What Lando Norris must do to overtake Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna to secure McLaren podium record

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Lando Norris joined an elite club in Formula 1 by winning the world championship with McLaren.

The 25-year-old joins the likes of Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Lewis Hamilton to have won a title with the Woking outfit. In fact, Norris is the first McLaren champion since Hamilton claimed his maiden crown in 2008.

Jacques Villeneuve says Norris became a ‘true winner’ in 2025 as he fought Max Verstappen and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri for the championship. Sitting 34 points back after the Dutch GP, he produced an impressive comeback to win the title by just two points.

What was your favourite moment from Lando Norris’ 2025 F1 title-winning season?

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Norris’ family noticed a change in his demeanour after he won the British GP in July. He took a new approach, focusing less on the pressure around him and the media, which paid dividends as he won two races and claimed six podiums after his DNF in Zandvoort.

After winning the 2025 title, the Brit is now among some of the greats in the sport, and in 2026, he could break an all-time McLaren record.

Lando Norris needs 20 podiums in 2026 to break Alain Prost’s all-time McLaren record

Scoring 18 podiums in 2025, Norris is now on 44 total podiums in his career. He finds himself sixth in the rankings of all-time podiums scored by McLaren drivers.

He sits just five away from Hamilton (49) and another two away from David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen (51). Senna is second on the list with 55 podiums for McLaren, with his former teammate and arch-rival Prost taking the top spot.

Where do you think Lando Norris will rank among McLaren’s greatest drivers when he retires?

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The Frenchman grabbed 63 podiums in his time in Woking, winning three titles in 1985, 1986 and 1989. Prost has stood at the top of the all-time podium list at McLaren since leaving the team after winning his third title, but he could be dethroned in 2026.

With there being 24 races on the F1 calendar next year, Norris can break Prost’s record if he is on the podium 20 times in 2026. It is a huge mountain to climb, but not entirely impossible, given McLaren’s dominance over the field and Norris scoring 18 podiums in 2025.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

Does Lando Norris have what it takes to win another F1 championship?

The Brit certainly proved his talent in 2025. However, Robert Doornbos thinks Norris’ title win should have been easier, as he allowed Verstappen back into the fight and within two points of him in an inferior car.

The Dutchman claimed that he would have won the title in the McLaren with races to spare, and with his performances in 2025, it is hard to argue against that.

Ironically, Prost thinks Norris lacks Verstappen’s ‘grit’ after winning the championship. He did just enough to win in 2025, but it could well have been his only chance to do so.

The 2026 F1 regulations present a whole new challenge for drivers and teams, but with the noise surrounding Mercedes’ power unit, McLaren could still be the dominant force. Norris could have the tools to win another title, but it is a question of whether he can keep his rivals behind him.