(Motorsport-Total.com) – “We can consider ourselves lucky that Ferrari doesn’t have a better engine at the moment,” said Formula 1 World Champion Lando Norris after the Grand Prix in Barcelona on Sky. Lewis Hamilton had just secured his first ever Ferrari victory and the Scuderia’s first win since 2024.
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For Norris, this is a warning sign. Because after Hamilton had already finished second behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli in the two previous races in Canada and Monaco, the race in Barcelona was now the first Grand Prix in 2026 not won by a Mercedes driver.
So far, the Mercedes W17 was considered the benchmark in the 2026 Formula 1 season after six consecutive triumphs at the start. But after Barcelona, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella already stated that Ferrari had now overtaken Mercedes, at least with the chassis.
“If they had a better engine, they would dominate,” Norris also suspects and explains: “In terms of cornering performance, they are currently the best in the field, and we are not even close to their level. That is the realistic assessment.”
“We are still very, very far from where we need to be,” said Norris, who also stood on the podium in Barcelona in third place. However, the world champion benefited from Antonelli retiring shortly before the end of the race.
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McLaren openly talks about wanting to intervene in the title fight in 2026. But in the Constructors’ Championship, they are not only already 121 points behind the Mercedes factory team in third place, but Ferrari is also currently 49 points ahead.
And Norris fears that Ferrari will become even stronger over the course of the season. “If they make improvements on the engine side, they will make everyone look old,” he warns. Ferrari plans to introduce an engine upgrade already at the upcoming race in Spielberg.
Barcelona: Driver ratings from Marc Surer and the editorial team
“We really have to buckle down now and see what improvements we can make,” Norris therefore emphasizes and explains: “Everyone in the factory is doing their best. Some things take time, but we really need to accelerate progress right now, because we want to stay in the race.”
That won’t be easy, because according to team principal Stella, Mercedes still has the best overall package in the field. And should Ferrari’s engine upgrade bring the Scuderia forward another step on this front, McLaren could come under even more pressure.
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