Britain’s newest world champion confirms he will race with number 1 in 2026 as F1 prepares for its biggest regulatory overhaul in a decade
Lando Norris has achieved what once seemed impossible, capturing his maiden Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, December 7th, 2025. The 26-year-old McLaren driver finished third in the season finale, securing the title by just two points over four-time champion Max Verstappen, with teammate Oscar Piastri finishing third in the standings.
A Dream Realized After Years of Persistence
The championship victory represents the culmination of a 16-year journey for Norris, who began chasing his F1 dream as a young karting prodigy. Speaking through tears after crossing the finish line, Norris captured the magnitude of the moment.
“I’ve dreamed of this for a long, long time,” Norris said in the post-race press conference. “A lot goes into a season like this, a lot of ups and downs, but none of that matters as long as you come out on top and that is what we managed to do.”
Norris becomes Britain’s 11th Formula 1 world champion and the first since Lewis Hamilton claimed the title in 2020. Perhaps more significantly for McLaren, he delivers the team’s first Drivers’ Championship since Hamilton achieved the feat in 2008, ending a 17-year drought for the iconic Woking-based constructor.
A Season of Twists and Turns
The 2025 campaign was anything but straightforward for Norris. Despite entering the year as the overwhelming favorite following McLaren’s constructors’ title triumph in 2024, Norris found himself on the back foot for much of the season.
After winning the opening round in Melbourne, Norris struggled to match teammate Piastri’s consistency. The Australian took the championship lead at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in April and held it for the majority of the season. At his lowest point following a mechanical retirement at the Dutch Grand Prix in August, Norris trailed Piastri by 34 points.
However, the British driver staged a remarkable comeback in the season’s closing stages. Dominant victories in Mexico and Brazil, where he produced what Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle described as “one of the great all-time drives,” swung momentum decisively in his favor. Norris regained the championship lead in late October and never relinquished it.
The path to Abu Dhabi was complicated by McLaren’s double disqualification in Las Vegas for a technical infringement and a costly strategy error in Qatar, but Norris held his nerve when it mattered most, securing the third-place finish he needed to claim the crown.
Number 1 Returns to McLaren
In a symbolic gesture befitting his new status, Norris has confirmed he will abandon his familiar number 4 and race with the prestigious number 1 on his McLaren in 2026. The decision takes the champion’s number away from Verstappen, who has used it since winning his first title in 2021.
“It’s tradition,” Norris explained to Sky Sports News. “I had to celebrate well, enjoy the moment, because it’s a rare moment for anyone. It could be a unique moment, it could be the only one, so I had to make it memorable.”
The move contrasts with Hamilton, who chose to retain his iconic number 44 throughout his championship years at Mercedes. For Norris, however, the number 1 represents the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition.
2026 Predictions: Can Norris Defend His Crown?
The 2026 season promises to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Formula 1 will introduce its most significant regulatory overhaul since 2014, featuring revised power unit configurations, active aerodynamics, and the replacement of DRS with a new Manual Override Mode system.
McLaren enters the new era as defending champions, but history suggests that regulation changes can dramatically reshape the competitive order. Mercedes dominated from 2014 following the last major rule change, while Red Bull struggled initially despite their previous success.
Several factors could influence the 2026 championship battle. Red Bull will debut their own power unit for the first time in partnership with Ford, while Honda moves to Aston Martin under the guidance of legendary designer Adrian Newey. Mercedes, who struggled with the ground-effect regulations introduced in 2022, will be desperate to return to the front with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Cadillac’s arrival as the eleventh team adds another intriguing dimension, with experienced drivers Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas joining the American manufacturer’s maiden F1 campaign.
For McLaren, the challenge will be adapting their winning formula to entirely new technical requirements. Team principal Andrea Stella has guided the team from ninth in the constructors’ standings in 2017 to back-to-back titles, but 2026 will test even his considerable abilities.
Norris himself acknowledges the uncertainty ahead. “I need to understand what I can do better,” he reflected. “I feel like I did that this year and I’ve got to do that even more next year if I want to retain what we’ve been able to achieve.”
With the regulations scheduled to remain stable until 2030, the team that masters the 2026 rules could dominate for years to come. As Norris prepares to defend his crown with the number 1 proudly displayed on his papaya-colored McLaren, the stage is set for another captivating season of Formula 1 racing.
The 2026 Formula 1 season begins with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 6-8.
