🔗 Share this article Lando Norris Secures First F1 Drivers' Crown in Yas Marina Despite Verstappen's Race Triumph. In a display of nerveless driving, the McLaren driver has won his first F1 world title by achieving third place at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. That finish was enough for the British driver, even though Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the race and his teammate at McLaren Oscar Piastri came home in second. Norris executed exactly what was needed in an extremely high-pressure race at the Yas Marina Circuit, including a number of audacious overtakes, with impeccable work from both the driver and his team. A Historic Feat for British Motorsport and The Team In taking his maiden world championship, Norris is now the 11th driver from Britain to accomplish the feat. It concludes the team's drivers’ championship wait, which dated back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton last won it. Additionally, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the championship double back in 1998. It represents a remarkable turnaround for the Woking-based outfit, from a low point in the mid-2010s when they ended up ninth in the standings. The revival has been led by boss Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has delivered an efficient team with a hugely competitive car. Lando Norris executes a victory donut after winning the world championship. A Tale of Two McLaren Regarding his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had been the favorite for a large part of the season, there was obvious disappointment at faltering in the final third. A series of difficult weekends and some errors, such as crashing out in Baku, proved costly. Nevertheless, he emerges having shown he is also of champion caliber. To have been so fast in only his third year in F1, with multiple victories, remains a huge achievement. Max Verstappen was also brilliant to take the title battle to the wire. The Dutchman did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the race victory, but after fighting back from a significant deficit in August, he fell just short of having the points to catch Norris, finishing just a handful of points short. Sealing the Deal with Clinical Precision Norris closed out his success with ruthless focus to take the crown that had been so close but remained just out of grasp as McLaren found themselves floundering at the last two races. First a DSQ in Las Vegas and then an egregious strategy call in Qatar. This represents a significant achievement for the 26-year-old in his seventh season in F1, all of them with McLaren. He stuck with the team even during tough periods, believing they would come good. That faith was rewarded in Abu Dhabi. Norris performed a hugely impressive job to persist with his task, keeping his composure and confidence even when under the cosh. Having lost the championship lead to Piastri earlier, he still worked at maximising the car's potential. Lando Norris closes on the car of Yuki Tsunoda during the grand prix. The Title-Deciding Race At the start, Verstappen held his first place through turn one, but the three title leaders avoided contact. Piastri, starting on the hard tyre, was feisty and made a brilliant move to go round the outside of Norris to take second place. It showed the McLarens were allowed to fight, but left Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit visits saw Norris emerge in midfield traffic, but he passed rivals within a lap and showed great composure in his race craft. On lap 19, he made an incredibly bold move to overtake two cars in one swoop, climbing to fourth and catching Verstappen's teammate. Red Bull instructed their driver to delay Norris, which resulted in a dramatic overtaking attempt where Norris went up the inside line, almost leaving the track. This moment was investigated by the race officials, with several nerve-wracking laps passing before a penalty for his rival and no further action for Norris was decided. This bold move without being held up was vital to his championship bid. Contrasting Fortunes While Norris was crowned the first Briton to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the difference in fortunes between the two was stark. While the new generation battled over the title, Hamilton, the veteran, could manage only eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a disappointing conclusion to a difficult season with Ferrari. His first season with the Italian team had been met by enthusiasm but produced what was comfortably his most challenging year ever, ending up sixth in the championship and failing to secure a top-three finish. He has looked weary in the closing races and will aim to reset over the off-season. Lando Norris revels on his car after becoming world champion.
In a display of nerveless driving, the McLaren driver has won his first F1 world title by achieving third place at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. That finish was enough for the British driver, even though Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the race and his teammate at McLaren Oscar Piastri came home in second. Norris executed exactly what was needed in an extremely high-pressure race at the Yas Marina Circuit, including a number of audacious overtakes, with impeccable work from both the driver and his team. A Historic Feat for British Motorsport and The Team In taking his maiden world championship, Norris is now the 11th driver from Britain to accomplish the feat. It concludes the team's drivers’ championship wait, which dated back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton last won it. Additionally, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the championship double back in 1998. It represents a remarkable turnaround for the Woking-based outfit, from a low point in the mid-2010s when they ended up ninth in the standings. The revival has been led by boss Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has delivered an efficient team with a hugely competitive car. Lando Norris executes a victory donut after winning the world championship. A Tale of Two McLaren Regarding his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had been the favorite for a large part of the season, there was obvious disappointment at faltering in the final third. A series of difficult weekends and some errors, such as crashing out in Baku, proved costly. Nevertheless, he emerges having shown he is also of champion caliber. To have been so fast in only his third year in F1, with multiple victories, remains a huge achievement. Max Verstappen was also brilliant to take the title battle to the wire. The Dutchman did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the race victory, but after fighting back from a significant deficit in August, he fell just short of having the points to catch Norris, finishing just a handful of points short. Sealing the Deal with Clinical Precision Norris closed out his success with ruthless focus to take the crown that had been so close but remained just out of grasp as McLaren found themselves floundering at the last two races. First a DSQ in Las Vegas and then an egregious strategy call in Qatar. This represents a significant achievement for the 26-year-old in his seventh season in F1, all of them with McLaren. He stuck with the team even during tough periods, believing they would come good. That faith was rewarded in Abu Dhabi. Norris performed a hugely impressive job to persist with his task, keeping his composure and confidence even when under the cosh. Having lost the championship lead to Piastri earlier, he still worked at maximising the car's potential. Lando Norris closes on the car of Yuki Tsunoda during the grand prix. The Title-Deciding Race At the start, Verstappen held his first place through turn one, but the three title leaders avoided contact. Piastri, starting on the hard tyre, was feisty and made a brilliant move to go round the outside of Norris to take second place. It showed the McLarens were allowed to fight, but left Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit visits saw Norris emerge in midfield traffic, but he passed rivals within a lap and showed great composure in his race craft. On lap 19, he made an incredibly bold move to overtake two cars in one swoop, climbing to fourth and catching Verstappen's teammate. Red Bull instructed their driver to delay Norris, which resulted in a dramatic overtaking attempt where Norris went up the inside line, almost leaving the track. This moment was investigated by the race officials, with several nerve-wracking laps passing before a penalty for his rival and no further action for Norris was decided. This bold move without being held up was vital to his championship bid. Contrasting Fortunes While Norris was crowned the first Briton to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the difference in fortunes between the two was stark. While the new generation battled over the title, Hamilton, the veteran, could manage only eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a disappointing conclusion to a difficult season with Ferrari. His first season with the Italian team had been met by enthusiasm but produced what was comfortably his most challenging year ever, ending up sixth in the championship and failing to secure a top-three finish. He has looked weary in the closing races and will aim to reset over the off-season. Lando Norris revels on his car after becoming world champion.