Will Red Bull Change for 2026?
How Lando Norris finally got his fairy-tale ending — and why Red Bull might be rethinking 2026
When the lights went out at 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — the season’s final showdown on the glittering night of the Yas Marina Circuit — few could have predicted how poetic the finale would turn out. While race victory went to Max Verstappen and his blistering pace underscored his Red Bull dominance, it was Lando Norris who walked away with the title. Third place, a handful of tense laps, and decades of McLaren struggle finally culminated in his 2025 World Championship.
At the AutomotiveWoman office, we were split straight down the middle: half of us were rooting for Norris, the other half for Verstappen. For many, Verstappen’s comeback story — a final win, his 51st overall, tying up the season with an eighth victory — was irresistible. But in the end, it was Norris who embodied something deeper: perseverance, growth, and the rare kind of grit born from genuine hardship.
🏁 The Long Road to the Crown
Norris’s title isn’t just about a strong car or a lucky weekend — it’s about years of fighting to prove he belonged. As his emotional reaction said immediately post-race: “It’s been a long journey with McLaren.”
For much of 2025, the championship looked like it might go to someone else. His teammate Oscar Piastri — great driver, stellar 2025 victories, and often the fastest man on track — spent more laps leading the championship than anyone else.
Yet, Piastri never had to endure the same uphill battle at McLaren that Norris did. From younger-career ups and downs to mid-season inconsistencies, Norris’s path was never easy.
That struggle makes this championship more than a win — it’s vindication. A statement. A sign that hard work and loyalty can pay off, even when circumstances seem stacked against you.
Dubai 2025: The Night It All Clicked
The finale was a classic title decider: three drivers in contention, all looking to write their own story. On the grid, Verstappen claimed pole, with Norris between him and Piastri — a tantalizing set-up for what could have been a Red Bull-McLaren showdown.
But then Piastri pulled off the move of the season: on Lap 1, he dove around the outside of Norris, grabbing P2 and demoting Norris to third. Undeterred, Norris settled into a strategic plan. After his pit stop, he found himself in traffic and a DRS train — a nerve-wracking scenario. He had to fend off pressure from Charles Leclerc, endure a wheels-to-wheels fight with another Red Bull (Yuki who ultimately received a 5-second penalty), and others hungry for points — all while knowing third place was everything.
He held on. He clawed back. And when he crossed the line, just two points ahead of Verstappen after a season’s worth of fights, missteps, podiums and heartbreak — the whole racing world watched.
In his own words after the race: “It feels amazing. Now I know what Max feels like a little bit … It’s been a long year, but we did it.”
What It Means for the F1 Landscape — and Us
It’s often said that championships aren’t won in Abu Dhabi, but by December, everyone remembers who held their nerve. Norris’s title changes the narrative: it proves that raw talent + resilience + team loyalty can topple perennial favourite-machine might.
For many in our office — especially those who backed Norris — it felt like more than a championship. It felt like redemption. For those on the Verstappen side, it was a reminder that even the greatest can be edged out by steadiness and grit.
And let’s be real: this isn’t just a win for Norris. It’s a win for anyone who’s been doubted, who’s had doors closed, who’s been told “you don’t have what it takes.”
Looking Ahead — Is Red Bull Facing a Shake-Up?
With 2025 gone and a new champion crowned, whispers are already swirling about big changes behind the scenes. Could long-time decision-makers at Red Bull Racing — perhaps even people akin to a veteran adviser like Helmut Marko — be looking at 2026 as a fresh start? And what about Verstappen’s support team — his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase) — might they reconsider their setup now that winning alone didn’t deliver the title?
For F1 purists and motorsport romantics — like many of us at AutomotiveWoman — the fact that a driver with heart, history, and hunger could still rise above it all is more than a headline. It’s a statement. And as we ready our paddock-club flutes for next season, one thing’s for sure: racing just got a lot more interesting.
IMAGES: F1/Getty
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