Lando Norris clinched his maiden Formula 1 title after securing a third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday, December 7. Norris became the 35th different champion in the history of the sport after pipping the resurgent Max Verstappen by just two points in the final tally.
Norris has become the first driver from McLaren to win an F1 title since Lewis Hamilton did so in 2008 for the papaya team, ending a long 17-year gap.
Coming into the final race in Abu Dhabi, Norris had a lead of 12 points over the second-placed Verstappen and of 16 points over his teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris needed just a podium finish to clinch his maiden F1 title and did just that by finishing third at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Norris makes Leclerc's attack toothless
Norris was challenged by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, but he made his challenge toothless. Ferrari showed glimpses of challenging the top three and Lando, but Leclerc just could not keep the pace up and pile enough pressure on the Brit. The two went for a two-stop strategy as McLaren looked to keep Norris' tyres fresh with Leclerc to avoid a late charge by the Ferrari man. McLaren executed the two pit stops to perfection as Norris came home third to win the title.
Verstappen's title run comes to an end
Meanwhile, Verstappen's title run has now come to an end. He was the four-time champion from 2021 to 2024, but now lost his crown by just two points. He had a great race, starting on medium tyres and then going for hard ones in his single pit-stop strategy. He had a chance to change his tyres in the final stages of the race with a strong gap over the second-placed Piastri, but decided not to, as he took the chequered flag but fell short of the championship by two points.
Oscar Piastri takes second, third in drivers' championship
Meanwhile, Australian driver Piastri took second place at the Abu Dhabi GP, after having overtaken Norris on lap one in the race earlier. He led the race for some time after being out for nearly 40 laps with a hard set of tyres on his car. He had a one-stop strategy and stayed second, well behind Verstappen but ahead of Norris as the race ended with Norris becoming the world champion.
