Lando Norris crowned 2025 Formula 1 World Champion after tense Abu Dhabi finale

7/lando-norris-world-champion-abu-dhabi-grand-prix/] “The championship leader is looking more in his rearview mirrors than what is ahead,” as one live commentary put it. “It is vital he maintains third at the very least.” [Source: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/live-text/f1-abu-dhabi-gp-live-commentary-and-updates-race-1126198/1126199/] McLaren pulled the trigger first among the title contenders, calling Norris in on lap 16 for hard tyres, along with Leclerc and Fernando Alonso. Norris rejoined in heavy traffic and had to carve decisively through a DRS train led by Kimi Antonelli, Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson to re‑establish his net third place. [Source: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-secures-maiden-f1-title-in-abu-dhabi-with-podium-finish-behind.EMJtmvRA0uzmzUC4MZgmw] The most fraught moment came when he reached outgoing Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda. Defending for his team‑mate Verstappen, Tsunoda weaved aggressively on the straight; Norris briefly flirted with the grass but made the move stick under braking. The stewards looked into both Tsunoda’s weaving and whether Norris had left the track and gained an advantage. In the end, Tsunoda received a five‑second penalty and Norris was cleared – a crucial call that preserved the title‑deciding third place. [Source: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-secures-maiden-f1-title-in-abu-dhabi-with-podium-finish-behind.EMJtmvRA0uzmzUC4MZgmw] From there, the race evolved into parallel storylines. Verstappen pitted on lap 23, swapped to hards and undercut his way back into a commanding lead, eventually repassing Piastri on lap 41 to win by over 12 seconds. Piastri’s long first stint on hard tyres and late switch to mediums secured him a strong second place and third in the standings. Norris, running a conventional two‑stop, had Leclerc launch a late charge on fresher mediums but answered every push, keeping the Ferrari around five seconds back to the flag. [Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6869760/2025/12/07/lando-norris-world-champion-abu-dhabi-grand-prix/] “Keep it under control” was the message from the McLaren pit wall. That is precisely what he did. Verstappen crossed the line first, but 15.5 seconds later Norris took the chequered flag in third, broke into a series of celebratory donuts on the main straight and finally allowed himself to process what he had achieved. “It’s a moment that I’ll never forget,” he said later. “I’m happy for everyone more than I am for me, but I’m crazy happy.” [Source: https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2025/abu-dhabi-grand-prix/lando-norris-world-championship-reaction] ### A season‑long duel with Piastri and Verstappen Abu Dhabi was the finale to what will go down as one of modern F1’s most compelling three‑way title fights. Norris’ championship narrative had everything: early dominance, mid‑season doubt, inter‑team friction and a late surge against a resurgent four‑time champion. He set the tone with victory in the season‑opening Australian Grand Prix, surviving a chaotic, rain‑hit race to beat Verstappen and claim first blood. But over the next stretch it was Piastri who looked the sharper McLaren driver: wins in China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and later Spain swung the momentum towards the Australian, who snatched the points lead in Jeddah as Norris’ qualifying errors and a crash in Q3 exposed the pressure. [Source: https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/47150332/how-lando-norris-won-2025-f1-title-formula-1-championship-max-verstappen-oscar-piastri] Norris’ response began on the streets of Monaco, where he delivered a stunning pole lap and lights‑to‑flag victory, then escalated at his home race at Silverstone later in the summer. By the August break, the intra‑team rivalry with Piastri had produced flashpoints – most notably the controversial team‑orders swap at Monza, where McLaren instructed Piastri to hand a position back to Norris after a slow stop flipped their running order. That six‑point swing lingered as a sore point within the camp, and loomed especially large as the title went down to the wire. [Source: https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/47150332/how-lando-norris-won-2025-f1-title-formula-1-championship-max-verstappen-oscar-piastri] Then came what looked like the decisive blow against Norris: a chassis‑related failure in the closing laps of the Dutch Grand Prix while running second to Piastri. The retirement dropped him 34 points behind his team‑mate and, briefly, freed him from the suffocating weight of expectation. “[I] just want to go have a burger and go home,” he admitted that evening. Yet that low seemed to unlock his best form. As Piastri’s run of results stuttered and Verstappen’s Red Bull remained dangerous but inconsistent, Norris strung together a ruthless late‑season push. Back‑to‑back victories in Mexico City and São Paulo, plus a sprint win in Brazil, propelled him back to the top of the standings and re‑established him as clear favourite heading into the final three races. [Source: https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/47150332/how-lando-norris-won-2025-f1-title-formula-1-championship-max-verstappen-oscar-piastri] Even then, the title race refused to settle. In Las Vegas, both McLarens were disqualified for excessive plank wear after finishing second (Norris) and third (Piastri), wiping out a haul of points and inviting Verstappen fully into the fight. A week later in Qatar, a conservative McLaren strategy call not to pit under safety car left Verstappen to snatch victory ahead of Piastri, with Norris only fourth. What had looked like a comfortable run‑in for the Briton was transformed into a knife‑edge decider: he arrived in Abu Dhabi 12 points clear, but Verstappen had clawed himself back into range with six wins from the last nine races. [Source: https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/47151000/lando-norris-wins-first-f1-world-title-championship-2025-abu-dhabi-mclaren] ### The scale of Norris’ achievement That Norris held his nerve under such circumstances speaks volumes about how far he has grown from the “nearly man” of his early F1 years. Between 2019 and 2023 he amassed a record‑breaking tally of podiums without a win, came agonisingly close to victory in races like Sochi 2021, and at times seemed destined to be defined by what he hadn’t yet accomplished. The turning point came with McLaren’s mid‑2023 and 2024 resurgence, capped by his maiden victory at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix and three further wins that year. That purple patch carried into 2025. According to McLaren, Norris’ title‑winning campaign featured seven grand prix victories, seven poles and 18 podiums – the most podium finishes in a single season by any McLaren driver. [Source: https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2025/abu-dhabi-grand-prix/lando-norris-world-championship-reaction] More broadly, the championship restores McLaren to a place it has not occupied for a generation. Norris becomes the eighth driver to win a drivers’ crown with the team, joining legends like Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen and Hamilton. He is also Britain’s 11th world champion and the country’s first since Hamilton’s last title in 2020, underlining the depth of the UK’s connection with the sport. [Source: https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2025/abu-dhabi-grand-prix/lando-norris-world-championship-reaction] Statistically, the numbers are equally striking. Norris’ title ends Verstappen’s streak of four consecutive championships (2021–2024) and makes him the 35th driver to be crowned world champion in Formula 1’s 75‑year history. ESPN notes he finished on the podium in 19 of the 24 grands prix this season – an extraordinary level of consistency that ultimately proved decisive in a campaign where McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari all had peaks and troughs in performance. [Source: https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/47151000/lando-norris-wins-first-f1-world-title-championship-2025-abu-dhabi-mclaren] “It’s been a long journey with me and McLaren,” Norris reflected. “I’ve been with them for like nine years… for me to feel like I can bring something back to them, it’s their first Drivers’ [title] in many, many years. I feel like I did my part for the team this year and I’m very proud of myself for that, but I’m even more proud of everyone that I’ve hopefully made cry!” [Source: https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-1/2025/abu-dhabi-grand-prix/lando-norris-world-championship-reaction] ### What it means heading into F1’s new era Norris’ coronation also comes at a natural turning point for the sport itself. Abu Dhabi was the final race under the current technical regulations before Formula 1 moves to radically revised car and engine rules in 2026. As The Athletic noted in its post‑race briefing, the 2025 season may prove to have been the high‑water mark of this era: a year of converging performance, close racing and a genuine three‑way title fight between different teams. [Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6869760/2025/12/07/lando-norris-world-champion-abu-dhabi-grand-prix/] McLaren arrive at that crossroads as double world champions, having already secured the constructors’ title earlier in the year, and with arguably the most formidable driver pairing on the grid in Norris and Piastri. Verstappen and Red Bull, wounded but far from broken, will now regroup around the challenge of retaking their crown with an all‑new car. For Norris, though, the future can wait – for one night at least. From the moment he climbed out of the MCL39, stood atop it on the Abu Dhabi main straight and saluted the crowd through tears, this was his and McLaren’s time. “There aren’t many people in the world, not many people in Formula 1, who ever get to experience what I’ve experienced this season and this year,” he said. “So I’m happy for everyone… It’s pretty surreal.” [Source: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/ive-dreamed-of-this-for-a-long-time-norris-shares-emotional-reaction-to.67xqJKYyMr6vHBZLpDPtco]