Lando Norris has declared that successfully defending his maiden Formula One world championship is «absolutely the goal» for the upcoming season.
The British driver secured his first F1 crown in December, triumphing over Red Bull’s four-time champion Max Verstappen and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in a thrilling finale in Abu Dhabi.
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While McLaren dominated the previous season, the sport has since undergone a significant regulatory overhaul, leaving uncertainty about which teams will emerge strong this year. Despite this, Norris expressed newfound confidence following his championship win.
«It is absolutely the goal. When you win one, it certainly gives you a lot more confidence,» Norris stated.
He acknowledged his past struggles with self-belief, adding, «I have never been one to have the most confidence in myself but I certainly have more of it now, that’s for sure.»
The 26-year-old explained his pragmatic approach: «I have always been a seeing-is-believing kind of guy and I have always had to see myself on the top step and see myself winning to finally believe that I can do it.»
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He revealed that by the middle of last season, he felt he had all the necessary elements – «the people around me, the team, the car, and my own ability – to go out and win the championship. That’s the first time I have had that belief in myself and it turned out to be the correct thing to have.»
Norris made these comments at the Autosport Awards in London, where he was honoured as the British Competition Driver of the Year. Reflecting on his victory, he admitted he has not rewatched the moment he clinched the title. «No I have not. I have honestly tried to be as far from everything as possible and just enjoying the rest of my life,» he said.
Norris admitted he has struggled with self-belief in the past (Getty)
Balancing his professional life with personal pursuits, Norris added: «I love Formula One, I also love being away from it. It is an incredible job, I get paid well, and I get to travel with my friends and play golf in beautiful places and I like to go and do those other things. You have one life and I want to try, and enjoy, as many things as possible.»
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Norris is set to get his first taste of the car he hopes will propel him to consecutive titles at a behind-closed-doors test in Barcelona next week, commencing on Monday.
However, McLaren will not participate on the first of the five testing days, as teams are permitted to run for only three days.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella clarified the strategy: «We plan to start testing either on day two or day three. We wanted to give ourselves as much time as possible for development and this was always going to be plan A.»
He further explained the broader context of F1 development, noting, «There has been so much work on the 2026 cars. It is almost unprecedented because there has never before been such a huge and simultaneous change of chassis, power unit, and tyres.»
Two additional pre-season tests are scheduled for Bahrain next month, leading up to the opening race of the season in Australia on March 8.
