McLaren’s Lando Norris became Formula One world champion for the first time in Abu Dhabi, edging Max Verstappen to the title by just two points after a tense season finale.

Lando Norris sealed his maiden Formula One championship on Sunday, bringing an end to Max Verstappen’s four-year grip on the title with a nervy third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver did enough to stay ahead in the standings as Verstappen won the race and team mate Oscar Piastri crossed the line second. The result closed out one of the tightest three-way title battles in recent seasons, with Norris finishing the year on 423 points, just ahead of Verstappen on 421 and Piastri on 410.

Verstappen, who took more race victories than any other driver this season with eight wins, arrived in Abu Dhabi still in mathematical contention and delivered under pressure with another dominant performance at Yas Marina. But the Dutchman’s late surge was not quite enough to overturn Norris’s advantage built up over a consistent campaign.

For Norris, the podium in Abu Dhabi capped a breakthrough season in which he combined raw speed with far greater composure on Sundays, turning regular podiums into a full-scale title challenge.

The result also underlined McLaren’s resurgence at the front of the grid. The team had already wrapped up the constructors’ championship in October for the second year running, but this is the first time since 1998 that the Woking outfit has secured both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles in the same season.

 

With Norris now Britain’s 11th Formula One world champion and Piastri firmly established as a contender, McLaren head into the winter as the benchmark team – and Verstappen, no longer the man to beat, with a new rival in orange to chase.

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