Lando Norris Wins Debut Formula One Drivers' Crown in Yas Marina In Spite Of Verstappen's Grand Prix Win.
With a performance full of nerveless driving, the McLaren driver has clinched his first F1 world title by taking P3 at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Third place was sufficient for the British driver, even though Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the race and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished in second.
He delivered exactly what was required in an incredibly high-pressure contest at the Abu Dhabi track, featuring a number of audacious passing maneuvers, with impeccable work from both himself and his McLaren squad.
A Historic Achievement for British Motorsport and McLaren
With this his maiden world championship, Norris is now the 11th British driver to achieve this. This ends McLaren's drivers’ championship wait, which dated back to 2008 when Lewis Hamilton was their last champion. Additionally, it had been 27 years since McLaren last secured the championship double back in 1998.
It represents a stunning turnaround for the team, since a low point in the mid-2010s when they twice finished ninth in the standings. This resurgence has been spearheaded by team principal Zak Brown and, most recently, by Andrea Stella, who has built an well-drilled team with a very fast car.
The new champion executes a victory spin after securing the world championship.
The Story of the Teammates
Regarding his teammate Oscar Piastri, who had led the championship for a large part of the campaign, there was clear frustration at faltering in the closing stages. A series of poor performances and some errors, including crashing out in Baku, were expensive. Nevertheless, he finishes the season having demonstrated he is also of champion caliber. To have been so fast in only his third season in F1, with multiple victories, remains very impressive.
Max Verstappen too had been exceptional to take the title battle to the wire. The Dutchman did everything possible in Abu Dhabi with the win, but after fighting back from a 104-point deficit in August, he fell just short of having the points to overhaul Norris, ending up just a handful of points short.
Sealing the Deal with Clinical Precision
Norris closed out his title with clinical focus to take the championship that had been so close but remained just out of grasp as McLaren struggled at the previous two races. These included a DSQ in Las Vegas and then an egregious strategy call in Qatar.
It was no little accomplishment for the 26-year-old in his seventh year in F1, each one with McLaren. He remained loyal to the squad even during some difficult times, convinced they would come good. That belief was vindicated in Abu Dhabi.
Norris performed a remarkable job to stick at his goal, keeping his cool and belief during periods under the cosh. After losing the lead to Piastri after Saudi Arabia, he nonetheless worked at getting the most from what he could.
Norris closes on the car of another competitor during the race.
The Title-Deciding Grand Prix
At the start, Verstappen held his first place through turn one, but the main contenders kept it clean. Piastri, using the hard tyre, was feisty and made a brilliant move to go round the outside of Norris to claim second place.
This demonstrated the McLarens were free to race, but left Norris under threat from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Early pit visits saw Norris emerge in traffic, but he passed rivals within a lap and displayed no signs of nerves in his race craft.
On lap 19, he made an incredibly bold move to dive past two cars at once, climbing to fourth and closing on Verstappen's teammate. The rival team told their driver to delay Norris, which resulted in a dramatic overtaking attempt where Norris went up the inside line, almost leaving the track.
The incident was investigated by the stewards, with a few impossibly tense laps elapsing before a penalty for his rival and no further action for Norris was decided. This bold move unimpeded was vital to his championship bid.
Diverging Fortunes
As Norris became the first British driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, the contrast in form between the two was pronounced. While the new generation battled over the title, Hamilton, the veteran, could only finish eighth place in Abu Dhabi, a dismal conclusion to a difficult season with Ferrari.
His first season with the Scuderia had been greeted with excitement but has yielded what was easily his most challenging year ever, finishing sixth in the championship without a podium. He has appeared jaded in the closing races and will aim to reset over the off-season.
The champion celebrates on his car after being crowned the title winner.
