In a significant milestone for Formula 1, McLaren has unveiled its 2026 race car featuring the prestigious number 1, marking the first time the team has displayed the champion’s designation since 2010. Reigning world champion Lando Norris will carry the number throughout the upcoming season, symbolizing his triumphant 2025 campaign.
The British driver secured his maiden FIA Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship dramatically at the season finale in Abu Dhabi last December. Entering the race with a slender lead, Norris finished third behind race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, clinching the title by a margin of just two points over Verstappen.
This victory made Norris the 35th driver in F1 history to claim the world title and the first for McLaren since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
Norris’s path to glory in 2025 was marked by intense competition and remarkable consistency. The 26-year-old Briton amassed 423 points over the 24-race season, securing seven Grand Prix victories – matching the tally of his teammate Piastri.
Highlights included dominant wins in Australia, Austria, and his home race at Silverstone, where he became the only driver to triumph on home soil that year.
Despite facing internal team dynamics and a mid-season deficit of 34 points, Norris mounted a late surge to overhaul both Verstappen and Piastri, demonstrating resilience that silenced earlier doubts about his championship mettle.
The return of the number 1 to McLaren evokes a storied legacy. The team last ran the designation in 2010 with Jenson Button, who defended his 2009 title after joining from Brawn GP.
Button’s season included a victory in China, the most recent win for a number 1 McLaren car until Norris’s achievements. Over the intervening years, McLaren has celebrated multiple constructors’ titles, including in 2024 and 2025, but the drivers’ crown had eluded them until Norris’s breakthrough.
This revival comes approximately 5,555 days after Button’s final outing with the number 1 at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 14, 2010. The extended drought underscores McLaren’s resurgence under team principal Andrea Stella, who has overseen back-to-back constructors’ championships and now a drivers’ title.
Norris expressed his elation upon securing the championship: “You’ve made a kid’s dream come true, thank you so much. I love you guys.”
As preparations for the 2026 season intensify, with pre-season testing scheduled for February in Bahrain, the Woking-based outfit aims to defend both titles amid anticipated challenges from rivals like Red Bull and Ferrari.
McLaren’s 2026 challenger, the MCL40, was recently spotted during shakedown testing, featuring the papaya orange livery and the prominent number 1 on Norris’s car.
The team confirmed Norris will retain the champion’s number, a tradition reserved for the defending titleholder, while Piastri continues with his personal number 81.
This development not only highlights Norris’s ascent to the pinnacle of motorsport but also reaffirms McLaren’s status as a powerhouse in Formula 1, blending heritage with modern success.
