Lando Norris on the 'problem' behind his family's new fame

Lando Norris has opened up about how winning the Formula 1 world title has changed the level of public attention surrounding his family.

The Brit secured his maiden championship in December, clinching the crown at the final race of the season ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.

The achievement triggered emotional celebrations, with Norris sharing the moment with his immediate family at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit before heading off to a well-deserved party later that evening.

It was mom Cisca Wauman who stole the show, however, with a hilarious interview given to Sky Sports F1 in the aftermath of her son becoming world champion.

Now Norris, who is trying to reset ahead of a 2026 season in which all teams and drivers are starting from scratch with the regulations reset, has spoken about the love that his mum has received from F1 fans around the world, as she became the star of the show in Abu Dhabi.

"I think so, which is the problem," he told the Fast and the Curious podcast when asked whether Cisca is enjoying her newfound fame.

"It's not her choice to be on TV, but people seem to love her and that's a beautiful thing."

Will Norris be challenging again in F1 2026?

After the winter break, Norris is almost ready to head back out on track competitively, with the season starting at the beginning of March with the Australian Grand Prix.

Before that, however, there are still two three-day pre-season testing events for the teams and drivers to navigate, with the Bahrain International Circuit playing host to official testing in February following the private shakedown in Barcelona last month.

It remains to be seen where about in the F1 pecking order McLaren will shape up. They dominated the 2025 season - winning 14 of 24 grands prix and wrapping up the constructors' championship by October - which means any shake up in the competitive order caused by the regulation changes will likely be bad news for them.

Norris and Piastri will certainly be hoping to be challenging for grand prix victories in 2026, but this year may see them have more rivals for the title, with Mercedes reportedly best placed to master the new regulations.

On top of this, both Ferrari and Red Bull are hoping to improve on their 2025 showing, making for a potentially blockbuster start to the season.

When does the 2026 F1 season start?

The 2026 F1 season gets underway on Friday, March 6, at the Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.

FP1 will mark the first session of the season at 12:30pm local time (1:30am GMT), while qualifying will get underway on Saturday, March 7 at 4pm local time (5am GMT). Lights out for the first grand prix of the year is at 3pm local time (4am GMT).

Before the F1 season kicks off two three-day tests will take place in Bahrain. The first of which will occur from Wednesday, February 11 until Friday, February 13. The second of the Bahrain tests takes place Wednesday, February 18 until Friday, February 20.

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