The British McLaren driver won the world title in the category for the first time.
This Sunday, Lando Norris wrote one of the most memorable pages in the recent history of Formula 1. The British McLaren driver won, for the first time, the world title in the category, finishing the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in third place, a result sufficient to guarantee the championship after a season marked by balance, consistency and extremely high tension until the last lap.
The decisive race at the Yas Marina circuit was won by Max Verstappen, who needed a near-perfect combination to take the title. Norris started under pressure, remained among the leaders throughout the race and maturely handled a scenario in which any mistake could cost him his championship dream. Even though he was overtaken by Oscar Piastri from the start, the Briton did not destabilize and led McLaren intelligently to the final flag.
By the end of the championship, Norris had scored 423 points, just two more than Verstappen, in one of the tightest races in the modern era of Formula 1. The tiny difference was a true reflection of what the season was all about: multiple winners, constant alternation at the top of the standings and strategic decisions that weighed as much as pure performance on the track.
At 26, Norris definitively joins the select group of world champions in the category and becomes the first McLaren driver to win the title since 2008, when Lewis Hamilton was champion. This feat ends the British team’s 17-year absence from the World Drivers’ Championship and symbolizes McLaren’s definitive return to the leading role in Formula 1 after years of technical and sporting reconstruction.
Norris’ season has been marked by impressive consistency. Unlike previous years, in which occasional victories did not turn into solid campaigns, the Briton stood out in 2025 for his consistency: few errors, frequent presence on the podium and mature decisions in moments of greatest pressure. The title was not only built on great victories, but above all on the ability to score points even though the car was not the fastest on the grid.
The 2025 championship also marks the end of the recent hegemony of Max Verstappen, multiple champion who dominated previous seasons. However, the Red Bull driver was the protagonist until the last moment, winning the final race and pushing the conflict to the maximum.
Norris’ achievement represents more than a personal triumph. It marks a new phase of Formula 1, with McLaren once again among the dominant forces and with a champion formed as part of a long-term project, started in the youth categories. For the category, the title decided during the last race reinforces the moment of renewal and competitiveness celebrated by fans and experts.
By crossing the finish line in Abu Dhabi, Lando Norris not only confirmed a historic championship, but also consolidated his name among the greats of Formula 1, opening a new chapter in the recent history of the sport and establishing himself as a reference for the new generation of drivers.
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