#sd26

LANDO earlier today in barcelona :)

lando on figuring out the mcl40 car and looking forward to short break before focusing on bahrain pt. 2

LANDO on how the 2026 car feels different but familiar, understanding the car and what these test days are really for pt. 3

q: early stages for yourself and the team here at the shakedown, of course, but how much are you enjoying getting to grips with the new spec 2026 cars? lando: it's pretty different, it's pretty different, you know, not even a huge step, i think it's just, it's a bit of a step slower in terms of cornering speeds, in terms of, like, acceleration and straight line speed, it probably feels quicker than it did last year, you know, you get to 340, 350 quite a bit quicker than we did in previous years, so, yeah, it's a bit more of a challenge in many places, which is a good thing, but then you have a bit more to understand from the battery, the power unit, all of those things are in some ways more complicated and just different, and whenever something's different, it always takes a bit of time to figure out the best way to look at it, to manage it, to use it, but that's what these days are for us, are used for us for, so, yeah, i think we got a good understanding today, it's still going to take a while, you know, the conditions here are quite different to what they're going to be in bahrain, what they're going to be in melbourne, but it's just trying to gather as much information in every condition possible, whether it's going to rain in the next couple of days or be dry or whatever, the more laps we can do, the better, so, yeah, nice to be back, different feelings, of course, still feels like a mclaren, but, yeah still feels powerful, still feels like a formula one car, which is the most important thing.

LANDO on how being champion feels tangible even when the focus remains on hard work and the job stays the same pt.2

q: you brought it up yourself there, i mean, just how special a moment was that to roll out of the garage with the number one on the car, it's a big milestone in your career, isn't it?  lando: it is, i mean, it's still, you know, i saw it actually earlier on the timing screen and it's still, i still find it, you know, just unbelievable, like it's still a crazy thing to see, especially when you see it now, you know, for now it's really the first time i get to see it on my suit, on the car, on timing screens, all of these things, you know, and it looks good, so still, yeah, still a surreal feeling, the whole situation of, yeah, being champion, but it doesn't change anything apart from i'm at the top of the timing screens before we've even gone out, because i'm the lowest number now, pressure's on, but at the same time, you know, it's just, it's cool, it's great for the mechanics, it's great for all of them to have that feeling and that honour, but it doesn't change anything, otherwise it's still hard work, a lot of work that we have to put into everything and many laps we've got to complete, so, but it's nice to know that i got that number on.

LANDO on getting back to work and the new season challenge pt. 4

q: and just finally, i wanted to ask how you're feeling as well, such a big year last year, short winter break and building up already to this new season, everything that lies ahead. lando: i mean, i'm excited for everything, of course, do i wish i had one more month to lay back and enjoy everything, take everything in, you know? (unserious 😭) it was a few weeks off, you know, it didn't even feel like a month off, it was a few weeks off of just trying to realise what has happened last year and it had become a reality, you know, my dreams, so i think i'm still even now trying to, yeah, just accept it and realise that it's happened, but at the same time, it's, you know, back to work and it's like now we've got to try and do it all over again, so it makes me happy, you know, it gives me good confidence coming into this season, but it's such a different, such a big challenge with all the regulations, all the changes this year, but i feel good.

via 'Unbelievable to see the number 1 in my car' - Norris reviews 'good' first day on track in Barcelona on f1 website