In a display of gutsy driving, the McLaren driver has clinched his first Formula One world championship by taking a podium finish at the Yas Marina race. Third place was enough for the British driver, even though his rival Max Verstappen finished first and his teammate at McLaren Oscar Piastri came home in second.
Norris executed exactly what was needed in an enormously high-pressure race at the Yas Marina Circuit, featuring a number of bold overtakes, with impeccable work from both the driver and his McLaren squad.
With this his first world championship, Norris is now the 11th driver from Britain to do so. This ends McLaren's drivers’ championship drought, which dated back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton last won it. Additionally, it had been 27 years since McLaren achieved the drivers’ and constructors’ double back in 1998.
It signifies a incredible turnaround for the team, since a low point in the mid-2010s 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 built an operationally sharp outfit with a hugely competitive car.
The new champion performs a victory donut after securing the world championship.
For his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had looked so strong for much of the season, there was clear frustration at stumbling in the final third. A series of difficult weekends and some errors, such as a crash in Baku, proved costly. Nevertheless, he emerges having demonstrated he is too of champion caliber. Being so fast in only his third season in F1, with seven wins, remains a huge achievement.
Max Verstappen was also exceptional to force the title battle to the wire. He did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the win, but after fighting back from a 104-point deficit mid-season, he did not quite have enough to overhaul Norris, ending up just two points short.
Norris closed out his title with clinical focus to take the championship that had been so close but eluded him as McLaren found themselves floundering at the last two rounds. First a double disqualification in Las Vegas and then an egregious tactical decision in Qatar.
This represents a significant accomplishment for the 26-year-old in his seventh year in F1, each one with McLaren. He remained loyal to the squad even during tough periods, convinced they would come good. That faith was vindicated in Abu Dhabi.
Norris performed a remarkable job to stick at his task, maintaining his cool and belief during periods under pressure. After losing the lead to Piastri earlier, he still worked at getting the most from what he could.
Lando Norris closes on the car of another competitor during the grand prix.
In the race, Verstappen held his first place through the first corner, but the main contenders avoided contact. Piastri, using the hard tyre, was aggressive and made a brilliant move to pass the outside of Norris to take second place.
It showed the McLarens were allowed to fight, but left Norris under pressure from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit visits saw Norris emerge in 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 overtake two cars at once, moving up to fourth and closing on Verstappen's teammate. The rival team told their driver to delay Norris, leading to a breathtaking assault where Norris went up the inside, almost completely off the track.
The incident was looked at by the race officials, with a few impossibly tense laps elapsing before a time penalty for his rival and exoneration for Norris was decided. This bold move without being held up was vital to his title fight.
While Norris became the first British driver to take the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the difference in form 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 dismal conclusion to a difficult season with Ferrari.
His first season with the Scuderia had been greeted with enthusiasm but has yielded what was easily his worst season ever, finishing sixth in the championship without a podium. He has looked weary in the closing races and will look to reset over the winter.
The champion revels on his car after becoming world champion.
