#4 · McLaren
Lando Norris
The reigning champion. Now defending the title with a teammate who is not going to make it easy.
2025 World Champion. Took McLaren back to the top after a decade and a half in the wilderness, then beat Verstappen and Piastri to the title at the final round.
Why he matters
Norris was McLaren’s first world champion since Hamilton in 2008 and the team’s first since Mika Häkkinen if you discount Hamilton’s McLaren title (which was Mercedes-engined). The 2025 championship fight went down to the final laps in Abu Dhabi between Norris, his teammate Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen: the closest three-way title finish since 2010.
How he drives
He drives a car visually softer than Verstappen (fewer steering corrections, smoother on the throttle out of slow corners) but is just as quick. His weaknesses, when he has them, are starts and the occasional tyre-temperature struggle in qualifying when track conditions change between Q2 and Q3.
Watch for
- His qualifying laps in the second half of the season. He was on pole eight times in 2025.
- His relationship with teammate Oscar Piastri. The polite intra-team rivalry of 2024 became less polite by the end of 2025.
- His karting-buddy friendship with Verstappen, which has noticeably cooled since they started fighting for the championship.
Career receipts
Through the 2026 season
11
Race wins
38
Podiums
12
Pole positions
1
Championships
Last race
Decoder breakdown of the most recent round