Norris begins F1 title defence insisting McLaren still approaches season as hunters

Lando Norris begins his Formula 1 title defence with a familiar mindset — still the hunter rather than the hunted.

This season Norris’ McLaren bears the number ‘1’ after the Briton held off Max Verstappen to win the 2025 title by two points.

Lando Norris says McLaren still has ‘hunter’ mentality despite F1 title defence

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It was a notable turnaround for the Woking team as McLaren finished the first season of the ground-effect aerodynamic era sixth in the championship with a solitary podium.

But after clawing back performance against Red Bull, McLaren beat the Milton Keynes team to the 2024 Constructors’ title before adding the Drivers’ to its tally last year.

This season, though, Formula 1’s regulations have been reset with new technical and power unit regulations in play.

The cars are smaller, lighter and incorporate active aerodynamics, while the engines are powered by a 50/50 split between combustion and electrical power.

Everyone is starting from scratch.

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McLaren was, based on a glance at the testing timesheets, third or fourth fastest with Mercedes and Ferrari leading the way.

Norris, though, is confident his team is not on the back foot.

“I have good confidence in the team no matter what,” he told PlanetF1.com and other media in Melbourne. “I don’t think we’re starting on the back foot. Even if you’re second, third or fourth, quickest, I don’t think that’s on the back foot.

“I think that’s a very good position to start it. And I think in previous years, where it’s been harder to improve over the course of a season, we’ve certainly proved that you could.”

The 26-year-old heads into the new season determined to retain the World title, adamant he wants more race wins and championships.

“I’m still just as hungry,” he said. “I think it made me want it more, in a way.

“You get that feeling, the same as when you win one race, you want another one in a race. For me, it was the same feeling with the championship, that one is amazing, but then you definitely want to achieve two.

“At the minute, I would still find it impossible to ever want to go out on track and not want to do everything I can to try and win. I’d feel embarrassed if that wasn’t to be the case.

“When that time comes, I’ll retire and I’ll leave Formula One, but until then, I’ll always do everything I can to win and certainly winning the championship last year made me want to achieve that even more this year.”

He also wants more from himself.

“We’ve been the hunter, let’s say, for many, many years. But honestly, I think when you get on track, you’re not either. You’re not either, you just go out and get the most out of your car, and I get the most out of me,” he said.

“You certainly don’t think, ‘Oh, I’m the hunter now’, and something changes.

“So I guess our mentality as a team is still always to feel like we’re the hunters and get the most out of ourselves. Focus on ourselves.

“That’s also the best mentality for myself, is to set the bar up here and never be happy, still to complain about myself and not be too happy with myself until I’ve achieved what I know I’m capable of achieving.

“So yeah, I’m still improving in as many areas as I can. I’m still going to come in and say I’m not happy with myself, I’ve done a bad job, if I’ve done a bad job.

“For me, I’ve always treated my own mentality as being the hunter, but I’m hunting to be the best version of myself, and I’ll continue to be that way.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

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