Lando Norris’s battle to become Formula 1 world champion was one of the most fraught with challenges in recent years. The 26-year-old did the job in 2025 after a season-long battle with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, while Max Verstappen entered the frame across the final rounds – but it was too little, too late for the Red Bull juggernaut.
The problem is, Norris was far from the best driver in F1 2025, he arguably wasn’t even in the top three; Autosport ranked the Briton fourth in its top 10 racers of the season behind Verstappen, George Russell and Charles Leclerc.
For how dominant the MCL39 was, particularly early in the season, Norris simply made harder work of the title than he should have whether it was his Jeddah qualifying crash, clattering into the back of Piastri in Montreal, or simply being off the pace in Baku.
But the most important thing is that he got the job done: no matter what anybody says, Norris is a world champion. So that is why it might sound strange to say, but one wonders if achieving such a feat will be the making of the McLaren star.
Cue his following quote from the British marque’s 2026 season launch on Tuesday: “I just have more confidence because I’ve said in the past that I’m very much a guy who has to see something to believe it, especially when it’s been on anything to do with myself. Did I believe I could be on pole that first time, or win the race? When I’ve done it, then I’ve gone ‘ah, I can do it’.”
That now applies to the world title and it can only be a good thing. Because listening to the world champion speak, it was hard not to notice the swagger which oozed through as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, marking a refreshing change from previous Norris interviews in years gone by.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images
His struggles with mental health have been well documented: he once admitted to feelings of depression as a rookie and also not even eating on race days due to nerves. It’s worrying to think how much worse those feelings may have become had he squandered his golden opportunity last year – at one stage it looked likely – but no, he got the job done and is thoroughly enjoying himself.
So much so that he might even alter his approach to events this year: “I’m probably going to be more relaxed in the future, with more of my friends and family coming to races.
“Last year was pretty strict at times with who came, just so I could stay focused and not get distracted by things and not have people that I almost don’t need to have there, but now I might change a bit more. I might be more happy that people come and have a good time.”
But don’t take that the wrong way, he will not do the same thing that many athletes do once they’ve reached the top of the mountain: rest on their laurels and lose all motivation, having achieved their lifelong ambition. No, for Norris, think more Lewis Hamilton and less Nico Rosberg.
“I don’t feel any different coming into this season, I still feel like I just want to go out and win,” said Norris. “At the end of the day if I don’t achieve something again, I always have something that I’m very proud about and I know it’s a huge achievement, but it certainly hasn’t taken away any ambition or desire to want to do it again, or to come into this season and not care about it.
“That’s certainly not how I’ve pictured everything. I enjoyed last year a lot and of course I want to do it again. If I don’t achieve something again, I have something to always fall back on in a way and I’ll always be proud no matter what people say, but I’ve come into this year with the same ambition as I did last year which is to try and win again.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB21, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL39, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL39
Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images
To do so he must overcome Verstappen, a four-time world champion who has so often had the mental edge over his McLaren rival. Just look at 2024, when Norris delivered somewhat of a late title challenge to the Dutchman but was caught out by his aggressive moves on track, while Verstappen was also much better at pouncing on opportunities – an example being Sao Paulo, where he won from 17th.
“I wasn’t, simply, quite at the level that I needed to be to race against Max” is how Norris summed up that experience, but it did provide him with a steep learning curve which he carried into 2025. Of course last year wasn’t perfect, but the improvements never stop and Norris already knows where he needs to find gains this season.
“It’s quite clear that I have a different mentality and a different approach to, say what Max says, good or bad you decide,” said Norris. “There’s a lot of things that I still admire in Max and I wish I had a little bit more of that here and there, but I’m always trying to improve on my things.
“I know there’s still areas that I’m not at the level I need to be, and it’s still a good level but when you’re fighting these guys, you need to be close to perfection. There’s still plenty of things I want to work on and I want to be better on, but the baseline level of where I’m at now is already pretty good.”
It certainly is, but talent was never the problem. Now that a title has come along, however, it’s hard to see how he’ll make the same mistakes again this year with any past demons about entering battle for the F1 world title or against Verstappen being gone.
So cue a relaxed, freer Norris who may have things come easier – will that open the floodgates for more success in 2026?
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– The Autosport.com Team
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