Lando Norris: How Verstappen qualities shape his push for F1 2026 perfection

Lando Norris says there are still areas he wants to improve, particularly traits he admires in Max Verstappen, as he heads into F1 2026.

Norris won his first title in a tense 2025 showdown in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, coming out on top against McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and a resurgent Max Verstappen in his Red Bull.

Lando Norris: 2025 title my life goal but now I have more confidence

Having come close to securing his maiden title in 2024, Norris’ performance level took a step forward in ’25 as he bounced back from a mid-season disappointment to overcome Piastri’s 34-point advantage as he showed a clean pair of heels to his teammate through the final third of the season.

His consistency in the face of Verstappen’s relentless comeback over the same time period was enough to secure him the title by two points, having put in a quietly assured drive to third place in Abu Dhabi.

Having joined an elite club in his title victory, a club in which there are only 35 members after 75 years of history, Norris said he can reflect with satisfaction on his achievement, but that it has changed nothing about his hunger or desire to win.

“Honestly, no,” he told select media, including PlanetF1.com, during a pre-season appearance at the McLaren Technology Centre, when asked about whether his ambitions have reset for the new season.

“As much as I say that, I don’t feel any different coming into this season. I still feel like I just want to go out and win.

“I feel like there’s just quite a baseline feeling, and there consistently is. I think just more, 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 is 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 go and not care about it.

“That’s certainly not how I’ve pictured everything and seen everything. So, if anything, I enjoyed last year a lot and, of course, I want to do it again, just hopefully with a longer off-season would be nice!

“I just have that feeling that, one day, if I don’t achieve something again, I have something to always fall back on, in a way, and I will always be proud, no matter what people say. But yeah, I have the same ambition as I did last year, which is to try winning again.”

While Norris won the title, the unofficial post-season paddock ‘awards’ saw the F1 team bosses, even without the participation of Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies, and the drivers award the best-driver accolade to Verstappen, with Norris second on this particular honours list.

Norris overcame the seasons-long question of whether his mentality, which is markedly softer and less aggressive than the hard-nosed Verstappen, was sufficient to become an F1 World Champion.

Having previously indicated his desire to prove that his approach, in which he has shown a willingness to be more self-critical than the four-time F1 World Champion, can be successful, Norris said he’s hopeful to continue to add to his repertoire of weaponry in 2026.

“It’s quite clear that I have a different mentality and a different approach to, say, what Max has. Good or bad, you decide,” he said, when asked if multiple champions like Verstappen, Michael Schumacher, or Ayrton Senna, would have accepted a similar mindset to having won one title.

“There are a lot of things that I still admire about Max, and I wish I had a little bit more of that, here and there. I’m always trying to improve my things. I know there are still areas where I’m not at the level I need to be. It’s still a good level but, when you’re fighting these guys, you need to be close to perfection.

“So there are 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, and my motivation to win is exactly the same.

“I’ve not lost anything, and if anything, I think I just have more confidence, because I’ve said in interviews and stuff in the past that I’m very much a guy who has to see something to believe it, especially when it has anything to do with myself.

“Did I believe I could be on pole for the first time or win the race? When I’ve done it, I’ve gone ‘Ah, I can do it’, you know?

“That’s just how, for whatever reason, I’ve thought, and I believed and things like that.”

Having revealed that a sports psychologist helped him raise his mental armoury in 2025, Norris said he feels this is an area he’s made clear strides forward.

“I’ve certainly gotten better at a lot of things last year, just mental preparation, a mental state, dealing with the good times and bad times, and all of them in between,” he said.

“But I certainly have to find my own way and not disregard what other people have done in the past, and just understand what is always going to motivate me.

“A lot of my motivation is not just featuring me on the top step of a podium or holding the trophy; a lot of it is being with the team and allowing them to have the trophies, party, and celebrate, and that kind of thing.

“I’m not too fussed, honestly, about how other people have thought about stuff, but my motivation is just as high to try winning it and do my team proud.”

Lando Norris on the pleasure of being ‘Number 1’

Aside from his post-season appearance in the Abu Dhabi test with the number one on his 2025 car, the Barcelona shakedown last week was Norris’ first appearance with the coveted number embossed on his McLaren.

Footage from the shakedown showed Norris beaming at the sight, and the British driver said he’s taken the opportunity to derive as much pleasure from it as he can while the work for the ’26 season ramps up.

“That’s like a bit of a refresher, right? Over the winter break, I tried to be as disconnected from everything as possible,” he said.

“Then, obviously, coming back to work and stuff, people say it, and that’s always a nice thing. A realisation of when you see it on the car for the first time, when I see it on my helmet, the suit, it kind of makes you rethink of everything again, and that brings back all the memories.

“That’s the reality. Finally, seeing it on something, which is cool. So, yeah, I was smiling.”

Having only had just over a month to bask in the afterglow of his success before returning to duty with McLaren, Norris said he’d done his best to disconnect from the F1 world and unwind in his personal life.

“Yeah, it was short,” he said of his winter.

“Before you know it, it was already New Year, and, up until New Year, I spent a good amount of time with my friends, so just disconnecting and being away.

“I did my yearly Finland trip, which is just getting away from people, and just me and some of my mates get away to a little town that’s nice and quiet, and just get back to training. I got back to training earlier than I have in any other year.

“So it’s certainly not like I’ve enjoyed everything a lot more than what I’ve done in the past, but I certainly feel just more relaxed in many ways, and I enjoyed it. I wish I just had a couple more weeks just to take everything in and still allow my body and my mind to realise what we achieved last year.

“But I’m also a guy who can move on pretty quickly from any situation. I’m excited about the challenge of this year. I had the time that I needed to spend with my friends, my family, and celebrate all these things together; it was all one big effort. So, yeah, I enjoyed that.”

One change he believes he’s in a position to make this year is to enjoy the company of his friends and family at events throughout the year. Having proven to himself that he is capable of world champion-level performances, the pressure of potential distractions is one Norris doesn’t feel will be as critical to keeping calm in the future.

“I’m probably going to be more relaxed in the future with more of my friends and family coming to races and things. I think that might change,” he said.

“Last year was pretty strict at times with who came to the races, just so I could stay focused and not get distracted by things and not have people that I almost don’t need to have at races there.

“I know I might change a bit more, I might be happier that people come and have a good time and that kind of thing.

“The best part of my life is just spending time with them and my focus in my life, but, at the same time, work is work, and I have to get back to it.”

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Lando Norris appreciating acknowledgement from fellow World Champions

With Norris becoming the first person since Nico Rosberg’s title win in 2016 to topple the Lewis Hamilton/Max Verstappen duopoly, the McLaren man said he’s enjoyed the messages of congratulations he’s received from fellow World Champions, given the high regard in which they are held, as well as his rivals up and down the grid.

“It is a bizarre feeling, but it’s also amazing,” he said.

“When you compare it to Lewis, I’m like, I can’t even compare myself to Lewis, seven to one! I’ve got to do another six of those kinds of years to achieve that, or three to get to Max!

“I feel, and I hope, I guess, there’s just a little extra level of respect that comes from achieving something. Because I think, for the people who know, it takes a lot to achieve what we achieved last season. So that’s a cool thing, that’s an extra bonus that comes with it.

“It’s not required, it’s not asked, it’s just something that comes along with it. Obviously, I’ve not spoken to too many other drivers, I spoke to Alex and George the other day, mainly because we played Padel together. I think, especially with them, because we kind of came into F1 at the same time, it’s created more hunger for them, especially for George, because he’s the bookies’ favourite [for ’26].

“He’s all a little bit giddy at the minute, so that’s a great thing to see.

“It’s not changed that much. I got a lot of messages, and I feel bad because there are a lot of people I’ve not been able to get back to yet that sent me messages from last year, and yeah, I still need to reply to a lot of people.

“Publicly, I’ll say thank you to them, but it’s cool, just the amount of messages and support and congrats, all of those things… never needed, never required, but always very much appreciated and something that I’d love to see.

“So it’s cool, especially if it’s those guys I’m racing against, whether it’s Lewis, Fernando [Alonso], Sebastian [Vettel]… anyone that’s been in Formula 1 and experienced those kinds of things, and knows what it takes. From them, it always means that little bit more.”

Regardless of what happens in ’26, Norris’ achievement means his name will be written into the sport’s history books forevermore, and this has brought the British driver a sense of peace as he kicks off a new era in Formula 1 as the driver to beat.

“It’s just the fact that I have many more years of Formula 1, and I will still try to get as many more championships as possible. If I never do, I’m still happy,” he said.

“I achieved one, 20 years from starting karting to last year, trying to achieve what I achieved and what we all achieved as a team, and then my group and my family, we achieved last year.

“So it’s a lot of time, effort, and singular focus, and then it’s done. I guess not many people in life maybe get to achieve their end goal, life goal.

“If you ever see me not smiling or something, just give me a punch or something to remind me, because I achieved my goal in life, and I’m very happy, so I’m proud. That’s something I’ll always take with me.”

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