Many people doubted whether Lando Norris could secure his maiden Formula 1 Drivers' Championship last year. However, despite Oscar Piastri's once-dominant lead in the standings and Max Verstappen's sensational comeback, the British driver overcame the odds and won the title.
When all was said and done, he may have only beaten Verstappen by 2 points, but that isn't what the history books will ultimately remember, and Norris proved himself a deserving winner.
With so much chatter surrounding potential Mercedes dominance in the 2026 F1 season, it's unclear whether McLaren's time at the top is over (especially in the midst of sweeping new regulation changes). So, where does that leave Norris?
Some on the grid fight for multiple Drivers' Championships, while others are content to achieve their childhood dreams by winning once. For Norris, he's achieved what he set out to do as an F1 driver, but that doesn't mean he'll be resting on his laurels moving forward.
"It's absolutely the goal. Yes, it's absolutely, absolutely the goal," he said at the 2026 Autosport Awards when asked if he's out to win a second Championship. "Certainly, winning one gives you a lot more confidence. It's different for everyone, right? You've got to find your own way of doing things, and you have people with more confidence, people with less."
"I've never been the one to have the most confidence in myself. I certainly have more of it now, that's for sure. I've always been a seeing-is-believing kind of guy, but that's even for myself," Norris continued. "So I've always had to see myself on the top step, see myself winning to finally believe that I can do it. But certainly last year, I managed to realise that before I achieved it."
"Already halfway through the season, I felt like I had everything I needed. The people around me, the team, the car, and my own ability to go out and win the championship," the Briton noted. "So that first time I really had the belief in myself was last year, and it turned out to be the correct thing to have. So, that was the beautiful thing, too."
Mercedes driver George Russell is currently the odds-on favourite to win his first Drivers' Championship, while much has also been said about what Verstappen can do with Red Bull's new Ford engine. Throw Ferrari into the mix, and 2026 could be the most competitive year in some time.
You can hear more from Norris in the Instagram post below.