Norris vows to 'go for it or die trying' as Antonelli stretches 106-point lead

Lando Norris qualified fifth for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after locking up under pressure in Q3, a mistake the reigning world champion framed as an unavoidable consequence of his all-or-nothing approach to the 2026 title fight.

Norris sits 106 points behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli with nine grands prix left, a deficit that has hardened his resolve to attack every session regardless of the risk. “I’m at a point in the championship where I kind of have to go for pole or die trying,” he said in Baku. “Of course, I paid the price for pushing too much today, but it is what it is.”

The gap has widened despite Norris scoring 83 points since McLaren introduced its most significant upgrade of the season in Hungary — because Antonelli outscored him over that same stretch. The Briton is now fighting George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for the runner-up position rather than the title itself.

Baku has compounded McLaren’s problems in a specific way. Norris acknowledged he was among the slowest cars through the long straights, ranking 19th-quickest in qualifying and leading only the Aston Martins and Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi for straight-line speed. He warned he could become a “sitting duck” in Sunday’s race. A technical issue also contributed to his grid position, with McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expecting it to be resolved before the race.

Beyond the immediate tactical picture, Norris described a broader shift in his mental state since winning last year’s championship. The self-doubt that he says shadowed much of his earlier career has been replaced by a quieter inner confidence.

“I’m able to question myself less, because I have the reassurance inside that I can achieve what I want to achieve,” he said on Wednesday. “I always found it hard to believe I could have what it takes to win a world championship, until I won the world championship. Now, deep down, I have that reassurance within myself.”

With the arithmetic increasingly against him, that belief may be tested across the remaining rounds — starting with a Baku street circuit where his car’s straight-line deficit leaves him little margin for error.