Lando Norris held off pressure from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to clinch his maiden Formula One World Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday (Dec 7) night, bringing the curtain down on a dramatic season while dethroning the Dutchman.
With just 12 points separating the top three heading into the finale, the title permutations were finely poised, and Norris knew a podium finish would be enough to secure the title regardless of his rivals’ results.
Starting second on the grid, the McLaren driver executed a clean launch into turn one but was overtaken by teammate Piastri in the opening lap, to sit in third.
And third was where he finished, just enough to be crowned world champion after Verstappen’s four-year chokehold on the driver’s title, with his total of 423 just edging the Red Bull driver’s 421. The 26-year-old also became the 11th Briton to win the championship and helped McLaren to a double (driver’s and constructor’s) for the first time since 1998.
“You have made my dreams come true,” Norris thanked his team over the radio, with tears falling on his slowing down lap at the Yas Marina circuit.
Meanwhile, Verstappen’s hopes of a five-peat were dashed despite notching his eighth win of the season, with the record of five successive drivers’ titles remaining in the hands of Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher.
But his late-season comeback, after trailing then-leader Piastri by 104 points in August, was one to be remembered and applauded, adding drama to the final round of the calendar.
In third after the opening lap, Norris had to deal with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was close behind and did well to pull out of DRS range.
Both drivers pitted on lap 16, with Norris rejoining in ninth. The Briton carved his way through the traffic but was held up by Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Some chaotic defence by Tsunoda caused Norris to veer off track as he attempted an overtake. Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) stewards later slapped Tsunoda with a five-second penalty at the pits for making more than one change of direction, while Norris was crucially cleared of gaining an advantage by leaving the track.
After averting crisis, Norris saw out the race by staving off the attacks of Leclerc, maintaining his position to achieve his “childhood dream”.
Leclerc brought his Ferrari home in fourth, with George Russell securing fifth for Mercedes. Fernando Alonso followed in sixth for Aston Martin, ahead of Haas’ Esteban Ocon in seventh, while Lewis Hamilton finished a dismal winless season, coming in eighth in his Ferrari. Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg claimed ninth, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completing the top 10.
