🔗 Share this article The British driver Lando Norris Secures First F1 Drivers' Crown in Yas Marina Despite Max Verstappen's Race Triumph. Through an exhibition of brave driving, Lando Norris has sealed his debut Formula One world championship by taking a podium finish at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. A podium was all that was required for the 26-year-old driver, despite the fact that his rival Max Verstappen won the race and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri came home in second. Norris executed precisely what was required in an extremely intense contest at the Yas Marina Circuit, including a series of bold overtakes, with impeccable execution from both himself and his McLaren squad. A Momentous Achievement for Britain and The Team By winning his first world championship, Norris becomes the eleventh British driver to do so. It also brings to an end McLaren's drivers’ championship wait, which stretched back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton last won it. Additionally, it had been 27 years since McLaren achieved the drivers’ and constructors’ double back in 1998. This marks a stunning revival for the team, from a nadir in the mid-2010s when they ended up ninth in the constructors’ championship. This resurgence has been helmed by boss Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an operationally sharp outfit with a race-winning car. Lando Norris performs a victory donut after winning the world championship. The Story of the McLaren Regarding his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had led the championship for a large part of the campaign, there was clear frustration at stumbling in the closing stages. A series of poor performances and some errors, including crashing out in Baku, proved costly. However, he emerges having demonstrated he is too world champion material. To have been so competitive in only his third season in F1, with multiple victories, remains very impressive. Verstappen too had been exceptional to force the fight to the wire. The Dutchman did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the race victory, but having come back from a 104-point deficit mid-season, he did not quite have enough to catch Norris, ending up just two points behind. Sealing the Deal with Clinical Execution He secured his success with clinical 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. It was no little accomplishment for the 26-year-old in his seventh season in F1, all of them with McLaren. He stuck with the squad even during tough periods, believing they would come good. That belief was rewarded in Abu Dhabi. Norris performed a remarkable job to stick at his task, keeping his composure and belief even when under the cosh. After losing the championship lead to Piastri earlier, he still worked at maximising what he could. Norris chases down the car of Yuki Tsunoda during the grand prix. The Decisive 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 aggressive and made a spectacular move to pass the outside of Norris to claim second place. This demonstrated the McLarens were allowed to fight, but left Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit stops saw Norris come out into midfield traffic, but he overtook rivals within a lap and showed great composure in his driving. On lap 19, he made an incredibly bold move to overtake two cars at once, moving up to fourth and closing on Verstappen's teammate. The rival team instructed their driver to hold up Norris, which resulted in a breathtaking assault where Norris burst up the inside line, almost completely off the track. This moment was investigated by the race officials, with several impossibly tense laps elapsing before a time penalty for his rival and exoneration for Norris settled the matter. This decisive charge unimpeded was crucial to his title fight. Contrasting Fortunes While Norris was crowned the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the contrast in fortunes between the two was pronounced. As the young guns fought for the title, Hamilton, the grand champion, could manage only eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a dismal conclusion to a difficult season with Ferrari. His first season with the Italian team had been greeted with enthusiasm but has yielded what was easily his most challenging year ever, finishing sixth in the championship and failing to secure a top-three finish. He has appeared jaded in the closing races and will aim to reset over the winter. Lando Norris celebrates on his car after being crowned world champion.
Through an exhibition of brave driving, Lando Norris has sealed his debut Formula One world championship by taking a podium finish at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. A podium was all that was required for the 26-year-old driver, despite the fact that his rival Max Verstappen won the race and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri came home in second. Norris executed precisely what was required in an extremely intense contest at the Yas Marina Circuit, including a series of bold overtakes, with impeccable execution from both himself and his McLaren squad. A Momentous Achievement for Britain and The Team By winning his first world championship, Norris becomes the eleventh British driver to do so. It also brings to an end McLaren's drivers’ championship wait, which stretched back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton last won it. Additionally, it had been 27 years since McLaren achieved the drivers’ and constructors’ double back in 1998. This marks a stunning revival for the team, from a nadir in the mid-2010s when they ended up ninth in the constructors’ championship. This resurgence has been helmed by boss Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an operationally sharp outfit with a race-winning car. Lando Norris performs a victory donut after winning the world championship. The Story of the McLaren Regarding his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had led the championship for a large part of the campaign, there was clear frustration at stumbling in the closing stages. A series of poor performances and some errors, including crashing out in Baku, proved costly. However, he emerges having demonstrated he is too world champion material. To have been so competitive in only his third season in F1, with multiple victories, remains very impressive. Verstappen too had been exceptional to force the fight to the wire. The Dutchman did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the race victory, but having come back from a 104-point deficit mid-season, he did not quite have enough to catch Norris, ending up just two points behind. Sealing the Deal with Clinical Execution He secured his success with clinical 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. It was no little accomplishment for the 26-year-old in his seventh season in F1, all of them with McLaren. He stuck with the squad even during tough periods, believing they would come good. That belief was rewarded in Abu Dhabi. Norris performed a remarkable job to stick at his task, keeping his composure and belief even when under the cosh. After losing the championship lead to Piastri earlier, he still worked at maximising what he could. Norris chases down the car of Yuki Tsunoda during the grand prix. The Decisive 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 aggressive and made a spectacular move to pass the outside of Norris to claim second place. This demonstrated the McLarens were allowed to fight, but left Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit stops saw Norris come out into midfield traffic, but he overtook rivals within a lap and showed great composure in his driving. On lap 19, he made an incredibly bold move to overtake two cars at once, moving up to fourth and closing on Verstappen's teammate. The rival team instructed their driver to hold up Norris, which resulted in a breathtaking assault where Norris burst up the inside line, almost completely off the track. This moment was investigated by the race officials, with several impossibly tense laps elapsing before a time penalty for his rival and exoneration for Norris settled the matter. This decisive charge unimpeded was crucial to his title fight. Contrasting Fortunes While Norris was crowned the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the contrast in fortunes between the two was pronounced. As the young guns fought for the title, Hamilton, the grand champion, could manage only eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a dismal conclusion to a difficult season with Ferrari. His first season with the Italian team had been greeted with enthusiasm but has yielded what was easily his most challenging year ever, finishing sixth in the championship and failing to secure a top-three finish. He has appeared jaded in the closing races and will aim to reset over the winter. Lando Norris celebrates on his car after being crowned world champion.