Norris drops an F‑bomb, Ben Sulayem lets it slide, and McLaren hint at no-favorites policy for 2026
Lando Norris collected the biggest piece of silverware in motorsport on Friday night and promptly reminded everyone he’s still very much Lando Norris. Fresh off McLaren’s title double, the new world champion stepped up at the FIA prize-giving gala in Uzbekistan, thanked the team, admitted to a few “mistakes and f**k ups,” and flashed a grin as the room laughed along.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem did too. He joked he “almost” slapped Norris with a €5,000 fine for the choice of language — a cheeky nod to the federation’s much-debated swearing clampdown rolled out at the start of 2025 — before waving the idea away. No harm, no foul, just a newly crowned champion speaking freely on the biggest night of his career, partner Margarida Corceiro beaming alongside him for the photos.
It was a night for McLaren to exhale. The team not only secured its first drivers’ and constructors’ titles since 1998, it wrapped the teams’ crown with six races still to run. And CEO Zak Brown sounded in no mood to mess with the formula. The Woking outfit operated this season under what’s become known internally as the “papaya rules” — total fairness between Norris and Oscar Piastri, no calls to favor one car even when the points gap swelled. Brown has now all but confirmed that ethos will carry into 2026. In other words: same colors, same trust, same leash for both drivers.
That clarity will matter, because 2026 is already rearranging the grid.
Isack Hadjar, promoted to the senior Red Bull squad after a rookie season that turned heads, isn’t kidding himself about the job at hand. His survival plan? Accept that Max Verstappen is quicker — and use that reality to learn, not drown. It’s a disarmingly pragmatic take from Red Bull’s newest recruit and a stark reminder of the role’s demands. In the Verstappen era, the second seat hasn’t been a place for illusions. The list of very good drivers who’ve tried to live with him is long; the bar remains Everest-high.
Elsewhere in the Red Bull orbit, Liam Lawson can finally breathe a little. After a turbulent start to 2025 — up to the senior team, then back down after just two races — he steadied himself at Racing Bulls and has now been retained for 2026. “A bit of a relief” was how he put it, and you believe him. The New Zealander will line up next to Arvid Lindblad next season, giving the Faenza squad an intriguing blend of hard-earned lessons and raw speed.
Verstappen, meanwhile, didn’t make the gala. Under the weather and told by doctors not to travel, the four-time world champion sent in a video message with “big congratulations” for Norris and McLaren. It was a gracious nod from the man who’s rewritten the sport’s modern baseline — and a quiet reminder that he’ll be back to try and take it all off them again when the lights go out in March.
For now, though, this was McLaren’s evening. A champion who swears a little, a team that doesn’t play favorites, and a paddock already drawing battle lines for 2026. Norris left with his trophy, a smile, and the sense that the next fight is coming fast. But that’s fine. After this season, he knows exactly how to enjoy the moment — and how to get back to work.
