'You don't have all the time in the world' - F1 champion issues McLaren potential warning after GP win

Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris has warned rivals that there's more to come from McLaren this season.

Norris logged his first win of the 2026 F1 season in Hungary last month, a big step in the right direction in what has at times been a frustrating campaign for the Woking outfit.

His first-placed finish at the Hungaroring was just McLaren's fifth podium, a record that leaves them third in the constructors' championship standings behind Mercedes and the improving Ferrari team.

The English driver banked 25 points by winning from pole in Hungary. Teammate Oscar Piastri led the race and the consistent pace that was evidently available to Norris eventually look him past the Australian despite McLaren's reluctance to deploy team orders to take Norris ahead of Piastri.

Piastri eventually retired due to a gearbox failure and Norris held on to take the chequered flag more than 15 seconds before Max Verstappen and 2026 drivers' championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

In a post-race debrief shared by McLaren and reported by Crash.

"We still see good potential in the car, and we still believe we can turn things around from where we are now," said Norris.

"That’s something to look forward to, and that is a positive, but you don’t have all the time in the world in Formula 1 – time is your enemy!

"So, we need to try and bring those improvements as soon as we can.

"We don't feel like we have fully clicked with our understanding of this car just yet, but even before our latest upgrade package helped us to secure the win in Hungary, we had already secured some good results."

Norris sits in fifth place in the drivers' standings, which are looking increasingly competitive after teenager Antonelli's domination in the first quarter of the 2026 season.

After finishing second in Australia, the Mercedes phenom won five consecutive Grands Prix in China, Japan, Miami, Canada and Monaco to gain a vice-like stranglehold on the title chase.

Antonelli's huge lead was cut in Barcelona and at Silverstone but back-to-back podium finishes including a win at Spa edged him further in front of Lewis Hamilton's boosted Ferrari.

The Italian's advantage at the brief summer break stands at 50 points but Norris, the faster of the two McLarens, is 91 points behind Antonelli.

Piastri is yet to win a Grand Prix or break the 100-point barrier this season.

"As a team, and with the car, we’re certainly not quite at the level we want to be at, or we were at last season," admitted 2025 champion and 12-time GP winner Norris.

"We have still had some good results, but we also know we’re not where we should be.

"We’re not happy with that; we’ve been disappointed with our own performance, but we're working hard to improve."

The F1 season will return on August 23 at Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands, where Norris bagged his second-ever GP win in 2024.