MCLAREN’S NEW HIERARCHY: HOW LANDO NORRIS’S TITLE CHANGES THE TEAM’S 2026 DYNAMIC FOREVER
Lando Norris clinches the 2025 F1 title by two points! Explore Damon Hill’s Schumacher comparison and the 2026 McLaren rivalry.
Lando Norris finally did it—last year at Abu Dhabi, he joined the rare club of Formula 1 world champions. It wasn’t an easy ride, either. Even though McLaren’s car was quick, Norris and the team had to grind for every point, just barely edging out Max Verstappen by two points for the 2025 title.
For a while, it even looked like Oscar Piastri had the edge. He was leading the charge in the standings through the middle of the season, but then Norris found another gear and pulled ahead down the stretch.
So now, everyone’s wondering—can Norris defend his title? And what about Piastri? If McLaren nails the new rules, does he come back even stronger? It really depends on how the car shapes up next year.
Norris proved a lot of people—including himself—wrong by taking the championship. Damon Hill sees something special in him, too. Hill even compared Norris’s drive and focus to Michael Schumacher’s. No, he doesn’t think Norris will rack up seven titles like Schumacher, but he sees that same unshakeable determination.
Chatting on the Stay on Track Podcast, Hill said, “He’s done it now. That takes the pressure off a bit. But it also comes down to how badly you want to keep winning. Look at Schumacher—he could’ve stopped at four or five, but he just kept going. Some people just keep pushing for more. I really think Lando’s got three or four titles in him.”
Hill didn’t count out Piastri, either. “Oscar didn’t exactly underperform. Sure, he had some rough patches, but he’ll spend the offseason figuring out how to iron those out. He’ll come back more determined, and that’s only going to make the team stronger—but also more competitive inside McLaren. Oscar’s not going to just let Lando walk away with it again.”
There’s another layer to all this, too: the relationship between Norris and Piastri. McLaren’s team dynamics are under the microscope, especially after some late-season decisions rubbed Piastri’s side the wrong way.
Hill talked about how being a world champion changes things. “The team trusts both drivers, but once you’ve won a title, you get a little more sway. Suddenly, everyone listens a bit more closely. You’ve got that world champion aura. Sometimes it’s deserved, sometimes it’s not—I didn’t suddenly know everything after winning. But your mindset shifts, and that influences the people around you. Leadership becomes a bigger part of your role.”
Both Norris and Piastri have a reputation for putting in the work—long hours, tons of data, always looking for an edge. But if McLaren starts to lean more on Norris’s feedback, Piastri could find himself fighting to keep up, not just on track, but inside the team.
Team boss Andrea Stella knows he can’t overlook Piastri. If he does, Piastri could easily become the hottest free agent heading into 2027. McLaren’s got a serious balancing act on their hands.
INSIDE THE COMMENTS: WHY MAGUI CORCEIRO IS STILL TROLLING LANDO NORRIS’ INSTAGRAM TODAY
Is Lando Norris single? Read about Magui Corceiro’s viral Instagram comment and the video leak that confirmed their F1 breakup.
Lando Norris’ ex-girlfriend, Magui Corceiro, just made her first public move since their breakup. She popped up in the comments on his latest Instagram post, throwing a little shade or maybe just having some fun. “Nice pjs, you're welcome,” she wrote under a photo of Norris bundled up in red tartan pants, sharing snaps from his snowy off-season break.
Their split made headlines last week. Norris, 26, and Corceiro, 23, have been on and off since 2023, but now it looks like they’re done for real. Just two months ago, everything seemed perfect; they were celebrating Norris’ first F1 world title together in Abu Dhabi. Now, Magui’s dropping playful comments on his posts, and the whole thing feels a world away from those happy days.
Rumours started flying when a video from Bahrain testing surfaced. In it, Carlos Sainz asked Norris, “Are you and Magui good?” Norris replied, “No, I’m a single man.” The audio wasn’t crystal clear, but that was enough to set tongues wagging. F1 correspondent Kym Illman later confirmed the breakup, telling his Instagram followers, “It’s definitely true.”
There’d already been signs that things were cooling off. After Norris’ big win last season, the couple drifted apart. At a celebratory party in Bahrain, everyone important to Norris was there except Magui. That stood out.
Back in December, Corceiro was emotional after watching Norris clinch the championship. She later told TV Guia, “There’s no rule for going public... I’m very happy, he’s very happy, and that’s what matters.” She joined in the victory celebrations with Norris’ family and the McLaren crew, partying until sunrise and reportedly racking up a massive bar tab.
Corceiro, who’s from Santarem, Portugal, is more than just Norris’ ex. She’s an actress, model, and social media star with a huge following of 800,000 fans on TikTok alone. She’s appeared in Portuguese dramas, featured in campaigns for brands like Intimissimi and Alo Yoga, and even competed on Portugal’s Dancing with the Stars. She co-founded an eco-friendly swimwear brand, Missus, and has graced Vogue Portugal’s pages.
Their relationship was always in the spotlight. Norris once told Vogue about Magui, saying, “She’s someone I can very much be myself with. Very down to earth, and she lives quite a crazy life as well. It’s nice when we can both just rent a boat for the day or go home together and chill.” He joked about trying to get her into golf; she hates it.
Now, though, it looks like they’ve called it quits. Neither of them has made an official announcement, but judging by the recent social media moves and all the talk in the paddock, it’s pretty clear they’ve gone their separate ways.
BETTER THAN RB? WHY ISACK HADJAR FEELS MORE COMFORTABLE IN THE SENIOR RED BULL GARAGE
F1 news: Isack Hadjar speaks. Get the report on his transition to the senior team and why the 2026 rules suit his driving style.
The young Frenchman kept things pretty quiet over the winter, but early on, you can tell he’s settling in well inside one of Formula 1’s most high-pressure garages.
“I’m someone who really enjoys hard work, so I feel more comfortable here,” Hadjar said. “Honestly, I’m really happy working with people this committed to winning. I’m glad to be here. I feel lucky.”
He says everything’s running smoothly.
Hadjar even dropped a hint that he feels more at home at Red Bull than he did with Racing Bulls.
Most importantly, he says his relationship with reigning champ Max Verstappen is off to a good start.
“Max doesn’t hide anything,” he told Auto Hebdo. “He shares all the data and answers every question I have. And since he’s always so fast, I can actually compare our data.”
He also pointed out that Verstappen’s feedback always matches what shows up in the telemetry.
“He’s honest,” Hadjar said. “It matters to me that what a driver says lines up with the data. That really helps me improve.”
And it’s not just Hadjar who feels good about the fit. Two of Verstappen’s old teammates, Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez, have both thrown their support behind Hadjar.
“I think Isack’s quick, and the rule changes in 2026 are good for him. "It's a fresh start for everyone,” Albon said. “From what I’ve seen, he looks comfortable in the car. He’s got a lot to learn, especially with Max as his teammate, but I think he’ll do just fine.”
Perez agrees the timing’s right.
“He’s ready for Red Bull,” the Mexican said. “With all these regulation changes, and with his talent, if he keeps his cool this year, he’ll have a long, successful F1 career.”
“Being Max’s teammate at Red Bull, in such a strong team, that’s a huge opportunity.”
Hadjar’s keeping it real about the team’s current pace.
“We’re not the fastest; that’s just the truth,” he admitted. Right now, he puts Red Bull as the fourth-strongest team heading into Melbourne. Even finishing eighth wouldn’t feel like a setback; it’d just be a realistic place to start.
He says Ferrari looks especially strong, with Mercedes and McLaren not far behind.
Still, Hadjar’s staying positive.
“Our reliability is solid, and our race pace looks good,” he said. “At least early in the season, I expect we’ll be more competitive in the races than in qualifying.”