Lando Norris drops clue on F1 retirement timeline after maiden championship

Speaking to GPblog in Melbourne, the McLaren driver, who secured his first title in the 2025 season, responded to questions about how motivated he is for the new campaign and revealed he is more determined than ever, having undertaken his most intensive pre-season training ahead of the 2026 campaign.

“I've probably done more training and preparation during the off-season than I've ever done, so it's certainly not the case that I was relaxing or partying more, whatever it might have been. It was quite the opposite, in fact. So, no, I'm still just as hungry,” Norris explained.

The 26-year-old also spoke about his desire for further success despite already achieving a career milestone.

“I think it made me want it more, in a way, because you get that feeling—it's the same as when you have one win and you immediately want another. For me, it was the same feeling with a championship. That one is amazing, but then you definitely want to achieve two,” he added.

Norris stressed that he would only step away from the sport once he feels he can no longer compete at the highest level.

“Certainly not the bad version of what you put it. I would still find it impossible to ever want to go out on track and not do everything I can to try and win. I'd feel embarrassed if that wasn’t the case. So when that time comes, I'll retire and leave Formula 1. 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 concluded.

While Norris aims for a lengthy career in F1, Max Verstappen, on his part, has no intention of racing in Formula 1 into his 40s.

The four-time world champion, who recently reflected on his career, admitted that despite being under contract until 2028, he doesn’t see himself staying much longer in the sport.