Lando Norris was crowned Formula 1 world champion for the first time on Sunday, securing the third place he needed in a tense, season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to beat Max Verstappen by two points.
The 26-year-old McLaren driver held his nerve through an afternoon that swung between control and chaos. Verstappen dominated from the front to take his eighth win of the year, but with Oscar Piastri second and Norris third, McLaren always had the numbers to protect their man.
Norris's title is the reward for a season he started slowly and finished superbly. After a measured first half of the campaign, he found another gear after the summer, reeling in a deficit that had once looked significant before taking the crown by the narrowest of margins. It is his first championship in his seventh season in the sport.
McLaren, meanwhile, completed a first drivers' and constructors' title double since 1998, capping a remarkable turnaround for a team that spent years out of contention at the front of the grid. For Norris, the emotion poured out as soon as the result was confirmed. "I've not cried in a while and I didn't think I would cry but I did," he said. "I now know what Max feels like. I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It's been a pleasure to race against both of them."
Verstappen's victory was his eighth of 2025, one more than Norris and Piastri managed apiece, but the Dutchman's four-time championship reign ended by the narrowest of margins, decided over a full season of small moments rather than a single lap.
Norris becomes the 11th British world champion, following in the footsteps of Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell and Lewis Hamilton. At 26, with McLaren back at the top of the sport, the question now is not whether he can win a title, but how many more may follow.
Sources
- https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/articles/czrk61y2nyjo
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1088066/1/lando-norris-crowned-2025-f1-champion-after-tense-abu-dhabi-title-decider
