Lando Norris heads into the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone as the reigning world champion, telling media ahead of the race weekend that he feels more relaxed than ever at his home event while still targeting a second consecutive victory.
Speaking at the official FIA press conference, Norris described the experience of returning to Silverstone as champion as “pretty damn cool” and said the expanded Landostand fan zone is bigger and better than last year’s edition. “I went there this morning to already see everyone that was there, with the store, and just a lot more hospitality for people, some music, some DJs,” Norris said. “When I see all of this come together, and feeling like that normal kid, then it’s just quite unbelievable, honestly, to see the size of it.”
On performance expectations, Norris tempered enthusiasm after a mixed recent run. McLaren showed strong pace in Spain but found Austria more challenging, finishing behind Red Bull on race day. “We’re probably not coming in quite as optimistic as we were this time last year, but we’re still optimistic that we want to aim for a podium and we still want to get two cars high up there and in the points,” he said. Norris also addressed reports that Max Verstappen’s management held talks with McLaren, playing down the significance while acknowledging it as flattering. “A lot of drivers want to come to McLaren. I don’t know why you just highlight Max,” he said. “It’s a cool thing that a four-time World Champion wants to potentially join the team. I don’t know how much of it’s true, but it’s a cool thing.”
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, whose team is based just across the road from Silverstone, spoke about a significant upgrade package split across the next two races. Adrian Newey’s aerodynamic package arrives in Hungary, with an engine upgrade following at Zandvoort. Stroll said the simulator data is promising but cautioned against premature expectations. “It’s supposed to go a lot faster. How much faster is always difficult to estimate before it hits the track,” Stroll said. “I just hope we take a good step forward and it gives us some opportunity to fight every weekend and score some points.”
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who has finished 11th in each of the last three races, struck an optimistic tone despite narrowly missing the points. The Brazilian rookie said upgrades introduced at the Red Bull Ring made the car more consistent and predictable, and highlighted a breakthrough in race starts after overtaking a car on the opening lap for the first time this season. “I think we’ve progressed a lot from the beginning of the season,” Bortoleto said. “If we keep going in this direction, we’re going to at some point step into the points and then hopefully we can consistently stay there.”
The 2026 British Grand Prix weekend gets underway with practice sessions at Silverstone, where Norris will look to add to his growing legacy at the circuit that launched his Formula 1 career in 2019.