Lando Norris became Formula 1’s newest world champion on Sunday night, sealing his maiden title with a composed third-place finish behind Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 26-year-old Briton arrived needing only to avoid disaster and delivered exactly that, surviving an early overtake by his McLaren teammate and a late-race stewards’ investigation to cross the line two points clear of Verstappen. When the chequered flag fell at Yas Marina Circuit, Norris collapsed in tears on the pit straight before climbing onto his car in celebration, ending a 25-year wait for McLaren’s first drivers’ crown since 1999 and crowning the Woking-based team with a historic double after already securing the constructors’ championship in Las Vegas.
The final podium was a masterclass in sportsmanship. Race winner Verstappen, denied a fifth consecutive title by the slimmest of margins, was among the first to congratulate his rival, posting on social media: “Unbelievably proud. We never gave up… @LandoNorris congratulations on your first championship. Well done, mate.” Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, watching the latest British driver join the pantheon he once dominated, beamed: “I’m really, really happy for Lando. Winning your first world title is truly special. The UK continues to pump out great drivers.” Even Piastri, who finished the year just 13 points behind his teammate, embraced Norris on the cooldown lap and later admitted the intra-team battle had been “a fun challenge”.
Celebrations quickly spilt beyond the F1 bubble. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed “Britain’s new @F1 champion,” while tennis superstars turned the title into a cross-sport moment. Novak Djokovic, a long-time F1 follower, wrote, “Congratulations, Lando! What a season! You are a world champion.” Jannik Sinner, fresh from his own 2025 Grand Slam successes and present trackside in Abu Dhabi, posted, “What a day. Incredible to watch… Huge congrats, @Lando, on your first F1 World Championship.” Carlos Alcaraz kept it simple but heartfelt: “Many congrats, @Lando!”
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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella called it “the perfect ending to an extraordinary journey,” praising Norris’s growth from the driver who once agonised over near misses to the one who finally converted pressure into silverware. Team CEO Zak Brown’s radio message—"Lando, this is Zak from McLaren. Is this the world champion hotline? You did “it” – captured the raw emotion inside the garage. The victory also marked sweet redemption for Norris, who had entered 2025 as the favourite only to fall behind Verstappen mid-season before a late surge of seven wins turned the tide.
Norris’s triumph ends Red Bull and Verstappen’s four-year stranglehold on the drivers’ crown and ushers in a new era just months before sweeping 2026 regulation changes. At 26, he becomes the third-youngest champion in F1 history, behind only Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, and the first Briton to claim the title since Hamilton in 2020. As the Yas Marina fireworks lit the desert sky and thousands of McLaren fans in papaya flooded the grandstands, Norris stood atop the podium, helmet off, soaking in a moment he described as “surreal”.
The sporting world now looks ahead to 2026 with renewed intrigue: a champion who has finally shed the “nearly man” label, a humbled Verstappen hungry for revenge, and a grid bracing for the biggest technical overhaul in a generation. For now, though, the spotlight belongs entirely to Lando Norris—Britain’s 12th Formula 1 world champion and the driver who turned relentless promise into undisputed glory under the Abu Dhabi lights.
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