Former Method 1 driver David Coulthard has lauded reigning champion Lando Norris following his commanding victory on the Hungarian Grand Prix, describing the McLaren driver’s race as a “true world champion efficiency”.
Throughout a latest episode of the Up To Pace podcast alongside co-host Jolie Sharpe, Coulthard mirrored on the state of the 2026 championship because it heads into its obligatory August summer time break. The previous Crimson Bull driver singled out Norris, who secured the primary grand prix victory of the season for each himself and McLaren on the Hungaroring.
Norris’s title defence in 2026 had been affected by early-season reliability points and a efficiency deficit to rivals Mercedes and Ferrari. However the Woking outfit has proven a soar in efficiency following the introduction of upgrades.
The Briton secured pole place by simply 0.012 seconds over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Within the race, he momentarily misplaced the result in his team-mate Oscar Piastri, who later had contact with Williams’ Carlos Sainz whereas the Spaniard was being lapped. Piastri in the end retired from the race as a result of a gearbox failure.
In the meantime, Norris took the lead and managed the race to the chequered flag.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photograph by: Alastair Staley / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
“Shout-out once more to Lando for what was an incredible weekend of efficiency,” Coulthard mentioned. “A real world champion’s efficiency all weekend earlier than he heads off for [the summer break].
“I assumed it was enjoyable that after they had been asking the drivers within the press convention what they’re all doing in the summertime break, everybody sort of checked out Lando. He is been given the repute of being the social gathering boy of the drivers, which I think’s a bit unfair, however anyway, that is the place he is landed.”
After the primary half of the season, Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ standings with 219 factors. Lewis Hamilton follows in second with 169 factors and George Russell is third with 160 factors. Charles Leclerc and Norris spherical out the highest 5 with 138 and 128 factors, respectively.
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