Lando Norris Unveils Plans for a New Era at McLaren

Lando Norris has officially confirmed what we were all secretly hoping for—he’s slapping the number one on his McLaren for the 2026 season.

After snatching the drivers’ title from Max Verstappen in a nail-biter at Abu Dhabi, the Brit has earned the bragging rights to drop his signature number four and run the plate that every driver dreams of.

The 2025 season finale was nothing short of cinematic. Norris needed to hold his nerve, and a P3 finish was just enough to edge out his Red Bull rival by a razor-thin two-point margin.

It was a proper changing of the guard, ending Verstappen’s absolute stranglehold on the sport that lasted a whopping 1,457 days. Now, Norris is ready to make sure everyone on the grid knows exactly who’s on top.

1. Why Norris is Making the Switch

For years, the number four has been synonymous with Lando’s brand (LN4 merch, anyone?). But when you dethrone a titan like Verstappen, tradition calls. Norris told Sky Sports News that the decision wasn’t just about his ego—it was about the team back in Woking. “It’s tradition. It’s there for a reason,” Norris explained. “It’s there because you can go and try to grab it, and you can work hard to try and get it.” He went on to say that seeing the number one on the car isn’t just a flex for him; it’s a badge of honor for every mechanic, engineer, and strategist who poured blood, sweat, and caffeine into the car. “It’s not as cool when you say ‘we are number four,’ so they will be even happier than I am!” he joked. And honestly, he’s got a point. “We’re number one” just hits different.

2. The End of the Red Bull-Mercedes Duopoly

Let’s take a second to appreciate how massive this actually is. Before Norris took the crown, F1 had been stuck in a loop where every single champion for 5,505 days drove for either Red Bull or Mercedes. You have to go all the way back to Jenson Button’s fairytale run with Brawn GP in 2009 to find an outlier. Norris breaking that cycle is enormous for the sport. It proves you don’t need a Silver Arrow or a charging bull on your livery to win. You just need papaya orange, and a driver who refuses to quit. Norris is also the only driver in history to win his first title after starting more than 150 races with the same team. That’s loyalty paying off in the best way possible.

3. What Happens to Verstappen’s Number?

With the number one gone, Max Verstappen finds himself in an identity crisis for 2026. Before he started dominating, he ran with number 33. Logic suggests he’ll go back to that, but the Dutchman has previously hinted he’d love to use number three—his old favorite. Here’s the kicker, though: the number three was last used by Daniel Ricciardo. FIA rules state that a driver must be out of the sport for two full years before their number is returned to the pool. Unless the FIA decides to bend the rules for a three-time champ (which, let’s be real, is always a possibility in F1), Max might be stuck with the double-three a little longer. While Lewis Hamilton famously stuck with 44 even after his seven titles, Norris is taking the traditional route. And why shouldn’t he? He’s earned it.

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