McLaren doubt their one ‘excellent’ advantage is enough for Lando Norris to defend his F1 title

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McLaren racer Lando Norris will bid to become only the ninth driver in F1 history to win their first two titles back-to-back during the first season under the 2026 regulations.

Norris won the F1 drivers’ championship for the first time in 2025 by just two points over his friend and rival, Max Verstappen of Red Bull. But the 26-year-old also secured his first title at the 2025 Abu Dhabi season finale as F1 concluded the latest ground-effect era in December.

The 2026 season sees F1 introduce the biggest overhaul of the regulations to date, with new engine, chassis, aerodynamic and tyre rules all coming into force. McLaren even stopped the development of their 2025 car last July to prioritise their resources on F1’s 2026 regulations.

McLaren will continue to be an engine customer of Mercedes through 2030, which could be an advantage in 2026. Mercedes are widely expected to have the best 2026 F1 rules engine, yet McLaren do not consider themselves to be the favourite for either title in the 2026 term.

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McLaren doubt their data correlation makes Lando Norris the 2026 F1 title favourite

That is according to FunoAnalisiTecnica, which reports that McLaren do not view themselves as the favourite to win the 2026 constructors’ title or that Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri start the year as the favourites to fight for the drivers’ championship under the 2026 ruleset.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the 2026 F1 engine and aero regulations

McLaren believe they have one advantage in their quiver due to their established ‘excellent’ data correlation in recent years. The Woking team have proven to be superior to their rivals, which also helped the papaya crew win back-to-back constructors’ titles in 2024 and 2025.

Team principal Andrea Stella hopes that McLaren’s technical framework continues to pay off in 2026, as teams need to learn how the new engine and aero rules will affect racing. F1 has removed the expensive MGU-H from the engine, which will also have more electrical power.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will hope McLaren’s advantage makes them title threats

Prove us wrong: McLaren have the BEST driver line-up on the 2026 grid

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F1’s 2026 engine rules will challenge drivers, as they will have to manage their power supply even more than in recent years. F1 has increased the electrical power supply from the 20/80 split that favoured the internal combustion engine under the previous regulations to 50/50.

Drivers and teams must also learn how the introduction of active aerodynamics on the front and rear wings in 2026 will affect the races. F1 will designate set areas at every circuit where drivers can engage straight mode through a button on their steering wheels to reduce drag.

McLaren’s strength in data correlation and having a superior technical framework to some, if not all, of their rival teams could benefit Norris and Piastri, as the papaya outfit learn how to best optimise F1’s 2026 regulations and utilise Mercedes’ new engine to battle for the title.