"UNBEATABLE?" LANDO NORRIS OPENS UP ABOUT MAX VERSTAPPEN AND THE MISTAKES THAT COST MCLAREN
Lando Norris is the 2025 F1 World Champion! Explore the final standings, McLaren’s dominance, and the 2-point gap to Max Verstappen.
In 2025, Lando Norris silenced his critics by outperforming Oscar Piastri and holding off Max Verstappen to grab the world championship.
A great second half of the season allowed the British driver to overtake his McLaren teammate and snag the title by just two points over Verstappen.
Norris himself isn't ready to say he's the best in Formula 1, even after winning the championship in 2025.
He said, “I don’t like comparing myself to others.
“I just try my best each weekend. You can decide who is better or who has a worse car, but is still doing well—it’s up to you.”
Norris had a top-notch McLaren MCL39, but that advantage lessened as the year went on.
Starting in Azerbaijan, Verstappen and Red Bull became big threats, and Piastri led the title race for a good part of the year.
In the end, Norris found a way to get the most out of his car consistently.
This helped him catch Piastri, take the points lead from the Australian, and minimise the damage from Verstappen when he was at his best.
Norris admitted, “I think I drove better than some others at times.
“I drove at a level that I don’t think others can reach.
“But I’ve also made mistakes, maybe more than others sometimes.
“Could Max do things better than I sometimes? Yes. Do I think he’s unbeatable? No. But you never really know, do you?
McLaren seemed in control of both championships when F1 came back from its summer break in late August.
But at the Italian Grand Prix, Red Bull found something that made their RB21 much faster, causing issues for McLaren.
McLaren clinched the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore, but Norris didn’t secure his title until Abu Dhabi.
It was a tight race, partly because McLaren let its drivers compete against each other, which cost them points.
Luckily for them, Red Bull struggled to reach its full potential before Monza.
This all led to a showdown, with Norris doing just enough to win.
Lando Norris vs. Oscar Piastri: Final head-to-head standings
Norris said, “They also had problems with their car in the middle of the season.
“They had an amazing second half and took advantage of us fighting for the title.
“Max really used that to his advantage and drove like a four-time champion.
“I’m happy I got to race against him and try to prove myself.
“Write whatever you want about him, me, or anyone else…
“I’m not trying to prove I’m better than anyone.
“I don’t care if every story asks, 'Is he better than him?' or 'Is Oscar better?' It doesn’t matter.
“I did what I needed to do to win the championship. That’s it, and I made my people happy.
“That’s all that matters to me.”
This shows a change in Norris, who used to be seen as too emotional to become a champion.
Now, he's emerged as the best driver, no matter what others think.
He added, “I’m proud that I won it my way, by being myself.
“I didn’t try to be as aggressive as Max or as forceful as other champions. I’m happy; I won it Lando’s way, as Andrea [Stella] says. That makes me happy.”
The confidence he needed was there in the end. The Norris who finished the 2025 season as champion was a different person from the one who started the year winning in Australia.
He was more thoughtful, sure of himself, and comfortable. He was the best version of himself, and that's what mattered most.
LANDO NORRIS SINGLE: F1 CHAMPION CONFIRMS SPLIT FROM MAGUI CORCEIRO IN LEAKED VIDEO
F1 heartbreak: Analyse Lando Norris's split from Magui Corceiro, the "single man" leak, and their on-off relationship history.
Looks like Formula One world champion Lando Norris and his supermodel girlfriend, Magui Corceiro, have split up. The two started dating in 2023 and had a pretty on-and-off thing. She was right there with him when he won the title in Abu Dhabi – definitely an emotional night for both of them.
But now, it seems like it’s over. According to the Sun, a TikTok video caught Norris telling Carlos Sainz Jr that he’s “a single man". The audio’s not great, but you can hear Sainz asking if he and Magui are okay, and Lando just says, “No,” then adds that he’s single. This happened during pre-season testing in Bahrain while the drivers were getting their photos taken.
Magui, who’s also an actress from Portugal, used to date footballer Joao Felix before Lando. She and Norris broke up in 2024 and got back together, but it looks like they’ve called it quits again. People close to them say there’ve been signs for a while; things changed after Lando’s big championship win. The most obvious clue? Magui wasn’t at Lando’s big thank-you party in Bahrain, even though everyone else was there. Naturally, that got people talking.
Back in December, Magui broke down in tears after Norris won the world championship. She gave an interview to TV Guia, saying how happy they both were and how, in that moment, she forgot about the cameras. It all seemed pretty solid then.
Magui’s got a huge social following – around 800,000 fans on TikTok – and she’s done everything from acting in Portuguese dramas to modelling for brands like Intimissimi and Alo Yoga. She was even on Portugal’s Dancing with the Stars in 2020 and co-founded the eco swimwear brand Missus. She’s graced Vogue Portugal, too.
Norris himself talked about Magui in Vogue, saying they met a few years ago but only got together more recently. He called her “down to earth” and said he can just be himself around her. Apparently, he kept trying to get her into golf, but she hated it.
Neither of them has officially announced the breakup, but at this point, it looks like they’ve gone their separate ways.
DISASTER WARNING: OSCAR PIASTRI FEARS 2026 RACE STARTS COULD LEAD TO MULTI-CAR GRID ACCIDENTS
Oscar Piastri warns of chaos at the 2026 start! Discover why the new rules are a "recipe for disaster" and how McLaren found "warp speed."
Oscar Piastri thinks there’s a lot of luck involved in getting a good start these days. Pre-season testing in Bahrain really made it clear that these new 2026 F1 rules have turned race starts into a much bigger headache.
He’s spoken up about this before, especially since so many teams and drivers are running into fresh problems under the new regs. The big one? F1 dropped the MGU-H from the engine formula, and suddenly, starts just aren’t as smooth. It’s a mess.
After last week’s first official test in Bahrain, Piastri didn’t sugarcoat it. He called the 2026 start a “recipe for disaster” because of how wildly different every driver’s launch is. Even the FIA and F1 noticed, so they decided to test out a longer starting procedure during the second test.
Here’s what they did: during the second test, they delayed the starting lights, giving drivers more time to spool up their turbos. Ferrari’s 2026 engine features a smaller turbo, allowing its drivers to maintain lower revs for longer periods. Others? They’re sitting there for up to ten seconds, just waiting.
Piastri says the new procedures and the extra week of testing in Bahrain helped a bit; things aren’t quite as all over the place now. But he’s honest: there’s still a ton of luck involved if you want to get a clean launch and avoid turbo lag or wheelspin.
Holding high revs to prime the turbo, now that the MGU-H is gone, is just one of the traps drivers can fall into. Piastri figures it’s going to take a while before all 22 drivers on the grid are nailing their starts every time.
He summed it up at the press conference in Bahrain: “Mine yesterday wasn’t so bad. I was last, but I also overtook four cars. There’s still a lot of luck involved, and we’re learning what makes a good start and what makes a bad one.
“There are a few pitfalls you can run into that cause problems. Managing the energy and the whole procedure – that’s one thing.
“The way we start is just totally different from last year. It’s trickier across the board. Some drivers are handling it; some just aren’t.”
On the other hand, McLaren looked like they were getting the hang of it by the last day of testing. Jolyon Palmer, watching from the sidelines, was impressed by Piastri’s practice start but even more blown away by Lando Norris.
Palmer thought McLaren had cracked the code. On Friday, Piastri shot off the line in the morning, but Norris outdid everyone in the final session. Palmer joked that Norris hit “warp speed".
He said on the F1 broadcast, “Warp speed, see you mate! That’s a brilliant start from Lando. McLaren is there. I’ve seen it all day. Oscar got a great start. In the pit lane, it looks good.
“I’d love to see that next to the Ferrari, honestly, because it’s really impressive. Their start is much better than Red Bull’s. I’d say it’s even better than Mercedes.”