McLaren driver Lando Norris broke down in happy tears as he claimed his first-ever Formula One world championship, ending Max Verstappen’s four-year dominance. Norris secured the title with a tense third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen, racing for Red Bull, closed the season with more wins than any other driver, eight in total, and also won the final race. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished second, crossing the line 12.5 seconds behind him.
With this result, Norris became Britain’s 11th Formula One world champion. He wrapped up the season with 423 points, followed by Verstappen with 421, while Piastri finished third overall with 410 points.
McLaren, who secured the constructors’ championship in October for the second year in a row, won both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.
“I’ve not cried in a while. I didn’t think I would cry but I did,” said an emotional Norris in a post-race interview, after also shedding tears inside his helmet.
“It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit.
“I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them. It’s been an honour, I’ve learned a lot from both,” he added, reported Reuters.
Norris’s mother Cisca gave Piastri a consoling hug while both Verstappen and the Australian congratulated the new champion in a show of sportsmanship.
The victory denied Verstappen the achievement of five titles in a row, something only Ferrari great Michael Schumacher has managed so far.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth in Sunday’s race for Ferrari with George Russell fifth for Mercedes and Fernando Alonso sixth for Aston Martin.
With inputs from Reuters
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
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