Guenther Steiner Backs Lando Norris for 2026 F1 Runner-Up Spot: Can the McLaren Star Catch George Russell?

Main Facts: The Battle for Second in the 2026 F1 Drivers’ Championship

As the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship enters its crucial final stretch, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has thrown his weight behind McLaren’s Lando Norris. Steiner firmly believes that the reigning 2025 world champion possesses the necessary pace, momentum, and machinery to hunt down and overtake Mercedes driver George Russell for second place in the drivers’ standings before the checkered flag falls on the season.

Currently, the championship battlefield is led by Mercedes’ rising star Kimi Antonelli, who commands the standings with an imposing 292 points. Behind him, George Russell holds onto second place with 211 points. Meanwhile, Lando Norris sits fourth overall with 186 points, trailing Russell by a manageable yet challenging 25-point margin following the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix held at the brand-new Madring circuit.

According to Steiner, who shared his expert insights on The Red Flags Podcast, Norris’s trajectory is pointing squarely upward. Pointing to the Briton’s recent resurgence and visibly high morale, Steiner noted, "He will be second if he continues like this. Look how happy the Lando boy is." With crucial development upgrades finally unlocking the true potential of the McLaren MCL40, the stage is set for a thrilling multi-team showdown over the remaining rounds of the 2026 campaign.

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Chronology: From a Tricky Start to a Championship Resurgence

To understand how Lando Norris has clawed his way back into the upper echelons of the 2026 title conversation, one must examine the turbulent timeline of McLaren’s season so far.

The Early-Season Struggles

The opening rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season were far from straightforward for the Woking-based outfit. Following sweeping regulatory changes for the 2026 technical era, McLaren found itself struggling to find a stable baseline setup. While rival teams like Mercedes hit the ground running—propelling Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to early podium sweeps—McLaren wrestled with balance issues and mechanical unpredictability.

During the initial flyaway races and early European legs, Norris frequently voiced his frustration over the car’s limitations. Points were hard-earned rather than easily collected, and the prospect of defending his newly acquired 2025 world crown seemed like an uphill battle against a dominant Silver Arrows package.

The Turning Point: Woking’s Upgrades

The tide began to turn dramatically mid-season when McLaren introduced a comprehensive package of aerodynamic and mechanical upgrades. Unveiled just ahead of the European summer stretch, these revisions instantly transformed the handling characteristics of the papaya-colored machine.

The effectiveness of these updates was immediate and undeniable. Norris delivered a masterclass performance to secure a stunning back-to-back double victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Dutch Grand Prix. These dominant wins sent shockwaves through the paddock, proving that McLaren had successfully closed the development gap to Mercedes.

Recent Form and the Madring Milestone

Following his consecutive victories in Budapest and Zandvoort, Norris maintained his strong points-scoring form with a solid fourth-place finish at the historic Italian Grand Prix at Monza. This momentum carried over to the calendar’s newest marquee event: the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit.

Though the weekend in Madrid presented unique setup challenges, Norris successfully maximized his points haul, solidifying his fourth position in the championship standings and setting the table for Steiner’s bold prediction.

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Supporting Data: The 2026 Championship Landscape

A granular look at the current 2026 F1 Drivers’ Championship standings highlights just how tight the battle behind the leader has become:

Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	292
2	George Russell	Mercedes	211
3	Contending / Variable	Various	N/A
4	Lando Norris	McLaren	186

Breaking Down the Math

With 186 points to his name, Norris sits 25 points behind George Russell (211 points). In modern Formula 1 scoring, a 25-point deficit represents precisely the value of a single Grand Prix victory (25 points for first place). With multiple rounds remaining—including sprint race weekends offering additional points—the gap is well within striking distance for a driver and team operating at the peak of their powers.

Furthermore, Kimi Antonelli’s leading tally of 292 points gives the young Italian a comfortable buffer at the top, effectively making the battle for the runner-up spot the most fiercely contested narrative of the season’s final act.

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Official Responses and Driver Perspectives

The renewed optimism within the McLaren camp is not just fueled by external punditry; it is deeply rooted in the mindset of the drivers and leadership team.

Norris Commits Long-Term to Woking

The psychological boost within McLaren was further reinforced when Lando Norris recently signed a blockbuster contract extension keeping him with the Woking squad through the end of the 2030 F1 season. Speaking to Sky Sports immediately following the announcement, the 26-year-old British driver opened up about the inner workings of his team and their championship potential.

"The team is working better than they’ve ever worked before," Norris declared passionately to Sky Sports. "I think they’re working in a more efficient, harder way, even than the last couple of years. And that level was world championship-winning level. So, it’s not that I don’t think we can win it."

Norris acknowledged that while the foundations are exceptionally strong, specific areas of the car still require targeted development.

"I’m confident we have a lot of what we need in place. It’s just certain areas on the car that we need to improve. And I believe we can. It’s just a race against time, as always, within Formula 1. But we proved over the last few weekends that we can still win races, and we have very good momentum."

Reflecting on his relentless personal drive, Norris added:

"I always want that little bit more, and I want to be confident that we can improve the car enough to easily say, ‘Yeah, we can fight for this world championship.’ So, we can easily fight as a team. We just need to improve some things with the car, and I’m still confident we can do that."

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Implications: What Steiner’s Prediction Means for the Remainder of 2026

Guenther Steiner’s endorsement of Lando Norris carries significant weight in the Formula 1 community. Known for his candid, no-nonsense assessments, the former Haas boss rarely hands out praise without solid competitive justification. His belief that Norris can usurp George Russell has several profound implications for the remainder of the 2026 season:

1. Pressure Mounts on Mercedes and George Russell

Mercedes has enjoyed a stellar campaign in 2026, largely spearheaded by Kimi Antonelli’s championship charge. However, George Russell now finds his position as the team’s primary benchmark under severe threat from an resurgent McLaren. With Steiner and many other paddock insiders predicting a Norris surge, the pressure is squarely on Russell and the Mercedes engineering crew to extract more performance from their car and protect their runner-up status.

2. McLaren’s Evolution into a Perennial Powerhouse

Norris’s long-term commitment to McLaren until 2030, paired with their ability to drastically turn around a difficult start to the 2026 season via effective upgrades, signals a permanent shift in the competitive order. McLaren is no longer just a podium contender; they are operating at an elite operational level that rivals the historical dominance of Mercedes and Red Bull.

3. A High-Stakes Development Race

As Norris noted, Formula 1 is ultimately a race against time. The battle between Mercedes and McLaren for second place in the championship will heavily depend on who can successfully introduce the final batch of aerodynamic updates before the season finale. If McLaren maintains the development velocity that brought them victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, Steiner’s prediction may well become reality, setting up an explosive conclusion to the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.