Created by Gil de Ferran, the British built a close relationship with coach Abel Ferreira and Palmeiras
does not boast the unique characteristics that forged historical champions of the , but even so, in a season marked by controversies and fierce disputes, it overcame a competitive teammate and a four-time champion to win the world drivers’ championship and put an end to the hegemony of the last chapter of a failed aerodynamic regulation. Created by McLaren, he was mentored by Gil de Ferran, Brazilian driver, champion in IndyCar and who died after a sudden illness at the end of 2023. Norris dedicated his victory in the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix, at the Interlagos Circuit, to Gil. “I thought about him many times during the race,” said the Brit.
Norris’ relationship with Brazil doesn’t stop there. Every time he comes to the country he gets treats and shows his affection for the country. The Brit built a close relationship with the coach. “He’s an incredible guy, a great leader. I managed to get to know Abel a little better and, with that, my relationship with Palmeiras grew”, said the Brit, known for being hot. The two times he was at Allianz Parque, he saw the Alviverde club leave the field victorious.
This is Lando Norris’ seventh season in Formula 1. The Briton has gone through McLaren’s entire reconstruction cycle since the team hit rock bottom in 2017. In 2019, he took over the title and shared the pits with more experienced drivers.
Norris won his first victory in the category only in 2024, at the Miami GP. That season, he added three other victories and even shadowed Verstappen in the Drivers’ World Championship. But the results took the Woking team to the constructors’ title, a feat repeated in 2025 well in advance.
This year, the scenario was largely favorable to McLaren. And that was the problem. When choosing Oscar Piastri, 24 years old, to be Norris’ teammate in 2023, the team knew that it was bringing together two ambitious, young drivers with the potential to compete for victories and titles. With the best car on the grid in their hands, the two battled on and off the track to win the main trophy. Controversies, discussions and theories circulated around Formula 1 and soured the atmosphere between both
Since last season, McLaren has made its inability to deal with the relationship between the two drivers clear. He has accumulated disagreements since the 2024 Hungarian GP, when Norris insisted on returning the lead in the race to Piastri and tarnished what was the Australian’s first victory in Formula 1. In 2025, in Monza, a new controversial decision was made by guiding the reversal of positions between Norris and Piastri, harming the Australian, who was the championship leader at the time.
Before the Qatar GP, Piastri stated that, in fact, McLaren raised the possibility of the Australian helping Norris win the title, but the suggestion was promptly rejected, as the dispute was still open.
Far from being a newcomer to Formula 1, the 26-year-old Brit carries with him an inexperience in decision-making that affected what could have been a smooth championship. Max Verstappen, only two years older, has a completely different profile and an enviable mentality in pursuit of his goals. Like other iconic drivers in the category, the Dutchman avoids passivity and prefers confrontation, often with ethically questionable actions.
Norris often abuses irony and is easily bothered by criticism, touchy. It was like this when he was booed at the Mexican Grand Prix or on occasions when he was questioned by journalists about imperfections in his performance.
With or without help from McLaren, the fact is that Norris managed to find himself back in the car after a sequence of not reaching the highest place on the podium when he returned from the summer holidays. He was victorious in Mexico City and São Paulo, triumphs that served as a springboard for him to realize his dream of being another on the list of Formula 1 world champions.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
