F1 champion: “McLaren trusts both. But the champion is treated differently.”

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris has been warned by his championship mate about the expectations his new status at McLaren will bring.

After his 2025 championship, Norris will start the 2026 season as world champion. The British driver will be the first McLaren driver to try to defend his title since Lewis Hamilton.

Damon Hill, who won the 1996 championship, recalled the mounting pressure. According to him, champion authority does not always mean a real advantage within the team.

“I think the team has confidence in both drivers (Norris and Piastri). But when you become world champion, you are automatically treated differently; there is additional authority,” Hill explained.

“When I moved from Williams to Arrows, the team said: ‘We have a world champion.’ They thought I knew something special. But that authority is sometimes exaggerated. I didn’t know everything and I certainly didn’t know how to design cars.”

Hill emphasized that the true power of a champion lies not in technical knowledge but in leadership and team interaction.

“I worked with experts like Patrick Head and Adrian Newey; they were the ones who knew where to go. And the driver’s role is to be a leader and inspire the team,” Hill concluded.