🔗 Share this article Lando Norris Secures First Formula One World Title in Yas Marina Despite Max Verstappen's Grand Prix Triumph. With a performance full of nerveless driving, Lando Norris has won his first Formula One world championship by securing P3 at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. A podium was sufficient for the British driver, even though Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished first and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished in second. Norris executed exactly what was required in an enormously intense battle at the Abu Dhabi track, including a number of audacious passing maneuvers, with impeccable execution from both the driver and his team. A Historic Achievement for Britain and McLaren In taking his first world championship, Norris is now the 11th driver from Britain to do so. It concludes McLaren's title wait, which went back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton was their last champion. Furthermore, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the championship double back in 1998. This marks a stunning resurgence for the team, from a nadir in the middle of the last decade when they ended up ninth in the constructors’ championship. The comeback has been spearheaded by boss Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an well-drilled outfit with a hugely competitive car. The new champion performs a victory donut after securing the world championship. A Tale of Two Teammates For his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had been the favorite for a large part of the season, there was clear disappointment at faltering in the final third. A series of difficult weekends and some errors, including crashing out in Baku, proved costly. Nevertheless, he finishes the season having demonstrated he is too world champion material. To have been so fast in only his third year in F1, with seven wins, remains very impressive. Max Verstappen was also exceptional to take the fight to the wire. The Dutchman did all he could in Abu Dhabi with the win, but having come back from a significant deficit mid-season, he fell just short of having the points to catch Norris, ending up just a handful of points short. Closing it Out with Clinical Execution Norris closed out his title with ruthless focus to take the championship that had been so close but remained just out of grasp as McLaren struggled at the last two rounds. First a DSQ in Las Vegas and then an egregious tactical decision in Qatar. It was no little achievement for the 26-year-old in his seventh season in F1, all of them with McLaren. He remained loyal to the team even during some difficult periods, believing they would return to the top. That belief was vindicated in Abu Dhabi. He has done a remarkable job to stick at his goal, maintaining his composure and belief during periods under pressure. Having lost the championship lead to Piastri after Saudi Arabia, he nonetheless worked at getting the most from the car's potential. Lando Norris chases down the Red Bull of another competitor during the race. The Decisive Grand Prix In the race, Verstappen kept his lead through turn one, but the main contenders kept it clean. Piastri, starting on the hard tyre, was feisty and made a brilliant move to pass the outside of Norris to take second place. This demonstrated the McLarens were free to race, but left Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The first round pit stops saw Norris emerge in traffic, but he overtook rivals quickly and showed great composure in his race craft. During the race, he made an incredibly bold move to dive past two cars at once, climbing to fourth and catching Verstappen's teammate. The rival team instructed their driver to delay Norris, leading to a breathtaking overtaking attempt where Norris burst up the inside line, almost leaving the track. The incident was investigated by the stewards, with several nerve-wracking laps elapsing before a time penalty for his rival and no further action for Norris settled the matter. This bold move unimpeded was vital to his championship bid. Contrasting Fortunes As Norris became the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the contrast in form between the two was pronounced. While the new generation fought for the title, Hamilton, the veteran, could manage only eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a disappointing ending to a difficult season with Ferrari. Making his debut with the Italian team had been met by excitement but produced what was comfortably his most challenging year ever, finishing sixth in the championship without a top-three finish. He has looked jaded in the final rounds and will aim to reset over the off-season. Lando Norris celebrates on his car after being crowned the title winner.
With a performance full of nerveless driving, Lando Norris has won his first Formula One world championship by securing P3 at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. A podium was sufficient for the British driver, even though Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished first and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished in second. Norris executed exactly what was required in an enormously intense battle at the Abu Dhabi track, including a number of audacious passing maneuvers, with impeccable execution from both the driver and his team. A Historic Achievement for Britain and McLaren In taking his first world championship, Norris is now the 11th driver from Britain to do so. It concludes McLaren's title wait, which went back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton was their last champion. Furthermore, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the championship double back in 1998. This marks a stunning resurgence for the team, from a nadir in the middle of the last decade when they ended up ninth in the constructors’ championship. The comeback has been spearheaded by boss Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an well-drilled outfit with a hugely competitive car. The new champion performs a victory donut after securing the world championship. A Tale of Two Teammates For his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had been the favorite for a large part of the season, there was clear disappointment at faltering in the final third. A series of difficult weekends and some errors, including crashing out in Baku, proved costly. Nevertheless, he finishes the season having demonstrated he is too world champion material. To have been so fast in only his third year in F1, with seven wins, remains very impressive. Max Verstappen was also exceptional to take the fight to the wire. The Dutchman did all he could in Abu Dhabi with the win, but having come back from a significant deficit mid-season, he fell just short of having the points to catch Norris, ending up just a handful of points short. Closing it Out with Clinical Execution Norris closed out his title with ruthless focus to take the championship that had been so close but remained just out of grasp as McLaren struggled at the last two rounds. First a DSQ in Las Vegas and then an egregious tactical decision in Qatar. It was no little achievement for the 26-year-old in his seventh season in F1, all of them with McLaren. He remained loyal to the team even during some difficult periods, believing they would return to the top. That belief was vindicated in Abu Dhabi. He has done a remarkable job to stick at his goal, maintaining his composure and belief during periods under pressure. Having lost the championship lead to Piastri after Saudi Arabia, he nonetheless worked at getting the most from the car's potential. Lando Norris chases down the Red Bull of another competitor during the race. The Decisive Grand Prix In the race, Verstappen kept his lead through turn one, but the main contenders kept it clean. Piastri, starting on the hard tyre, was feisty and made a brilliant move to pass the outside of Norris to take second place. This demonstrated the McLarens were free to race, but left Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The first round pit stops saw Norris emerge in traffic, but he overtook rivals quickly and showed great composure in his race craft. During the race, he made an incredibly bold move to dive past two cars at once, climbing to fourth and catching Verstappen's teammate. The rival team instructed their driver to delay Norris, leading to a breathtaking overtaking attempt where Norris burst up the inside line, almost leaving the track. The incident was investigated by the stewards, with several nerve-wracking laps elapsing before a time penalty for his rival and no further action for Norris settled the matter. This bold move unimpeded was vital to his championship bid. Contrasting Fortunes As Norris became the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the contrast in form between the two was pronounced. While the new generation fought for the title, Hamilton, the veteran, could manage only eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a disappointing ending to a difficult season with Ferrari. Making his debut with the Italian team had been met by excitement but produced what was comfortably his most challenging year ever, finishing sixth in the championship without a top-three finish. He has looked jaded in the final rounds and will aim to reset over the off-season. Lando Norris celebrates on his car after being crowned the title winner.