Formula 1 News: Norris ‘not Max’ as McLaren refine ‘papaya rules’

(GMM) Lando Norris (pictured) says he heads into the new season more relaxed and confident than ever, insisting self-belief – not swagger – has been the biggest change after finally proving to himself that he can win at the top level.

The McLaren driver, now running the number 1 on his car after a breakthrough campaign, has long been open about his self-doubt and questions over his mental toughness. But Norris says that changed the moment results began to arrive.

“Did I think I could be on pole for the first time or win a race?” Norris said. “When I did it, I thought, ‘Ah, I can do it.’ That’s just how I thought and believed, for whatever reason.”

He admits the past year marked a major step forward psychologically.

“I’ve definitely improved in many areas – mental preparation, mental state, dealing with good and bad times,” Norris said. “But I have to find my own way. I can’t just copy what others have done in the past. I need to understand what motivates me.”

Norris is also candid about not sharing the same mindset as serial champions like Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton.

“It’s pretty clear I have a different mentality and a different approach than Max,” Norris said at the McLaren Technology Centre. “Whether that’s good or bad, you can judge for yourself. There are many things I admire about him, and I wish I had a bit more of them here and there.

“When you’re competing against these guys, you have to be almost perfect.”

Asked whether a single world title would satisfy him, Norris rejected the idea that his ambition stops there.

“I’m not Max or Lewis – six (titles) on one side and three on the other,” he smiled. “And I don’t have their mentality. Is that a good thing or not? You decide. But I want more titles. I’m not stopping here.”

On the 2026 picture, Norris played down favorite status, suggesting Mercedes’ George Russell currently leads the bookmakers’ lists.

“But I’m with a team that’s won the last two world championships,” Norris added. “So I’m not lacking confidence that we’ll be strong. Whether it’s first, second, third or fourth, I have no idea. I’ve learned not to have expectations – they just create stress for no reason.”

Alongside Norris, Oscar Piastri has also emerged from a quiet winter, addressing lingering debate over McLaren’s much-criticized ‘papaya rules’ after a tense 2025 season.

“We’ve learned some lessons,” Piastri said. “Some things went well, but there were also some tough moments. Both I personally and the team need to figure out how to handle those situations better.”

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has already confirmed that the internal rules governing wheel-to-wheel racing will be adjusted for 2026, a move Piastri supports.

“Streamlining the rules is a wise decision,” the Australian said. “We created some unnecessary headaches for ourselves. The principle brings many positives – now it’s about fine-tuning it.”

Despite criticism from some fans who believe the system favored Norris, Piastri insists he was never disadvantaged.

“I had my fair chance,” he said. “That shouldn’t change. It doesn’t mean everything went perfectly, but there were never any ill intentions. I never doubted the team’s good faith.”

Piastri accepts that perfection is impossible in Formula 1.

“You can’t make the right decision every time, and you can’t make everyone happy,” he said. “That’s the nature of F1 – a team sport where, in the end, the prize goes to an individual.”