After 23 thrilling races, countless twists and turns and wheel-to-wheel battles, the 2025 Formula 1 season has come down to the final 58 laps under the floodlights of the Yas Marina circuit. Three drivers – Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri – entered the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a chance to win the most prestigious title in motorsport. For championship leader Lando Norris, the math was clear: a podium finish guaranteed him the crown, regardless of the outcome of his rivals. In a race that tested strategy, skill and, above all, nerve, the 26-year-old Briton delivered just that, ending Max Verstappen’s four-year reign and inscribing his name among the legends of the sport.
A calculated ride to historic success
The race started with maximum tension. Max Verstappen, starting from pole position, decisively closed the way for Norris on the approach to the first corner and kept the lead. However, the key moment came already in the first lap, when Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, pulled off one of the moves of the season. On the harder tire component, the Aussie bravely attacked Norris on the outside at the fast ninth turn to claim second place. The move immediately put Norris under direct pressure from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who followed him closely throughout the first part of the race, staying within a DRS second. Although the pressure was immense, Norris managed to keep his composure and create a minimal lead before the first pit stops.
McLaren opted for an early entry for Norris on lap 16, to fend off Leclerc’s early pitting strategy. The Brit returned to the track behind several riders on a different strategy, which presented a new challenge. But Norris showed the determination of a champion, quickly overtaking Kimi Antonelli and then Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson in the same turn. However, the biggest test of his nerves came in the fight with Yuki Tsunoda. The Red Bull driver, clearly intent on helping team-mate Verstappen, swerved aggressively on the straight, almost pushing Norris off the track. “Classic Red Bull bullshit,” was Norris’ engineer’s comment over the radio. The referees reacted and penalized Tsunoda with five seconds, while Norris went without sanctions and continued on his way. Once he cleared the traffic, the race entered a calmer phase for him. McLaren covered Leclerc’s second-stop strategy perfectly, giving Norris enough space to calmly finish the race in third – a position that won him everything.
The end of an era and McLaren’s return to the top
While Max Verstappen drove sovereignly to his eighth victory of the season, and Oscar Piastri confirmed a fantastic year with second place, all eyes were on Lando Norris, who crossed the finish line to become the 11th British world champion in history, the first after Lewis Hamilton in 2020. This is also the first driver’s title for McLaren since Hamilton’s 2008, with which the famous team from Woking rounded off a historic season in which they had previously also secured the constructors’ title. In the end, the championship was decided by a minimum difference of just two points – Norris ended the season with 423 points and Verstappen with 421.
The emotions were palpable. “I didn’t cry for a long time! I didn’t think I would, but I did,” Norris said over the team radio, thanking the team, his parents and everyone who supported him from the start. “Now I know how Max feels! I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my biggest competitors all season. It was a pleasure to race against both of them.” His success marks the culmination of many years of work and talent that has finally been crowned with the greatest prize in the world of racing. Behind the leaders, Charles Leclerc finished fourth, George Russell fifth, while Lewis Hamilton ended his difficult first season with Ferrari in eighth place after starting from 16th position.
The lowering of the flag in Abu Dhabi marks the end of the 2025 season and an era of technical rules in Formula 1. The sport now enters a winter break, followed by a complete revolution with new cars and power units for 2026. But before we turn to the future, the motorsport world will celebrate its new champion – Lando Norris.