In a display of brave racing, Lando Norris has won his debut Formula One world championship by taking a podium finish at the Yas Marina race. That finish was sufficient for the 26-year-old driver, even though his rival Max Verstappen won the race and his teammate at McLaren Oscar Piastri came home in second.
He delivered exactly what was needed in an incredibly intense race at the Yas Marina Circuit, featuring a number of audacious passing maneuvers, with impeccable work from both the driver and his team.
A Historic Accomplishment for British Motorsport and McLaren
By winning his first world championship, Norris is now the eleventh driver from Britain to achieve this. This ends McLaren's title drought, which went back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton was their last champion. Furthermore, it had been 27 years since McLaren achieved the championship double back in 1998.
It represents a remarkable turnaround for the Woking-based outfit, since a nadir in the middle of the last decade when they ended up ninth in the standings. The comeback has been spearheaded by boss Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has delivered an operationally sharp team with a hugely competitive car.
The new champion performs a victory spin after securing the world championship.
A Tale of Two McLaren
Regarding his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had been the favorite for a large part of the campaign, there was obvious disappointment at faltering in the closing stages. Several of difficult weekends and some errors, such as crashing out in Baku, proved costly. Nevertheless, he finishes the season having shown he is also world champion material. Being so fast in only his third season in F1, with multiple victories, remains a huge achievement.
Max Verstappen was also brilliant to force the title battle to the wire. The Dutchman did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the win, but after fighting back from a 104-point deficit in August, he did not quite have enough to overhaul Norris, ending up just a handful of points behind.
Closing it Out with Clinical Precision
Norris closed out his title with clinical focus to win the championship that had been within reach but eluded him as McLaren struggled at the last two races. These included a DSQ in Las Vegas and then an egregious strategy call in Qatar.
It was no little achievement for the driver in his seventh year in F1, each one with McLaren. He remained loyal to the squad even during some difficult periods, convinced they would return to the top. That faith was rewarded in Abu Dhabi.
He has done a hugely impressive job to stick at his goal, keeping his cool and confidence even when under pressure. After losing the championship lead to Piastri earlier, he still worked at getting the most from what he could.
Norris closes on the Red Bull of another competitor during the race.
The Decisive Grand Prix
At the start, Verstappen held his first place through the first corner, 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 claim second place.
It showed the McLarens were free to race, but left Norris under pressure from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit stops saw Norris emerge in midfield traffic, but he overtook rivals within a lap and displayed great composure in his race craft.
On lap 19, he made an absolutely bravura move to dive past two cars in one swoop, moving up to fourth and closing on Verstappen's teammate. The rival team instructed their driver to hold up Norris, leading to a breathtaking assault where Norris went up the inside line, almost leaving the track.
This moment was looked at by the race officials, with a few nerve-wracking laps elapsing before a time penalty for his rival and exoneration for Norris was decided. This decisive charge unimpeded was crucial to his title fight.
Diverging Fortunes
While Norris became the first Briton 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 disappointing conclusion to a difficult season with Ferrari.
His first season with the Italian team had been greeted with excitement but produced what was comfortably his worst season ever, finishing sixth in the championship without a top-three finish. He has appeared weary in the closing races and will aim to rebuild over the winter.
Lando Norris revels on his car after being crowned world champion.
