Is McLaren a legitimate F1 2026 contender after Hungary?

Is McLaren now a legitimate F1 2026 contender?

McLaren's successful floor update turned the team into a winner at F1's Hungarian Grand Prix. The recent season had seen Mercedes dominate in the early stages, but by the time the championship reached Hungary, it evolved into a fierce development war. Teams have been consistently rolling out significant aerodynamic upgrades, shifting the pecking order weekly.

After major improvements from rivals Red Bull and Ferrari, McLaren added a new floor to its racing package designed to enhance performance on high-downforce circuits like the Hungaroring. This upgrade allowed Lando Norris to secure McLaren's first win of the 2026 season from pole position. However, the victory was hard-fought; once in clean air, Norris demonstrated superior pace, and the team believed it could have achieved a 1-2 finish with Oscar Piastri.

This raises the question: Does McLaren's victory suggest that the defending champions are back in contention? Norris's impressive qualifying performance was marred by a shaky initial session, where he struggled with a significant slide off the last corner. He edged out Lewis Hamilton for pole by a mere 0.012 seconds, while multiple drivers, including those from Ferrari, struggled to find their best lap times.

Ferrari's performance, marked by a grid penalty and errors during the race, indicated that they did not fully realize their potential. With track position crucial in Budapest, had Hamilton or Charles Leclerc secured pole, the race outcome might have differed significantly.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur remarked, "The pure pace of the team was probably better this weekend than Spa or Silverstone. We lost the pole for 0.01 seconds and I think today the execution was very poor."

Mercedes faced its own challenges, failing to execute a clean weekend and struggling with setup issues. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli managed to display speed in the W17 during practice, but Mercedes ultimately lacked confidence entering the race, despite impressive recovery drives from Antonelli and George Russell.

Andrea Stella, McLaren's counterpart, acknowledged that while the team deserved to celebrate its hard-earned progress, they may have capitalized on mistakes made by rivals. "Ferrari still has the best chassis in terms of grip in the corners," said Stella, reflecting on the competitive landscape.

Following the race, he noted that McLaren seemed to exhibit a pace advantage, particularly evident when Norris took the lead. However, he cautioned against drawing swift conclusions based solely on this one result.

While it may not be time to overreact to McLaren's win, the team possesses the tools to compete effectively against Mercedes and Ferrari. The 2026 season exhibits a level of competitiveness that makes the outcomes influenced by track conditions and execution. Reliability remains a concern for both McLaren and Mercedes, and various unpredictable factors could still impact the championship picture.