Norris feels he's doing a better job than last year

Formula One champion Lando Norris feels he is driving better than last ‌year even though Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix was McLaren's first win of the season.

The Briton is ​fifth overall, a ⁠massive 91 points behind Mercedes' championship leader Kimi Antonelli who has ‌won six of 11 rounds, as ‌the sport goes into its August break.

Norris also won in Hungary last year, his fifth victory by that point of the campaign although that was round 14 then, and was second overall and nine ‌points behind teammate Oscar Piastri, who had won six and looked the more likely to win the ⁠title.

"I feel like I’m doing a better job this year than I was last year...I’ve said that for a while.

It just doesn’t mean you win the races," Norris said after winning from pole position at the Hungaroring in his upgraded car, his first win since last November in Brazil.

"I certainly want to believe that we can continue it," he said. "This is maybe as good ​as it can look for now, but I certainly believe we can still win ‌races."

Norris has grown as a driver

McLaren have more upgrades to come but Mercedes and Ferrari are multiple winners this season and Max Verstappen's second place on Sunday, after also finishing second in Austria in ⁠June, showed that Red Bull are knocking on the door.

Sunday was only Norris's third podium of the season, after second in Miami and third in Barcelona.

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix auto race. AP

Team boss Andrea Stella said the 26-year-old had grown as a ​driver since ‌winning the title.

"I've been quite impressed by Lando following the way he has reacted to the ‌first one third of the season last year...there were clear learning points and he embraced the challenge," Stella said. "So I think what we see here is just the continuation of this trajectory.

"Lando is much more confident. I ‌think he's much ‌more aware of his tools that he has ⁠in his driving. How to deploy those tools. And I think he's also, ‌let me say, more in control of his emotions.

"When he was behind Oscar (on Sunday) he said a couple of times that he had pace in hand but he ⁠didn't get overly frustrated. And the fact that he wasn't overly frustrated I think ​then allowed him to use the pace at the right time and led him to the victory.

"So I think we've seen a great trajectory of development for Lando and ⁠this is honestly the same with Oscar." 

Reuters