Lando’s First Impressions of the 2026 Car: “It’s Got a 1 on It. You See It? You See the 1?”
Norris says car feels fast because it's labeled correctly
WOKING— When asked for his first impressions of McLaren’s 2026 car, Lando Norris was eager to share what he described as “the most important performance factor on the entire vehicle.”
“That,” Norris said, pointing aggressively at the nose. “You see that number 1? Right there. THAT’s how it feels.”
When pressed on the car’s overall balance under the new regulations, Norris nodded seemingly thoughtfully before answering. “Yeah, it’s balanced like a car with a number 1 on it,” he explained. “The number 1 is the MOST balanced number. It’s pure balance. Otherwise it’d be, like, an 81. Or a 3. But this is a 1. Very balanced.”
Journalists moved on to questions about the car’s aerodynamics, asking how the revised floor and new bodywork affected cornering. Norris gestured casually with a single arm toward the front of the car. “Cornering? Mate, look at the number. How do you think it corners? Ask me about the straights. Also a number 1.”
At one point, a reporter asked if the car had weaknesses remaining that needed to be addressed before the season opener. Norris took a moment, squinted at the reporter, then pointed his nose at the nose cone, and shook his head. “Weaknesses? No. If there were weaknesses, do you think it would say number 1 right there? No, it would probably have two digits. This is one digit. The best one digit. The strongest.”
After the session wrapped up, Norris was asked what fans should expect from McLaren in 2026. He smiled. “Just keep an eye on the front of the car. If you can read numbers, you’ll know what’s up, mate.”
He then sat next to the nose cone while raising his chin proudly but looking down at the number, almost pointing at it every time someone passed by.