2025-12-14 10:36:04
Lando Norris is hoping to race more against Lewis Hamilton during the 2026 F1 season.
The McLaren racer secured his maiden world title at last weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and is keen to test himself against his illustrious compatriot next year as the seven-time champion looks to bounce back from a difficult debut campaign at Ferrari.
Norris told Sky Sports News: “I would love to race a bit more with Lewis.
“Obviously, Ferrari struggled a lot more this year than I think everyone was expecting.
“Lewis has proved himself to be probably the best of all time. Everyone knows if anyone can bounce back from difficult years, it’s Mr. Hamilton, and I would love to race against him more.”
The British driver added: “It’s always a privilege that I get to race against someone that is the best in the world. You have got a good amount of those guys. You have Fernando (Alonso), Lewis, Max (Verstappen).
“There’s a lot of us that want to climb in the footsteps of these guys. George (Russell) and Oscar (Piastri) are two of these and there’s so many guys on the grid.”
A major rules reset means that the 2026 season could be very different but Norris is ready for the challenge of defending the title.
He said: “Next year, everyone’s got an opportunity. Everyone’s looking forward to it.
“People want to come to take my crown, and I want to try to retain it. And I look forward to that battle.”
However, Norris won’t get much time off to savour his title success before another gruelling campaign begins.
The 11-time Grand Prix winner said: “Work starts even earlier next year than it normally does, by almost three weeks, so a much shorter holiday.
“Just get out somewhere, enjoy some time away with my friends and family.
“And by the time I go, ‘This is nice’, we’re going to have to get back to training and get ready for next season, but I’m looking forward to some good days off that everyone deserves.”
Visit Bang Premier (main website)
