🔗 Share this article Lando Norris Claims First F1 Drivers' Crown in Abu Dhabi In Spite Of Max Verstappen's Race Triumph. With a performance full of gutsy racing, the McLaren driver has won his debut F1 world title by achieving P3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A podium was sufficient for the 26-year-old driver, even though Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished first and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri came home in second. He delivered exactly what was needed in an enormously intense contest at the Yas Marina Circuit, featuring a number of audacious passing maneuvers, with impeccable execution from both the driver and his team. An Important Accomplishment for Britain and The Team With this his first world championship, Norris is now the eleventh British driver to achieve this. It concludes McLaren's drivers’ championship drought, which stretched back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton was their last champion. Furthermore, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the drivers’ and constructors’ double back in 1998. It represents a stunning revival for the Woking-based outfit, from a low point in the mid-2010s when they twice finished ninth in the constructors’ championship. The comeback has been helmed by team principal Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an efficient outfit with a race-winning car. The new champion executes a celebratory spin after securing the world championship. A Tale of Two McLaren Regarding his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had looked so strong for much of the campaign, there was clear disappointment at faltering in the later races. Several of poor performances and some errors, including a crash in Baku, were expensive. Nevertheless, he emerges having demonstrated he is also world champion material. To have been so competitive in only his third season in F1, with multiple victories, remains a huge achievement. Verstappen was also exceptional to force the fight down to the last race. He did all he could in Abu Dhabi with the win, but having come back from a significant deficit mid-season, he did not quite have the points to catch Norris, finishing just a handful of points behind. Sealing the Deal with Ruthless Execution Norris closed out his title with clinical precision to take the championship that had been within reach but remained just out of grasp as McLaren found themselves floundering at the last two rounds. These included a double disqualification in Las Vegas and then an egregious tactical decision in Qatar. It was no little achievement for the driver in his seventh season in F1, all of them with McLaren. He stuck with the team even during tough periods, convinced they would return to the top. That faith was rewarded in Abu Dhabi. Norris performed a remarkable job to persist with his goal, keeping his cool and belief during periods under the cosh. After losing the lead to Piastri after Saudi Arabia, he still worked at maximising the car's potential. Lando Norris closes on the car of another competitor during the race. The Title-Deciding Grand Prix In the race, Verstappen held his lead through turn one, but the three title leaders kept it clean. Piastri, starting on the more durable compound, was aggressive and made a spectacular move to go round the outside of Norris to take second place. This demonstrated the McLarens were free to race, but put Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit visits saw Norris emerge in traffic, but he overtook rivals within a lap and showed 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 told their driver to hold up Norris, leading to a breathtaking assault where Norris went up the inside, nearly completely off the track. The incident was looked at by the race officials, with several nerve-wracking laps elapsing before a penalty for his rival and exoneration for Norris was decided. This bold move unimpeded was vital to his championship bid. Diverging Fortunes As Norris was crowned the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the difference in form between the two was pronounced. While the new generation battled over the title, Hamilton, the grand champion, could only finish eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a dismal ending to a difficult season with Ferrari. Making his debut with the Italian team had been greeted with excitement but has yielded what was comfortably his most challenging year ever, ending up sixth in the championship without a top-three finish. He has appeared jaded in the closing races and will aim to reset over the off-season. The champion celebrates on his car after becoming world champion.
With a performance full of gutsy racing, the McLaren driver has won his debut F1 world title by achieving P3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A podium was sufficient for the 26-year-old driver, even though Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished first and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri came home in second. He delivered exactly what was needed in an enormously intense contest at the Yas Marina Circuit, featuring a number of audacious passing maneuvers, with impeccable execution from both the driver and his team. An Important Accomplishment for Britain and The Team With this his first world championship, Norris is now the eleventh British driver to achieve this. It concludes McLaren's drivers’ championship drought, which stretched back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton was their last champion. Furthermore, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the drivers’ and constructors’ double back in 1998. It represents a stunning revival for the Woking-based outfit, from a low point in the mid-2010s when they twice finished ninth in the constructors’ championship. The comeback has been helmed by team principal Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an efficient outfit with a race-winning car. The new champion executes a celebratory spin after securing the world championship. A Tale of Two McLaren Regarding his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had looked so strong for much of the campaign, there was clear disappointment at faltering in the later races. Several of poor performances and some errors, including a crash in Baku, were expensive. Nevertheless, he emerges having demonstrated he is also world champion material. To have been so competitive in only his third season in F1, with multiple victories, remains a huge achievement. Verstappen was also exceptional to force the fight down to the last race. He did all he could in Abu Dhabi with the win, but having come back from a significant deficit mid-season, he did not quite have the points to catch Norris, finishing just a handful of points behind. Sealing the Deal with Ruthless Execution Norris closed out his title with clinical precision to take the championship that had been within reach but remained just out of grasp as McLaren found themselves floundering at the last two rounds. These included a double disqualification in Las Vegas and then an egregious tactical decision in Qatar. It was no little achievement for the driver in his seventh season in F1, all of them with McLaren. He stuck with the team even during tough periods, convinced they would return to the top. That faith was rewarded in Abu Dhabi. Norris performed a remarkable job to persist with his goal, keeping his cool and belief during periods under the cosh. After losing the lead to Piastri after Saudi Arabia, he still worked at maximising the car's potential. Lando Norris closes on the car of another competitor during the race. The Title-Deciding Grand Prix In the race, Verstappen held his lead through turn one, but the three title leaders kept it clean. Piastri, starting on the more durable compound, was aggressive and made a spectacular move to go round the outside of Norris to take second place. This demonstrated the McLarens were free to race, but put Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit visits saw Norris emerge in traffic, but he overtook rivals within a lap and showed 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 told their driver to hold up Norris, leading to a breathtaking assault where Norris went up the inside, nearly completely off the track. The incident was looked at by the race officials, with several nerve-wracking laps elapsing before a penalty for his rival and exoneration for Norris was decided. This bold move unimpeded was vital to his championship bid. Diverging Fortunes As Norris was crowned the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the difference in form between the two was pronounced. While the new generation battled over the title, Hamilton, the grand champion, could only finish eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a dismal ending to a difficult season with Ferrari. Making his debut with the Italian team had been greeted with excitement but has yielded what was comfortably his most challenging year ever, ending up sixth in the championship without a top-three finish. He has appeared jaded in the closing races and will aim to reset over the off-season. The champion celebrates on his car after becoming world champion.