McLaren abandon Lando Norris F1 title celebrations

Lando Norris will not get to celebrate his F1 drivers' championship win with fans in Woking this year.

Norris claimed his maiden title at the final race weekend of the year back in December, and it sealed McLaren's first championship double since 1998, after they had already won the constructors' championship.

The British driver then celebrated in style with an epic party, before heading off on his winter break. But both Norris and his team-mate Oscar Piastri will be back on track in their McLarens as early as the end of January for a five-day testing event in Barcelona.

This is part of an expanded testing programme this year due to the new regulations that are taking to F1 both on the power unit side of things and chassis-side.

Overall, there are 11 days of testing, with two three-day events taking place in Bahrain in February. And all of that has led to the abandonment of a key McLaren tradition.

The team usually take to the streets of Woking to celebrate title successes with fans, as they did in 1998 with Mika Hakkinen, and indeed in 2024 with the constructors' championship trophy.

According to the BBC, Woking Borough Council leader Ann‑Marie Barker wrote to McLaren's CEO Zak Brown to congratulate the team, saying: "I do hope that we can celebrate this historic achievement locally. February's town‑centre celebration of your 2024 constructors' championship was a tremendous success, with activities fully booked and exceptional community engagement.

"We would be delighted to support your future plans so our community can once again share in the pride of your success."

However, a McLaren spokesperson issued a statement to the above publication, revealing that the team were too busy to take their title celebrations to the streets of Woking this time around, saying: "I'm afraid we won't be hosting any celebrations in Woking this time unfortunately as the team are super busy preparing for the season ahead."

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

Drivers and teams do not have too much time off this year for their winter break.

The five-day shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya starts on January 26, before the first three-day official testing session in Bahrain starts on February 12.

Bahrain will play host to another three-day testing event between February 18-20, while between now and then there are also all 11 teams' season launch events, where they will unveil their 2026 cars officially.

And then the season properly starts on March 6 with FP1 at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton Ferrari blame assigned as Norris shares car fears

Related