McLaren’s Lando Norris is Formula One’s newest champion of the world. The Briton held firm against title rivals Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to deliver a cool, calm and collected race as he took home motorsport’s most coveted prize. In 2017, McLaren signed 17-year-old Lando Norris to their Young Driver Programme.
On 7 December 2025, eight years later, Norris became a Formula One world champion, the team’s first since Lewis Hamilton in 2008. Talk about a return on investment. Norris arrived in Abu Dhabi for the final race ahead of his title rivals on points.
To win the championship, he only needed to cross the finish line third to secure the driver’s championship. But nothing was guaranteed. For the first time in years, the fight was down to three contenders, and Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen were on his heels.
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The pressure was on. Verstappen, who had made a historic comeback to title contention, qualified just ahead on pole, quickly dispelling any hopes for Norris that he could claim an easy victory. Piastri, who had led the championship for a considerable chunk of the year, qualified right behind Norris in third.
From lights to flag, Verstappen demonstrated in real time why ruling him out of a title fight is a mistake, no matter how improbable the chances may be. He drove a dominant race, fending off Norris on the opening lap. Piastri too was unwilling to let go of his title hopes, pulling a bold early move on his teammate that saw him take second place.
But both needed more than just excellent races to overtake Norris in the points; they needed Norris to fall significantly down the field, something that was ultimately out of their control. For a moment, it seemed they might get their wish. An alternative strategy saw Norris stuck in a DRS train after his pit stop, forcing him to fight his way back up again.
And then, after some impressive overtakes, the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was looming large in his mirrors. If the Monegasque caught up and snatched the final step on the podium, Verstappen could have a real chance of claiming his fifth driver’s championship. While Verstappen and Piastri ahead crossed fingers, it was not meant to be.
Verstappen beat Piastri to the chequered flag by 12 seconds, but Norris fended off the Ferrari by staying focused, precise and unflappable, crossing the line third to become the 35th new Formula 1 champion and the 11th from Britain. These nail-biting races that go down to the wire bring all the thrill and excitement of Formula 1 down to a single moment on the race track, but a championship is not won in one race. Rather, it is the steady, excellent work of hundreds of people who work together to earn results.
It is the dedication of a driver who shows up every weekend with determination and commitment to being better than the weekend before. Norris’s championship fight was a key reminder of this. That’s grit.
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