​Lando Norris, the 2025 Formula 1 champion, was greeted by roaring crowds as he appeared on the famed Goodwood House balcony during the Festival of Speed. Before a special balcony celebration of his maiden title, Norris piloted the McLaren MCL60 up the renowned Goodwood hillclimb, parking the 2023-spec car in front of Goodwood House before being guided to the balcony by the Duke of Richmond.
“It’s amazing. I stood here yesterday with Valentino, my hero, someone I looked up to since I was a kid,” Norris told the gathering in a chat with former F1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok. “This is a cool moment for me. You hear stories about meeting your heroes—some say you shouldn’t—but for me, it’s been a blast to reconnect here, to celebrate in a beautiful old car, and to mark the start of McLaren’s resurgence.” He carried on: “This has always been my dream. I came here with my brother and my dad 13 or 14 years ago. I met some of the drivers back then and thought, ‘One day I want to be like these guys.’ Now, 13 years later, I’m the lucky one standing up here in front of you, wearing the number one. I get to represent McLaren. I’ve dreamt of this since I was a kid, and I’m grateful for the support I’ve received from everyone.”
Norris clinched his first world title at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after a season-long duel with his team-mate Oscar Piastri and a resilient challenge from four-time champion Max Verstappen in the late stages. Yet the celebrations were tempered by a reminder from McLaren team principal Andrea Stella that the team remains focused on the horizon, anticipating the challenges and opportunities of the 2026 season.
“First and foremost, the past is the past—but what a past it has been. It’s been almost career- and life-defining, building something at McLaren block by block, day by day, alongside Lando,” Stella reflected from the balcony. “We don’t forget where we started. We were near the back, and we climbed to become constructors’ world champions, and then double world champions, with Lando becoming world champion.” The achievement is immense, and Stella stressed that the wider McLaren family—our papaya-loving fans—shared in those emotions and deserved to celebrate.
But there remains a sense of forward momentum in Formula 1’s ever-turning wheel. Stella pointed out a common F1 risk: looking perpetually toward the future. The aim, he said, is to put McLaren back in a position to replicate these kinds of results, with Norris and Piastri continuing to push for the world championship and to keep the team competitive at the highest level.
At present, Norris and Piastri occupy fifth and sixth in the drivers’ standings, with 97 and 82 points respectively, while McLaren sits third in the constructors’ championship on 179 points. They trail Mercedes and Ferrari, who have 333 and 255 points, respectively. Nonetheless, Norris’s triumph has energized the team and its supporters, fueling optimism for the road ahead as McLaren looks to build on its established momentum and chase further success in 2026.