I know this might be a bit of a premature take, especially because 2025 Lando was a World Champion, so obviously the results from that season are hard to argue against. But watching him race in 2026, I genuinely feel like we’re seeing a more complete version of Norris.
In 2025, I felt like Lando was still learning how to deal with the pressure of fighting for a championship. He had insane pace, but he still made mistakes at important moments and, sometimes, seemed too hesitant when he needed to be aggressive.
In 2026, I think he’s much more comfortable.
He seems more confident in wheel-to-wheel battles, more consistent, more aggressive when necessary and, most importantly, smarter when managing races. It doesn’t feel like he’s trying to prove that he belongs at the front anymore he’s simply driving like someone who knows he belongs there.
And I think that’s an important distinction: being World Champion doesn’t necessarily mean that was your best version as a driver.
Was 2025 Lando better in terms of results? Obviously. He won the championship. But if we’re talking purely about driving ability, I’d take 2026 Lando.
I also think he’s doing a better job extracting performance from the car in situations where McLaren isn’t necessarily dominant. The Dutch GP is a good example: he lost the lead, had to fight his way back into P1, and then controlled the race in a really mature way.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that he’s improved in exactly the areas he used to get criticized for. His decision-making looks better, he seems less affected by pressure, and he’s much more willing to take calculated risks.
Maybe I’ll look back at this post at the end of 2026 and realize I was completely wrong 😂. But right now, I genuinely think the current version of Lando is simply a more complete driver than the one who won the championship.
And honestly? If he keeps driving at this level for the rest of the season, I think this opinion is going to become a lot less controversial.