Lando Norris has been crowned winner of the Breakthrough of the Year category at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards, marking a significant achievement for the British McLaren driver despite a difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Victory for Lando Norris
The 2026 season on track has not begun in the best possible way for Lando Norris, who has failed to reach the podium in any of the first three Grands Prix of the year. However, the McLaren driver can take comfort from what happened last night at the Laureus World Sports Awards, often referred to as the “Oscars of sport,” which were held in Madrid.
The 2025 Formula 1 world champion surprisingly secured the award in the Breakthrough of the Year category, which recognises the most outstanding rising star across all sports disciplines. In Italian, this would be translated as “miglior rivelazione”.
Norris prevailed over a strong and highly competitive shortlist that included French footballer Désiré Doué, Portuguese tennis player João Fonseca, Canadian basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, British darts sensation Luke Littler, and Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi. In the history of the award, Norris now follows in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in world football, including Lamine Yamal, who won in 2025, and Jude Bellingham, who claimed the prize two years earlier.
A Laureus roll of honour with strong F1 presence
Norris’ success reconnects Formula 1 with a category that has historically been strongly linked to the sport, breaking a near-decade-long gap since the last F1 driver won the award. The most recent Formula 1 winner in the Breakthrough of the Year category had been Nico Rosberg in 2017, following his 2016 world championship triumph over then-teammate Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Looking further back, the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year award has also been won by several other prominent Formula 1 drivers, reflecting the sport’s global impact and influence. Daniel Ricciardo received the honour in 2015, Jenson Button in 2010, Lewis Hamilton in 2009, and Juan Pablo Montoya in 2002. All of these awards were based on achievements from the previous season, recognising breakthrough performances that shaped their careers at the highest level of motorsport.
It is also worth noting that motorsport success in this category is not limited to Formula 1. In 2014, MotoGP star Marc Márquez also claimed the Breakthrough of the Year award following his first world championship title in the premier class, further highlighting the connection between Laureus recognition and elite racing talent.
Leave a Reply