ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — Lando Norris says he doesn't yet have a car capable of vying for the Formula 1 title despite back-to-back Grand Prix wins but he could “win every race” remaining this season if McLaren manages to solve its biggest vulnerability.
The F1 defending champion boosted his title chances with victory at the Dutch GP on Sunday after a daring pass on standings leader Kimi Antonelli in the process.
“I know I’ve just won two races in a row and had two poles in a row, but at the minute I don’t have the car I need to fight for a championship,” Norris said after the race. He added that the right changes to target McLaren's troubles in slow-speed corners could set him up to chase down Mercedes driver Antonelli.
“We’re very, very strong in high-speed (corners), and that’s the place we’ve improved the car the most ... No one matches us in high speed, and that’s a good thing,” Norris said.
However, Norris added that “Mercedes' advantage that they have to us in slow speed is also crazy.”
Norris urged McLaren not to get “complacent” and to focus on improving how the car handles in low-speed corners to unlock its full potential.
“If we can improve on these slow speeds, I’m confident that I can win every race this season. If we don’t, then it’s much more difficult to believe so,” he said.
Meanwhile, Antonelli suggested Mercedes is “clearly not the fastest car anymore on the grid.”
Exactly how McLaren can go about making Norris' wish come true is unclear.
F1's “cost cap” limits how much teams can spend in key design areas. An earlier upgrade has more time to take effect but, as the season goes on, teams understand more about their cars and have more chances to copy ideas from rivals.
That means it's a question of how much money to leave in reserve and when to spend it.
Mercedes started the year with the fastest car, winning the first six Grand Prix races. Team principal Toto Wolff suggested Sunday that the team didn't have the freedom to spend on major changes and so “the ride has been a bit tougher than at the beginning of the year.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has his doubts. He said he was “pretty sure” that Mercedes has some performance-boosting ideas in reserve.
“I’m sure they will now cash in on their development that surely is happening in the background,” Stella added.
Norris is more confident than ever on the track and he's getting better at picking his moment to strike, Stella argued.
The highlight of Norris' race was an audacious overtaking move around the outside of Antonelli, reacting fast to the Italian's own failed attempt to pass Lewis Hamilton.
Norris' confidence shines through in a willingness to wait for the best chance to win, rather than rushing, Stella said.
“The self-confidence sometimes is not demonstrated by being the most aggressive,” Stella said. “In both the last couple of races that he won he didn’t defend the pole position, he was actually second at the end of the first lap. I did not hear or perceive any decay in his confidence as to the fact that he was fast. He was just preparing his opportunity and then cashing in on his competitiveness.”
Norris said he was improving on track but credited his Dutch GP win to smart work with the team to fix the car's setup after he failed to match Mercedes for pace in Saturday's sprint.
That “is a perfect example of the work we put in overnight transformed our race and gave me the opportunity to win,” he said. “The work we put in away from the track is certainly a huge part of that.”
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain in action during the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after winning the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand ’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, already facing a flood crisis in the country’s north, held an urgent meeting on Sunday with high-level security officials in response to coordinated violence overnight in three southern provinces where a small-scale Muslim insurgency is active.
The meeting, held shortly before Anutin flew north to inspect the badly flooded province of Nan, followed 51 incidents on Saturday night in the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.
The attackers did not engage with military or police forces. Only three civilians were known to have been wounded, and they were reported to be recovering on Sunday.
The violence primarily involved small bombs, arson and other forms of property damage. The highest-profile target was a 7-Eleven convenience store in Pattani. A video circulating on social media appeared to show armed men stalking outside the store while customers and workers fled before it was set on fire.
A bomb that damaged rail tracks in Narathiwat forced the suspension of local and long-haul services. It was not clear when they would be restored due to the uncertain security situation.
As has often been the case with such incidents, no group was immediately publicly blamed or claimed responsibility for the actions.
However, such attacks are generally believed to be carried out by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani, or BRN. It is the major insurgent group in the south with the organizational means and support to stage such an action. It is also the group with which the Thai government has been holding on-again, off-again peace talks.
The three southernmost provinces are the only ones with Muslim majorities in predominantly Buddhist Thailand and the BRN has said that it is seeking self-rule for them.
Muslim residents have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have been periodically active for decades.
Insurgent violence escalated sharply in 2004 and was met with heavy-handed crackdowns, further fueling discontent. According to Deep South Watch, a think tank based at the Prince of Songkla University’s campus in Pattani, 7,837 people have died in the violence in the past 22 years.
The last major flare-up came in July, when about 10 attackers opened fire and threw pipe bombs at soldiers at a security checkpoint in Narathiwat. Five paramilitary soldiers were killed and six civilians were wounded, including a 10-year-old boy.
Don Pathan, an independent security analyst, says the BRN carries out attacks largely for leverage as it negotiates with the Thai government.
“From the ground, BRN combatants are turned off by the boasting of military officials and wanted to use the spike in violence to demonstrate their capabilities," said Pathan. "Many of the targets in these latest incidents were civilians, but BRN combatants were not after body counts. They want to send a stern message to the Thais of what they are capable of doing.”
This image provided by The Government's Internal Security Operations Command, shows a 7-Eleven convenience store damaged the night before by arson in Pattani province, Thailand, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (The Government's Internal Security Operations Command Via AP)
This image provided by The Government's Internal Security Operations Command, shows vehicles damaged the night before by arson at a local government office in Sri Sakhon Subdistrict in Narathiwat province, Thailand, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (The Government's Internal Security Operations Command via AP)
Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul speaks during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Hilary Wardhaugh/Pool Photo via AP)
Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, center, speaks during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, unseen, at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Hilary Wardhaugh/Pool Photo via AP)
