Lando Norris clinched the Drivers’ Championship title, making him the 11th British driver to achieve this feat following his third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Heading into the race, Norris held a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, with his teammate Oscar Piastri also in contention, trailing Verstappen by four points.
Norris missed an opportunity to secure the championship in the previous race in Qatar due to a strategic error by McLaren, allowing Verstappen to stay in the title fight. The pressure was high on Norris as he aimed for the championship in Abu Dhabi.
Qualifying saw Norris secure a front-row start by outpacing Piastri, placing behind Verstappen on pole position. In the race, Norris had a good start but was overtaken by Piastri early on, who displayed strong performance on harder tires. He then faced pressure from Charles Leclerc, who stayed close behind him.
Norris made a crucial pit stop to avoid being undercut by competitors, rejoining the race ahead of Leclerc after a quick service by his team. As the race progressed, Norris navigated through traffic and capitalized on a penalty given to Tsunoda for defensive driving.
Maintaining a comfortable lead, Norris managed his race well, extending the gap to Leclerc. Piastri, on a different strategy, pitted later in the race, prompting McLaren to react to secure Norris’ position. With a controlled drive, Norris successfully held off Leclerc’s late charge and crossed the finish line to claim the championship, marking a significant achievement in his seven-year F1 career and a triumph for British motorsport.