Lando Norris reveals which driver is itching to succeed him as world champion: George Russell. The Mercedes driver has, since the shakedown in Barcelona, also been seen as the biggest contender for the 2026 title. The W17, the Silver Arrows‘ new car, made a particular impression on reliability. Norris can see why Russell is increasingly named as a future champion: “The fact that I won the title has made him even hungrier,” he revealed.
Lando Norris will, in 2026, appear on the grid for the first time as the reigning world champion, but the Brit is not the pre-season favourite for the title. Max Verstappen — the last driver to win four titles in a row — has not been handed that favourite role for the upcoming season either. Bookmakers currently view George Russell as the future world champion, based on Mercedes’ first kilometres during the shakedown in Barcelona.
Norris entered Formula 1 the same year as Russell, in 2019, and recently spoke with his countryman about the upcoming F1 season. “I recently spoke with George and Alex because we play padel together,” the McLaren driver told the media. “We all came into F1 at the same time and the fact that I won the title has made them even hungrier. Especially George, because he’s the bookies’ favourite. He’s actually itching at the moment and that’s great to see.”
‘A different mindset to Max’
The world title didn’t just fall into Norris’s lap in 2025; the Brit had to, among others, beat four-time champion Max Verstappen to lift the world championship. “I hope that winning the title earns me a bit more respect, because the people who have done that know what it takes,” Norris continued. “It’s pretty clear that I have a different mentality and approach to Max, for better or worse.”
Even as the newly crowned world champion, Norris still sees plenty of room to improve as a driver. “When you’re fighting these guys, you have to be nearly perfect. There are still a lot of things I want to work on and get better at.” The McLaren driver also shows no shortage of motivation. “Winning the title has certainly not taken away my ambition or desire to do it again. On the contrary, I hugely enjoyed last year and of course I want to do it again. I’m going into this season with the same ambition and motivation as last year: trying to win.”
