Let’s start again 2026 has just begun, there still haven’t been the first tests of this new era of Formula 1, yet somehow the new year has begun as the old one ended: the challenge between McLaren and Red Bull always seems to dominate. During the night in Detroit the Austrian team presented with great fanfare the new livery that will be shown off this season – and that Max Verstappen will try to bring to victory – thus celebrating the new and highly anticipated partnership with Ford. A few hours later, McLaren’s social ‘reply’ arrived, directly from the Woking MCT, with a video published on the team’s channels. The protagonist is the reigning world champion, Lando Norris, who just 40 days ago in Abu Dhabi celebrated the conquest of his first career title, won with a two-point margin over Verstappen. No reference to his rivals from the new #1 of the Circus, but the timing of the video’s release has a bit of a back-and-forth flavor.
https://twitter.com/McLarenF1/status/2012166139409817777
Norris’s first words “Hello everyone, welcome back. This is my first video I record in 2026, but today is already my second day [di lavoro]not the first. Yesterday it all started again – said Norris in his video message to the fans – and it doesn’t seem like long ago since I spoke to you in Abu Dhabi. I’m excited. It’s a completely new season. You have to forget almost everything. Most things will need to be thrown out the window [che sappiamo] Why [questo] it’s a new beginning, a clean, white sheet of paper for everyone.” Norris then revealed that he was already ‘operational’ having spent two days working on the simulator: “Today I was on the simulator and yesterday too – revealed the Englishman – there are many new things, new questions, new challenges, new details and things that I have to memorize. We are doing our best to make sure we are as prepared as possible. We will have the tests already at the end of the month, so time flies.” The new (for now) long-distance challenge with Verstappen seems to have already begun.
