🔗 Share this article Lando Norris Wins Maiden Formula One World Championship in Yas Marina In Spite Of Verstappen's Grand Prix Win. Through an exhibition of brave driving, the McLaren driver has sealed his maiden F1 world title by achieving a podium finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. That finish was sufficient for the British 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 extremely high-pressure battle at the Abu Dhabi track, including a number of bold overtakes, with impeccable execution from both himself and his team. An Important Feat for Britain and McLaren By winning his maiden world championship, Norris is now the eleventh driver from Britain to accomplish the feat. It also brings to an end McLaren's drivers’ championship wait, which went back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton last won it. Furthermore, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the championship double back in 1998. It signifies a incredible revival for the team, from a nadir in the mid-2010s when they ended up ninth in the standings. The comeback has been spearheaded by team principal Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an operationally sharp team with a very fast car. The new champion executes a celebratory donut after winning the world championship. A Tale of Two McLaren For the Australian Oscar Piastri, who had been the favorite for much of the season, there was obvious frustration at stumbling in the final third. Several of difficult weekends and mistakes, such as a crash in Baku, proved costly. However, he emerges having shown he is also of champion caliber. To have been so competitive in only his third season in F1, with seven wins, remains very impressive. Max Verstappen too had been exceptional to force the title battle down to the last race. The Dutchman did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the race victory, but after fighting back from a significant deficit in August, he fell just short of having enough to overhaul Norris, finishing just two points behind. Sealing the Deal with Ruthless Execution He secured his success with ruthless focus to take the crown that had been so close but remained just out of grasp as McLaren struggled at the last two rounds. These included a DSQ in Las Vegas and then an questionable tactical decision in Qatar. This represents a significant accomplishment for the driver in his seventh year in F1, all of them with McLaren. He remained loyal to the squad even during some difficult times, believing they would return to the top. That belief was rewarded in Abu Dhabi. Norris performed a hugely impressive job to stick at his task, keeping his cool and confidence even when under the cosh. After losing the championship lead to Piastri earlier, he still worked at getting the most from what he could. Lando Norris chases down the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda 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 aggressive and made a brilliant move to pass the outside of Norris to claim second place. It showed the McLarens were free to race, but put Norris under threat from the Charles Leclerc. The first round pit stops saw Norris emerge in traffic, but he passed rivals quickly and showed no signs of nerves in his driving. During the race, he made an incredibly bold move to overtake two cars at once, moving up to fourth and catching Verstappen's teammate. Red Bull instructed their driver to delay Norris, leading to a dramatic assault where Norris burst up the inside, almost leaving the track. The incident was looked at by the stewards, with several impossibly tense laps elapsing before a time penalty for his rival and no further action for Norris was decided. This bold move without being held up was crucial to his championship bid. Contrasting Fates While Norris became the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the contrast in form between the two was pronounced. As the young guns battled over the title, Hamilton, the veteran, could manage only eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a disappointing conclusion to a dismal season with Ferrari. His first season with the Italian team had been greeted with enthusiasm but produced what was easily his worst season ever, finishing sixth in the championship and failing to secure a top-three finish. He has appeared weary in the final rounds and will look to rebuild over the winter. Lando Norris revels on his car after becoming the title winner.
Through an exhibition of brave driving, the McLaren driver has sealed his maiden F1 world title by achieving a podium finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. That finish was sufficient for the British 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 extremely high-pressure battle at the Abu Dhabi track, including a number of bold overtakes, with impeccable execution from both himself and his team. An Important Feat for Britain and McLaren By winning his maiden world championship, Norris is now the eleventh driver from Britain to accomplish the feat. It also brings to an end McLaren's drivers’ championship wait, which went back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton last won it. Furthermore, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the championship double back in 1998. It signifies a incredible revival for the team, from a nadir in the mid-2010s when they ended up ninth in the standings. The comeback has been spearheaded by team principal Zak Brown and, more recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an operationally sharp team with a very fast car. The new champion executes a celebratory donut after winning the world championship. A Tale of Two McLaren For the Australian Oscar Piastri, who had been the favorite for much of the season, there was obvious frustration at stumbling in the final third. Several of difficult weekends and mistakes, such as a crash in Baku, proved costly. However, he emerges having shown he is also of champion caliber. To have been so competitive in only his third season in F1, with seven wins, remains very impressive. Max Verstappen too had been exceptional to force the title battle down to the last race. The Dutchman did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the race victory, but after fighting back from a significant deficit in August, he fell just short of having enough to overhaul Norris, finishing just two points behind. Sealing the Deal with Ruthless Execution He secured his success with ruthless focus to take the crown that had been so close but remained just out of grasp as McLaren struggled at the last two rounds. These included a DSQ in Las Vegas and then an questionable tactical decision in Qatar. This represents a significant accomplishment for the driver in his seventh year in F1, all of them with McLaren. He remained loyal to the squad even during some difficult times, believing they would return to the top. That belief was rewarded in Abu Dhabi. Norris performed a hugely impressive job to stick at his task, keeping his cool and confidence even when under the cosh. After losing the championship lead to Piastri earlier, he still worked at getting the most from what he could. Lando Norris chases down the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda 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 aggressive and made a brilliant move to pass the outside of Norris to claim second place. It showed the McLarens were free to race, but put Norris under threat from the Charles Leclerc. The first round pit stops saw Norris emerge in traffic, but he passed rivals quickly and showed no signs of nerves in his driving. During the race, he made an incredibly bold move to overtake two cars at once, moving up to fourth and catching Verstappen's teammate. Red Bull instructed their driver to delay Norris, leading to a dramatic assault where Norris burst up the inside, almost leaving the track. The incident was looked at by the stewards, with several impossibly tense laps elapsing before a time penalty for his rival and no further action for Norris was decided. This bold move without being held up was crucial to his championship bid. Contrasting Fates While Norris became the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the contrast in form between the two was pronounced. As the young guns battled over the title, Hamilton, the veteran, could manage only eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a disappointing conclusion to a dismal season with Ferrari. His first season with the Italian team had been greeted with enthusiasm but produced what was easily his worst season ever, finishing sixth in the championship and failing to secure a top-three finish. He has appeared weary in the final rounds and will look to rebuild over the winter. Lando Norris revels on his car after becoming the title winner.