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.

Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi—two giants, both with seven world titles—really stand out as all-time legends in their sports.

Hamilton’s numbers in Formula 1 are unmatched. Most wins, most podiums, most poles. Seven championships, tying Michael Schumacher for the top spot. He grabbed his first title with McLaren back in 2008, then switched to Mercedes in 2013 and racked up six more between 2014 and 2020. He’s firmly among the sport’s best. But things could’ve gone another way.

Chatting with Rossi on Sky Sports, Hamilton admitted he actually wanted to race motocross bikes, but his dad shut that dream down. Still, he’s always admired MotoGP—and Rossi especially.

Rossi joined the top class in 2000 after bagging the 125cc and 250cc titles. He went on a tear, winning five straight championships from 2001 to 2005 with Honda and Yamaha. In 2008 and 2009, he won back-to-back titles with Yamaha again, cementing his place as one of MotoGP’s all-time greats. Like every career, though, his eventually wrapped up—he called it quits in 2021.

Hamilton felt the loss. After Rossi’s rocky stint at Ducati, he returned to Yamaha and went toe-to-toe with Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo for more championships, finishing runner-up three times and third once before he retired at the end of 2021.

Not long before that, Hamilton and Rossi actually swapped machines—Hamilton tried Rossi’s Yamaha MotoGP bike, and Rossi got behind the wheel of Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 car. At the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Hamilton spoke about Rossi’s retirement:

“It’s sad to see him stop, but his drive, his approach, just everything he’s done has been incredible,” Hamilton said. “The passion he’s shown all these years really stands out. He’s such a legend—maybe the greatest ever. It’ll be strange not watching him race and doing his thing, but it’s a great moment for him, too, with his family starting to grow. I’m grateful I got to share that amazing day with him on track. I’ll never forget it.”

Hamilton’s love for MotoGP hasn’t faded. He’s even been linked to buying a team. Rumour had it he was interested in the Ducati satellite team Gresini, but they turned him down. There was talk about KTM, too, as they searched for investors for the 2025 season.

With Liberty Media buying MotoGP from Dorna, it’s no wonder more F1 names are sniffing around the paddock. Max Verstappen’s name has come up, and Guenther Steiner already runs KTM Tech3. The worlds of F1 and MotoGP keep getting closer.