Lando Norris Admits 'Surreal' Moment with Championship Number One on McLaren
The British driver Lando Norris has described the experience of seeing the number one tag on his McLaren car as "surreal" as he commenced preparations for the 2026 Formula 1 season this week. Norris, who clinched his maiden world championship in December 2025, returned to the track for the first time since his historic victory, taking the wheel of McLaren's MCL40 during private testing in Barcelona.
First Track Appearance Since Championship Glory
On Wednesday, Norris completed 77 laps and set the third-fastest time of the day during the shakedown event. Under Formula 1 regulations, the reigning world champion has the privilege of choosing the number one for their car the following season, and Norris opted to display the prestigious numeral on his vehicle.
"It was just nice to be back, nice to see a number one on my car - pretty surreal still," Norris revealed. "I saw it on the timing screen, I still find it just unbelievable. It's still a crazy thing to see. Now it's really the first time I get to see it on my suit, on the car, on timing screens, all of these things, and it looks good."
McLaren's Strategic Testing Approach
McLaren made a strategic decision to skip the initial two days of this week's private testing session to maximise development time for their 2026 car. The team, sporting a temporary black livery in Barcelona, has indicated there will be minimal updates to the vehicle before the season opener in Australia on 8 March.
Norris explained that Wednesday's running was primarily about familiarisation with the new package: "Today was really just a first understanding of the whole car, understanding just how it works really, going through the manual of everything. So a productive day, but it's one that's really about figuring stuff out, making sure things are working as they should."
Technical Adjustments and Performance Characteristics
The 2026-specification car presents several technical differences that Norris noted during his initial outing. "It's pretty different. It's a step slower in terms of cornering speeds. In terms of acceleration and straight-line speed, it probably feels quicker than it did last year, you get to 340, 350 [kph] quite a bit quicker than we did in previous years," he observed.
Norris added that the new power unit and battery systems require additional understanding: "But then you have a bit more to understand from the battery, the power unit, all of those things are in some ways more complicated and just different. And whenever something's different, it always takes a bit of time to figure out the best way to manage it."
Team Dynamics and Upcoming Schedule
McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri is scheduled to take over driving duties on Thursday, with both drivers set to share track time on Friday. The team will officially unveil their 2026 car livery in Bahrain on Monday, 9 February, just two days before the second pre-season test commences.
Reflecting on the collective effort behind the car's development, Norris acknowledged: "It's the first time that everyone gets to see the car in one piece, it's literally not been built until this morning. It's an incredible thing, nice to see it all come together, nice to see all the hard work that everyone does."
As Norris begins his title defence campaign, the psychological impact of carrying the number one continues to resonate with the British driver, marking a significant milestone in his Formula 1 career.
