Lando Norris
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Lando Norris is not ruling himself out of winning the 2026 Formula 1 championship despite a difficult start to the season.
The 2025 champion has managed to score just 25 points from the opening three races in 2026. Norris has finished no higher than fifth thus far as McLaren struggle to get to grips with the new regulations.
McLaren did not start the Chinese GP due to mechanical faults affecting the cars of Norris and Oscar Piastri. The latter recovered to finish second at Suzuka, and was unlucky not to win the race, while his teammate could only manage P5.
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Mercedes have dominated the 2026 season with three wins from three races and look almost a certainty to win the title. Meanwhile, their customer teams have been struggling to get the most out of the power unit.
Tensions arose between McLaren and Mercedes as the Woking outfit were unhappy with the information that the factory were providing about the engine. Now that the matter is resolved, the defending champions are hoping to get back into the mix.
Lando Norris says there is ‘no point’ ruling himself out of the 2026 F1 title picture
Fighting for the championship may seem out of the question already for Norris, but the Brit is refusing to rule himself out.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he says there is ‘no point’ ruling himself out after just three races and that McLaren are working hard to improve the MCL40.
Asked if it is too early to rule out a title challenge, Norris replied: “I mean, I would like to think so. Of course, we’ve come back from a lot worse in other seasons and still as a team went on to win a constructors’.
“So there’s no point ruling it out until that chance is gone. We’re still, what, only three, four races in. So yeah, we’re patient.
“We know we have some good things coming. But we have good competition and we know it’ll be tough no matter what. We just have to keep our heads down and keep focusing on ourselves. That’s all.”
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Is Lando Norris feeling the effects of his 2025 title win in 2026?
Norris is under a new kind of pressure in 2026 as he came into the season as the defending champion and with the No.1 on his car. Thus far, his and McLaren’s 2025 success has come at a cost.
Norris says McLaren are paying the price for winning both F1 championships last year. They put all their effort into claiming both crowns, and they are now on the back foot in 2026.
Is Lando Norris’ championship title defence already over?
Furthermore, Norris has looked ‘tired’ in the paddock after his title win. He revelled in being an F1 champion, but that could have hampered his preparations for the new season.
McLaren will look to make more progress when F1 returns for the Miami Grand Prix, but they have a lot of work to do to catch Mercedes.
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