29 August 2026 15:00 (UTC)
As our World Champion pens a new contract, we take a look back at some of his iconic moments in papaya
Lando’s McLaren story is one of patience, progress and trusting the process.
The now 26-year-old has grown from the raw but promising talent who joined our Driver Development Programme in 2017 into a World Champion performing at the peak of his powers.
Cheerful and cheeky off the track, Lando has repeatedly shown how fiercely competitive and skilful he is on it.
Through it all, Lando has forged an unmistakable bond with the team and his global fanbase. To celebrate his contract extension until at least 2030, we’ve picked out six of his greatest moments racing for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team.
After making his Formula 1 debut at the 2019 season opener in Australia, Lando truly announced himself on the big stage at the following year’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The then 20-year-old arrived at the Red Bull Ring for the opening race of the Covid-affected 2020 campaign and qualified an impressive fourth. On race day, Lando fought through a chaotic contest shaped by three Safety Cars and found himself fifth with five laps remaining.
Then came the charge.
Lando passed Sergio Pérez on Lap 68, but Lewis Hamilton - carrying a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Alex Albon - remained the real target. He produced a sensational finale to close the deficit, setting the race’s fastest lap and taking third by just 0.198 seconds.
It was his maiden F1 podium, sparking delirium in the garage and providing an early sign of how far both Lando and McLaren could go together
A wet September weekend in Sochi five years ago remains one of the clearest examples of Lando finding another level.
We arrived in Russia fresh from Daniel Ricciardo leading Lando over the line in Monza for a sensational 1-2 in the Italian Grand Prix, our first win in nine years. In tricky conditions, Lando showed composure and maturity beyond his years, delivering a sensational lap in Qualifying to take his first F1 Pole.
Lando controlled much of the race itself, but with the Chequered Flag approaching and victory tantalisingly close, rain arrived. Lando opted to stay out on slicks as conditions worsened and ultimately slipped down the order. The win disappeared – but nothing builds a champion quite like responding to adversity.
“You do learn more from the hard moments,” he said at the time. “I feel like I have a long career in F1, it’s nice in a way to get it out early, so that when these things arise in the future, or in my future years in F1, I’ll be able to react better.”
The disappointment was painful, but the lessons from Sochi would help to shape the driver Lando was becoming.
After eight runner-up finishes, an emotional, well-earned first victory finally arrived in Miami in May 2024.
A Safety Car intervention changed the race, allowing Lando, who had qualified fifth, to make his pit stop and emerge in the lead. He handled the restart brilliantly and pulled clear of Max Verstappen, crossing the finish line first to claim his maiden F1 victory on his 110th start.
The wait was over. Cue an impassioned outburst on the team radio, which has since gone down in McLaren folklore. “I love you all,” Lando screeched. “We did it! Thank you to everyone in McLaren. I finally did it for you. Thank you so much.”
His bond with the team had already been made clear four months earlier when he penned a fresh contract extension, outlining his belief in the McLaren project. His trust had now been vindicated.
“It’s a great feeling to be staying in papaya,” he said. “I’ve grown up with McLaren and feel at home here, the team are like family to me.”
He was far from finished.
The 2025 season had already seen Lando take a historic victory in Monaco, alongside wins in Australia and Austria, cementing his place as a Drivers’ World Championship contender alongside Oscar. A maiden home Grand Prix triumph would lay down another marker.
Starting third, Lando produced a composed drive in changing conditions to take the lead and secure a famous first British Grand Prix victory, leading home our first win at Silverstone since 2008.
For Lando, Silverstone wasn’t simply another win. It was the realisation of a childhood dream, one he lived out with family, fans – including those packed into the ‘Landostand’ – and the team that had supported him since his junior career.
He had spoken before the race about believing his day could finally come. On this special Sunday, belief became a reality.
Abu Dhabi will always have a special place in the Lando story.
Lando entered the season finale knowing that a podium would be enough to secure the Drivers’ Championship, but the pressure was immense. Despite the weight of expectation on his shoulders, he qualified third and then delivered a controlled, disciplined race to finish where he started, beating Max Verstappen to the title by two points.
As a boy, Lando had watched on as Lewis Hamilton made history for McLaren, graduating from the team’s Driver Development Programme to become the team’s seventh Drivers’ World Champion in 2008. Seventeen years on, Lando became the eighth, completing his own journey from our Driver Development Programme to the pinnacle of Formula 1.
The celebrations were emotional, but true to form, Lando gave the credit to those around him.
“This is not my World Championship, this is ours,” he said.
Winning a Drivers’ World Championship is the fulfilment of a dream. It also raises expectations. Being the hunted, rather than the hunter, brings a different kind of pressure, but Lando has embraced it.
F1 underwent a major shake-up ahead of 2026, with brand-new regulations designed to reset the field and bring about closer racing. After a challenging but competitive start to the season, a fresh upgrade arrived ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix – the final race before F1’s summer shutdown – renewing belief that Lando’s first win as defending Champion was within reach.
However, no one expected it to come quite so soon, with the leading four teams competing so closely.
The second half of the upgrade package wasn’t due to arrive until the following round in the Netherlands, but Lando still claimed a surprise Pole on Saturday. On Sunday, he converted it into his maiden win with the Number 1 on his McLaren MCL40, delivering a performance that showcased his ever-evolving maturity and approach.
“I was very happy with how I drove my race,” he said. “In terms of my pace and how I managed it, it was probably one of my best races in terms of my personal performance, and that always makes me feel good.”
A repeat performance at Zandvoort has raised hopes for the rest of 2026 - while his contract extension has done the same for the years beyond.
Lando’s story with McLaren still has many more defining moments to come.
