World champion Lando Norris said Thursday that he believes McLaren can challenge for the podium again this week in Singapore after a difficult time in the last two races in Malaysia and Azerbaijan.

Norris has good memories of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, where he won in 2024 and finished on the podium in 2023 and last year.

The Englishman looked to have regained the form that took him to the world title last year when he won back-to-back races in Hungary and the Netherlands in July and August.

But those performances have been missing in the four races since, where he picked up only one podium finish – in Spain last month.

The McLaren’s lack of straight-line speed has been a major problem and he took only two points in Baku and Sepang.

Norris said he was “hopeful” that the team had figured out the issues and could turn around their fortunes going into the hot and humid Singapore weekend, where there will also be a sprint race and the threat of rain.

“It’ll be good to see this weekend if some of that performance that we were missing does come back,” said Norris, who finished ninth in a rain-affected Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last Sunday.

“I need to get on the track first and see how much better it is,” added Norris, who has finished on the podium in four of the previous sprint races this season.

“It is obviously a circuit where straight line speeds are not the highest priority.

“They did a lot of work just trying to figure out things. I’m hopeful that it will be better this weekend, but honestly I’ll get on the track and see.”