Lando Norris “fully believes” 2026 title contender George Russell will one day join the ranks of F1 world champions, but the McLaren driver said his ambition to win again this year remains undiminished.
Norris is preparing to begin his F1 campaign as the first reigning world champion after ending McLaren’s 17-year wait for a new drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi two months ago.
The 26-year-old started last year as the bookmakers’ favorite to win ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but with four weeks to go until the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, it is Russell who currently holds that position, with Mercedes widely expected to start F1 strong in a new era of chassis and power unit regulations.
Norris playfully called Russell, a long-time friend and generational rival, a “huge favorite” and told Sky Sports News: “Me and George are good friends.
“We don’t talk every day, but I think we have a lot of respect for each other.
“He’s shown that against me and I fully believe he’s going to win a championship in the future, whether it’s this year or next year or whatever it is.
“It was fun fighting him and he’s a nice guy, so I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Watch highlights of each team running their cars at the Barcelona test on Day 4 of Shakedown.
Speaking separately to written media at a pre-season event at McLaren’s Woking base, Norris answered a question about his contact with other drivers over the winter since becoming champion, saying: “I spoke to Alex (Albon) and George the other day, mainly because we played padel together.”
“For them in particular, I think the same time we entered F1[in2019][Norris becoming champion]added to the hunger for them.
“Especially for George, because he’s a bookish favorite. He gets a little giddy in the moment! It’s great to see that.”
“I think I’m more confident now” – Norris’ mindset and goals for 2026
Norris is starting his eighth season as an F1 driver and admitted winning his first world championship represented the achievement of his “life’s goal”.
But he insists he will start the 2026 campaign with the same determination to be at the top again.
“I’ve said that (achieving my life goals), but going into this season, I don’t feel like anything has changed,” Norris said.
“I still just want to go out and win.
“That’s just my basic feeling all the way through, and I think if you don’t accomplish something, it just ends up taking longer. I’ve always had something that I’m very proud of, and I know it’s a big accomplishment.”
Norris was in good spirits during Barcelona’s test
“But it doesn’t and has never taken away the ambition or the desire to want to do it again or to be a part of this season and not care about it.”
Asked if he thought this approach would apply to multiple title winners such as Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen, Norris said: “I can’t answer what they were thinking.
“I think it’s clear that I have a different mentality and a different approach than, say, Max. For better or worse, you decide!”
“There’s still a lot of respect in Max and I wish there was a little more of that here and there.
“I am always trying to improve myself and I know there are areas where I am not at the level I need to be.
“We are still at a good level, but we need to be close to perfection when we play against them.
“There are still a lot of things I want to work on and get better at, but my current baseline level is already pretty good. My motivation to win is exactly the same.”
“I definitely haven’t lost anything. In fact, I think I’ve become more confident because I’ve said in past interviews that I’m someone who has to see something to believe it, especially when it concerns me.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
McLaren drivers Norris and Oscar Piastri look to work together on the 2026 F1 season
Will McLaren have the car to defend their title?
Despite significant changes to F1’s rulebook this winter, Norris believes the recognized Big Four teams of McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari will remain the teams to beat in the new 24-race campaign.
However, he believes that the expected fierce competition will give other companies a chance to enter the market.
“It’s hard to say (how competitive) it was, we’ve only had a few days,” Norris said of Barcelona’s shakedown last week.
“We’re hoping that the top four teams will lead the way and then potentially have a little bit of a gap with the other teams. We’ve seen over the years how close teams like Williams, Alpine and Haas can be at times, so we expect them all to be challengers at some point.”
“Especially in the first year of the new regulations, you’re going to see new parts in all the cars every weekend and you’re going to see the development competition within F1. It’s exciting and it’s also cool for us as drivers. It means we have so much to learn this year so we have to keep pushing until the end.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz and Craig Slater take a closer look at McLaren’s new car, which debuted at Shakedown in Barcelona
McLaren, powered by Mercedes engines, is aiming for a third consecutive constructors’ championship, and Norris added, “I’m confident the team will produce a good car.”
“A lot of work started at the beginning of last year, quite a few people looked at last year’s car, the current car at the time, and quite a few people looked at this year’s car.
“As a team, we believe that we can continue the very strong results we have achieved over the past two years even after the completely new regulation changes.
“But we also know that there will be people as fast as we are, and potentially even faster.
“Already from the first test Mercedes looked very strong, Red Bull and Ferrari also looked very strong, so we expect the four teams to be very fast as usual.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Bernie Collins, Kravitz and Slater reflect on what they saw at the Barcelona shakedown and predict which F1 team will come out on top in the 2026 season
Piastri ready to implement ‘lessons’ from 2025 highs and lows
At the same event, teammate Oscar Piastri said he had used F1’s short winter break at home in Australia to reflect on both the “really proud” and “painful” moments of the 2025 season.
Piastri won seven races and led the rankings for six months, but continued troubles in the decisive final months of the campaign meant he finished third behind Norris and Verstappen.
“There were some good lessons to be learned, but there were also difficult lessons to learn,” said Piastri, who is in his fourth season in F1.
“And in terms of performance and ability, the peak last year was first of all a great confidence boost and kind of a declaration to myself that if I do things right and perform to my full potential, I can be a very strong competitor.”
“I think some of the lessons in the second half of the year especially were very different in nature. I think there were probably some things in Austin and Mexico from a technical standpoint and a driving standpoint. The first half of the season wasn’t challenged, so that was probably one lesson to move on from there.”
“Obviously, it’s been quite a long race, quite an eventful race for various reasons. And taking lessons from that and how can we manage them better, how can we manage them better as a team, that’s probably one of the most important lessons for me from last year.”
“And I feel like I’ve done a lot of good work to learn from that, and I think the team has as well. And yeah, we’re going to make some tweaks, some changes in the way we approach things from all sides.”
“Obviously, the main thing I’m thinking about is probably how we race against each other and how we approach the race, but I think there are a lot of lessons in a lot of different areas, just from a performance standpoint and a time management standpoint.”
Sky Sports F1 Bahrain test schedule
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
F1 has outlined new regulation changes for 2026, including a replacement for DRS, in a plan to allow closer racing next year. Video provided by: F1
February 11-13: Test 1 daily schedule
3:00 PM: Final Hours of Track Driving Live 8:00 PM: Test Lap 8:30 PM: Ted’s Test Notebook
February 18-20: Test 2 daily schedule
6:50am – 11:05am: Morning Session Live 11:55pm – 4:10pm: Afternoon Session Live 8:00pm: Test Lap
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, including the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
