Through an exhibition of nerveless driving, Lando Norris has won his maiden F1 world title by securing third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. That finish was enough for the 26-year-old driver, despite the fact that Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished first and his teammate at McLaren Oscar Piastri came home in second.
The driver performed exactly what was required in an extremely intense race at the Abu Dhabi track, featuring a number of audacious passing maneuvers, with impeccable execution from both himself and his McLaren squad.
A Historic Accomplishment for British Motorsport and McLaren
In taking his first world championship, Norris becomes the eleventh British driver to achieve this. This ends McLaren's title drought, which went back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton last won it. Furthermore, it had been 27 years since McLaren achieved the drivers’ and constructors’ double back in 1998.
It signifies a remarkable revival for the Woking-based outfit, since a nadir in the mid-2010s when they ended up ninth in the standings. The comeback has been led by team principal Zak Brown and, most recently, by Andrea Stella, who has delivered an efficient team with a hugely competitive car.
The new champion executes a celebratory donut after securing the world championship.
The Story of the Teammates
For the Australian Oscar Piastri, who had been the favorite for much of the season, there was obvious disappointment at stumbling in the final third. Several of difficult weekends and mistakes, such as crashing out in Baku, proved costly. However, he finishes the season having demonstrated he is also of champion caliber. Being so fast in only his third season in F1, with seven wins, remains a huge achievement.
Max Verstappen too had been brilliant to force the fight to the wire. He 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 the points to catch Norris, finishing just two points short.
Closing it Out with Ruthless Precision
Norris closed out his success with ruthless precision to take the crown that had been within reach but eluded him as McLaren struggled at the last two races. These included a double disqualification in Las Vegas and then an questionable strategy call in Qatar.
It was a significant accomplishment 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 return to the top. 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 pressure. After losing the championship lead to Piastri after Saudi Arabia, he nonetheless worked at maximising the car's potential.
Norris closes on the car of Yuki Tsunoda during the race.
The Decisive Race
In the race, Verstappen held his first place through turn one, but the main contenders avoided contact. Piastri, using the hard tyre, was aggressive 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 threat from the Charles Leclerc. Early pit visits saw Norris emerge in traffic, but he overtook rivals within a lap and showed great composure in his driving.
On lap 19, he made an absolutely bravura move to dive past two cars at once, climbing to fourth and catching Verstappen's teammate. Red Bull told 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 looked at by the race officials, with a few nerve-wracking laps passing before a time penalty for his rival and exoneration for Norris settled the matter. This decisive charge without being held up was vital to his title fight.
Diverging Fortunes
As Norris was crowned the first British driver to take the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the difference in fortunes between the two was stark. While the new generation fought for the title, Hamilton, the veteran, could only finish eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a disappointing ending to a dismal season with Ferrari.
His first season with the Italian team had been met by excitement 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 looked weary in the final rounds and will look to rebuild over the winter.
Lando Norris revels on his car after becoming the title winner.
