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Lando Norris is on top of the world.
Norris finished in third place at the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday night, but managed to do enough to retain the World Drivers’ Championship. He finished two points ahead of Max Verstappen and 13 points ahead of his McLaren compatriot, Oscar Piastri.
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McLaren driver Lando Norris of Great Britain celebrates after becoming world champion after the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, December 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Chbaïr)
Norris was in tears as he thanked his family and his McLaren team for helping him through a “long journey”.
“It’s amazing. Now I know a little bit about how Max feels,” Norris said. “…I enjoyed it. It’s been a long year, but we did it. I’m so proud of everyone.”
He is the 35th driver to win an F1 world championship. The ranking became very tight at the end of the season. Norris won the first race of the season, but Piastri took four victories in the next five races. Verstappen therefore won his second race before Norris.
Norris and Piastri would take the bulk of the wins midway through the season before Verstappen ended his eight-race drought without being on the top step of the podium. The Red Bull driver would be warming up after his victory at the Italian Grand Prix.
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after becoming world champion following the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, December 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
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Verstappen has won six of the last nine races and moved to the top of the standings. Norris and Piastri unintentionally made the World Championship race interesting when they were both disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen and Piastri would need Norris to really make a mistake to have a better chance of winning the championship, but the British superstar driver held on and won the first F1 title of his career.
Norris ends Verstappen’s reign as world champion. The Red Bull star has won the last four world championships. Lewis Hamilton was the last driver not named Verstappen to win an F1 title, but he had a stranglehold on the sport from 2014 to 2020, the only year he didn’t win was in 2016 (Nico Rosberg).
McLaren driver Lando Norris of England crosses the finish line to become world champion during the Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, December 7, 2025. (Andrej Isakovic, Swimming Pool via AP)
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Norris is the first McLaren driver to win since Hamilton in 2008.
