Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes are on the summer break of Formula 1, but Martin Brundle says the race for the championship is far from over. The Sky Sports F1 analyst believes that McLaren's commanding victory in Hungary has turned the tide for the rest of the 2026 season.
Following Lando Norris' win at the Hungaroring, Brundle said that McLaren's new improvements could make them serious contenders for the title at the end of the season.
Martin Brundle Sees McLaren as a Real Title Threat to Mercedes
Brundle thinks that McLaren's pace in Hungary was not only circuit-specific but may be indicative of a new development package that will be able to be used across a variety of tracks.
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If McLaren have made a decent step up and it translates well to other circuits, this was the team's 14th win at the Hungaroring and with the top four getting closer and closer, this championship is far from over. There are 291 points still to be won if all the remaining races are held.
It was one of McLaren's best performances of the season. Norris took pole and dominated the race, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen. The outcome gave further evidence of the new high-downforce package that McLaren has developed being a major step closer to Mercedes.
Brundle says the championship is still open, as there are still almost 300 points to be won after the summer break.
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Norris also made it clear that he feels the pressure is now on Antonelli and Mercedes.
The reigning F1 champion said, "How many points behind am I? He should feel the pressure, that's for sure. The pressure is on him for sure. There's no pressure on me, I've been feeling very confident. They've been making more mistakes as a team, and we've made less."
Antonelli is still the leader of the pack, but it looks like the momentum is shifting towards McLaren. Brundle thinks the battle for the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' Championship is just starting.