the gap as the season continues.
McLaren's Mid-Season Turnaround
McLaren endured a difficult start to the season, but a series of important upgrades produced a significant improvement in performance. The changes helped Norris secure consecutive victories at the Hungarian Grand Prix and Dutch Grand Prix, before he followed them up with a strong fourth-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix. That run of results has quickly moved Norris back into contention for a higher position in the championship standings.
Norris Remains Confident in McLaren's Potential
After signing a contract extension with McLaren until 2030, Norris spoke to Sky Sports about the team's progress and its championship ambitions.
"The team is working better than they've ever worked before," Norris said, pointing to the efficiency and commitment within the team and describing its current level of operation as being close to "world championship-winning level."
However, Norris acknowledged that McLaren still needs to make further improvements to its car.
"It's just certain areas on the car that we need to improve. And I believe we can," he said.
McLaren Racing Against Time
Norris also recognises that the championship battle is a "race against time", with McLaren needing to continue improving while maintaining its recent momentum.
"We proved over the last few weekends that we can still win races, and we have very good momentum," Norris added.
While McLaren still has areas to address before Norris can be completely satisfied with the car, its recent results have strengthened his belief that the team can remain competitive in the championship fight.
