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For the second time in his Formula 1 career, Lando is having to embrace a major change in machinery, but things are significantly different this time around.

Last time F1 embarked on a major regulations overhaul in 2022, McLaren was still licking its wounds, recovering from the toughest period in the team’s history.

Results had markedly improved from the team’s lowest nadir, which had seen McLaren slump to the back of the grid, finishing as low as ninth in 2015 and 2017, but one of the sport’s most celebrated outfits was no longer considered to be a major force.

McLaren’s new-look team had finished third in the Constructors’ Championship in 2020, and in 2021, they won a Grand Prix for the first time in 11 years, but still felt a significant way off their meteoric, dominant peak.

Only 22 years old at the time, Lando himself was still a young challenger, more experienced than when he first broke onto the scene, but still raw and largely unproven.

Together, they were laying the foundations for an eventual title challenge, but when the sport’s reshuffled competitive order settled in 2022, few outside the team expected McLaren to be among the frontrunners, instead tipping us to be one of the stronger outfits in a tightly packed midfield.

This time around, expectations have shifted significantly. The team go into this new era as the reigning Champions, and Lando the defending Drivers’ Champion. While certainly not the overwhelming favourites - given the scale of the reset and McLaren’s status as an independent challenger, rather than a manufacturer - the Woking-based outfit are now in the conversation, with the team’s recent success instilling a belief, both internally and externally, that at some stage in this new era they will emerge as a title contender.

“I think everyone just feels a lot more on top of things, more prepared, more ready,” Lando says, reflecting on the differences between 2022 and 2026. “That doesn’t always mean everything’s going to be better, but the last two years have given everyone a lot of confidence, which is one of the most important things to have going into a new regulation change.

The team are very focused on getting the maximum out of themselves. That’s all we can do for now. But everyone is in a very good mindset and is very ready.”

Returning refreshed

Although it was a much shorter off-season than normal, Lando made the most of the break, seizing the rare opportunity to disconnect from the world and to spend an extended period in the company of friends and family.

“I did my yearly Finland trip, which is just to get away from people,” he says. “It’s just me and some of my mates, we get away to a little town that’s nice and quiet, and we get back to training.”

Lando has been back to work for a while now. It’s only the first week of February when we speak, but he’s already driven the new car and logged significant hours on the simulator. He has also managed to squeeze in a surprise visit to his old primary school, Chew Stoke Church School in Bristol. Despite the shorter-than-usual off-season, “I would've loved a couple more weeks,” he laughs, Lando is re-energised and excited to get started again.

“It felt pretty amazing to walk back into the factory,” he says, grinning. During the break, the McLaren Technology Centre received its annual refresh: trophies found a permanent home in the cabinets, fresh imagery went up, and new signage was installed to mark a hugely successful season.

“Cool memories,” he adds. “It was nice to see the pictures on the walls, the trophies, and the signs celebrating the Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles - all the things that made last year special. And to see everyone busy again, excited for the new year.”

“It is a much earlier start than normal, by two or three weeks, but once you are here, speaking about how you can improve, driving the simulator, your mind easily switches back on.”

Finding his own way

McLaren and Lando have evolved together. As the team learned how to become a Championship contender, so did he. And while he has grown in countless ways over the past four years, his core personality has remained unchanged - those who work most closely with him at McLaren never expected any different.

There is a new air of confidence about him, but he is largely the same as when we spoke this time in 2025. Warm and welcoming, the 26-year-old is easy to like and to be around – he is open, emotionally expressive, and disarmingly self-deprecating. It’s a big part of why he has become such a beloved figure on the F1 grid.

But beneath the friendly, good-humoured exterior is a fierce competitor, driven by unique motivations that run deeper than silverware alone. Becoming a Formula 1 World Champion was Lando’s boyhood dream, but it wasn’t his sole source of inspiration. He’s also driven by compersion - he takes genuine joy in seeing those around him succeed. It’s why any questions about his motivation for 2026 can be laughed off.

“A lot of my motivation comes from being with the team and allowing them to celebrate – to have the trophies and the parties, not just picturing myself on the top step of the podium,” he says. “My motivation going into 2026 is just as high, to win again and to do my team proud.

“Winning the Championship last year was a huge achievement, and if I don’t win anything again, I will always have something to be very proud of, but it certainly hasn’t taken away any ambition or desire. I enjoyed last year a lot, and I want to do it again – just with more time off at the end of the year.

“I've definitely not lost anything. If anything, I just have more confidence.”

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to success, and Lando is evidence of that. While many proclaim to think about nothing but F1, and others portray unwavering self-belief, Lando values switching off to maintain performance and possesses a ‘seeing-is-believing’ mentality, drawing confidence from past accomplishments.

“You have to find your way,” he says. “That doesn’t mean you disregard what others have done in the past, but I need to understand what motivates me.

“I’ve said in interviews in the past that I have to do something before I believe it, so last year just means there’s one less question I have to ask myself. It doesn’t change my overall mindset going into a season, because I’ve always felt good going into a season, and I feel good now. I think it will show up more when times are tough, instead of questioning things, I will be able to lean on those experiences and the knowledge that I have done it once, and I can do it again. There’s no reason to doubt myself.”

Measuring success in F1’s new landscape

In winning last year’s World Championship, Lando became F1’s 35th Champion, and the eighth to do so with McLaren. While he’d love to become the 11th driver to retain the title, the regulations reset has made that task tougher. The on-track advantage McLaren possessed over the field in 2026 has been wiped out. The MCL40 is an all-new challenger and, therefore, success will be judged differently in 2026.

“Obviously, our goal is to win, but others have the opportunity to outdo us,” Lando says. “We know that it’s a long season. Success at the beginning will be maximising our package every weekend, no matter where we are on the grid.

“We won’t be setting too many expectations, but we know what our end goal is. There will be a lot of room for improvement through the season, so even though we might not be on top in Australia, that doesn’t mean we can’t end up at the front a few races later. Developments will come quickly, so patience will be key.”

Although he doesn’t yet know where McLaren will stack up, Lando has driven the MCL40 at the time of our conversation, spending a day and a half in the team’s new 2026 challenger at the recent Shakedown in Barcelona.

So, what were his first impressions?

“Pretty cool… and definitely different,” he explains. “You have to drive the car in a different way. It’s smaller, the aerodynamics work quite differently, and the tyres are different too, so you have to adjust to all of that. That’s on me - it’s my job. It’s a good challenge, both for me as a driver and also for the engineers and people I work with.

“There’s a lot to understand, like how we manage the power unit and the battery. It’s not just about how you drive the car, but about how you maximise everything behind it.

“But yeah, they’re good fun. They’re more powerful and have less grip, to a certain extent, which means you’re hustling more - you have to control the car and fight it a bit more at times.”

Even if the MCL40 isn’t among the quickest cars to begin with, there are still other ways for the team to improve, track their progress, and ensure they’re ready to capitalise on opportunities when the time comes.

“As great as last year was, there were still plenty of things we could have done better and want to improve on for this season – from a driver side, from an engineering side, from a strategy side, there are lots of things we can do better,” he says.

“I’m always trying to improve. I know there are areas where I am not at the level I need to be – I might be at a good level, but when you’re fighting these guys, you need to be close to perfection.

“We know where we can improve as a team and as individuals, but every season is different, and no matter how many races you have done, there will always be things that are different and new – being prepared for those is important.

“So as long as we know that and we continue to focus on ourselves, and not get too distracted by or hung up on what we can’t control, then I think everyone has the belief that we can have another strong season. It’s about working hard and keeping our heads down.”