McLaren driver Lando Norris won the 2025 Formula 1 world championship after beating Max Verstappen by two points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and has now confirmed his plans for next year.
Lando Norris has announced that he will sport the number one on his McLaren next year. The British driver has earned the privilege by outpacing Max Verstappen to clinch the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ title. His third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday ensured he ended the season two points ahead of his Red Bull adversary.
Norris has now confirmed that he will abandon his number four, which had become part of his personal brand, for the 2026 campaign and adopt the number one which Verstappen has sported since the beginning of the 2022 season. Speaking to Sky Sports News, he said: “It’s tradition. It’s there for a reason. It’s there because you can go and try grab it and you can work hard to try and get it.
In this video, we analyze Max Verstappen’s shocking post-race statement after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the world champion dropped a bombshell about McLaren and Lando Norris, causing a huge stir in the paddock. Verstappen spoke candidly about strategic decisions, race pace, and the Woking team’s behavior, which he believes completely changed the course of the Grand Prix. His words not only surprised fans but also rival teams, as they directly targeted McLaren’s handling of the battle with Red Bull and Norris’s performance in the closing laps.
This analysis delves into exactly what Verstappen said, why his statements had such an impact, how McLaren responded, and what implications this media clash might have on the rivalry between Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri for the upcoming season.
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