When will McLaren realise that at this moment, they have in Lando Norris their best chance of winning the drivers’ championship since Lewis Hamilton in 2008? Hamilton was 23 years old then. He is 39 now. It was that long ago.

And when will Lando believe it himself, and deliver on the possibility? Based on the evidence of Sunday’s gripping Hungarian Grand Prix this juiciest of carrots has not sufficiently infiltrated the psyche of either man or team.

It seems McLaren are instead focused on the constructors’ championship, the winning of which would admittedly be a major achievement. As well as the prestige, it comes with top-rank prize money of some £110million, and consequently bumper bonuses for the staff.

 

But even this laurel – and new kitchens all round Woking! – is not motor racing’s supreme prize in the wider estimation. That is the drivers’ crown.

Which brings us to why McLaren did not act more ruthlessly and let Norris cross the line first in Budapest. He was, anyway, leading and moving away to a margin of more than five seconds in the later stages of the race, albeit his track position was established by the earlier timing of his second pit stop, which allowed him to jump team-mate Oscar Piastri.

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McLaren must bite the bullet and make it clear that Lando Norris is their No 1 driver

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Norris was told to allow team-mate Piastri to pass him to win the Hungarian Grand Prix