Lando Norris clinched his first Drivers’ Championship title, making him the 11th British driver to achieve this feat. The victory came after Norris finished third in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Heading into the race weekend, Norris held a 12-point lead over defending champion Max Verstappen. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, was also in contention, trailing Verstappen by four points.
Norris missed out on securing the championship in Qatar due to a strategic error by McLaren, allowing Verstappen to stay in the title hunt. The pressure was on Norris as he approached the Abu Dhabi race.
The scenario was straightforward for Norris: a podium finish would crown him world champion. He secured a front-row start in qualifying, edging out Piastri for second place on the grid behind Verstappen.
During the race, Norris had a solid start but was overtaken by Piastri early on. He then had to fend off pressure from Charles Leclerc, who showed strong race pace for Ferrari.
Strategic pit stops forced Norris to come in early, but quick work by the McLaren team kept him ahead of his rivals. Norris made decisive moves to regain positions and eventually found himself challenging Tsunoda.
A penalty for Tsunoda aided Norris as he continued to build his lead over Leclerc. McLaren reacted proactively to maintain their advantage by pitting Norris at the right time.
As the race progressed, Leclerc closed the gap, but Norris managed his tires effectively to keep the Ferrari driver at bay. Ultimately, Norris cruised to victory, sealing his long journey in F1 with the championship win.