--- description: Find out why Lando Norris was selected for TIME‘s 2026 list of the most influential people in sports. title: TIME100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026: Lando Norris image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bda5c8da34a91d9/6a2088fab60cee23fe3f42a2/T100SPORTS-2026-Web-Lando-Norris.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jun 09, 2026 # Lando Norris by [Sean Gregory](/author/sean-gregory/) ## Sean Gregory Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent  Nicolas Economou—NurPhoto/Getty Images Lando Norris’ run to the top of the Formula One standings in 2025 broke [Max Verstappen](https://time.com/6331364/max-verstappen-formula-one-interview-las-vegas/ "undefined")’s four-year hold on the driver championship and gave [McLaren](https://time.com/collections/time100-impact-awards/7335833/zak-brown-mclaren-racing-ceo-f1/ "undefined") its first such title since Lewis Hamilton won in 2008\. The British driver is now transcending auto racing. Norris was named “Breakthrough of the Year” at the annual Laureus World Sports Awards in April; previous honorees include [Lamine Yamal](https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2025/7318809/lamine-yamal/ "undefined"), [Carlos Alcaraz](https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/carlos-alcaraz/ "undefined"), [Lewis Hamilton](https://time.com/7261784/lewis-hamilton-ferrari-f1-interview/ "undefined"), [Naomi Osaka](https://time.com/6077128/naomi-osaka-essay-tokyo-olympics/ "undefined"), and [Patrick Mahomes](https://time.com/6966732/patrick-mahomes-interview-time100-2024/ "undefined"). Norris has 1.8 million followers on the gaming platform Twitch, and his engagement with Gen-Z fans is part of a broader marketing strategy across F1 to reach younger audiences. His 2025 title in Abu Dhabi brought with it a flood of emotions. “I didn’t think I’d cry, but I did,” he said. “It’s a long journey.”. Lando Norris: TIME100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/lando-norris/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/lando-norris/"},"headline":"Lando Norris","datePublished":"2026-06-09T12:00:50.438Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T12:00:50.603Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/lando-norris/","keywords":["list","franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bda5c8da34a91d9/6a2088fab60cee23fe3f42a2/T100SPORTS-2026-Web-Lando-Norris.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sean Gregory","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/sean-gregory/"}],"creator":"Sean Gregory","articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bda5c8da34a91d9/6a2088fab60cee23fe3f42a2/T100SPORTS-2026-Web-Lando-Norris.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/time100-sports/2026/lando-norris/","name":"Lando Norris"}}]}] ```