Former IndyCar Series driver and F1 TV analyst James Hinchcliffe says McLaren’s performance at Monza will dictate whether Lando Norris can realistically challenge for the 2026 championship title.
Norris will arrive at the Italian Grand Prix on the back of two consecutive wins at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix. The victories and a third-place finish in the Dutch sprint race have narrowed Norris’s championship deficit to 83 points.
Despite this momentum, Hinchcliffe warned on the F1 Nation podcast that McLaren’s recent success has come at high-downforce circuits, making Monza an important proving ground for the Woking outfit.
“We’ve had two sort of similar tracks back-to-back. I really think Monza is going to answer some questions. I think the level of competitiveness we see out of McLaren at Monza is going to really set the table for whether or not they, and Lando specifically, have a shot at this championship,” Hinchcliffe explained.
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, who joined Hinchcliffe and host Tom Clarkson on the podcast, added: “Lando at his worst was 101 points [behind] this year. I actually think he’s driving unbelievably well. He’s in the frame for driver of the season, him and Kimi, for me, have been the two standouts.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Pirelli
“But he’s still 83 points back. I think Hinch is bang on; I think when you look at the last races – Budapest, Zandvoort – they’re both high-downforce. They are both, if you gave me a list to say who these tracks would suit driver-wise, I’d put Lando’s name right next to both of them.
“He has a great track record there, McLaren has got a great track record at both, and he’s delivered absolutely brilliant wins, but can they do it at Monza? That’s where I’m not sure.”
Norris currently sits fourth in the drivers’ championship with 159 points. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli leads with 242 points, followed by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who are level on 183 points.
The Italian Grand Prix will take place at Monza this weekend, 4-6 September.
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