After seven seasons and four career wins leading into 2025 , Lando Norris sealed his first Formula 1 world championship on Sunday, winning the 2025 title with a third-place finish – and earning enough points to hold off his opposition – at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Though Max Verstappen dominated the race from pole, the Red Bull driver fell two points short of extending his streak of four consecutive titles.
Norris, 26, arrived at Yas Marina with a 12-point advantage over Verstappen and a 16-point buffer over his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. All three remained in mathematical contention, but Norris needed only a podium to close out the championship — and he executed that plan with precision despite constant pressure throughout the race.
Verstappen led the field comfortably, while Piastri slipped into second early, passing Norris on the opening lap. Norris briefly came under attack from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, then navigated a tense middle stint after pitting on Lap 17 and rejoining in traffic. He sliced through slower cars to retain the crucial third position, even surviving an aggressive defensive move from Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, who later received a five-second penalty. McLaren CEO Zak Brown called it “a dangerous and unnecessary maneuver.”
From there, McLaren split strategies between its two drivers; Norris made a second stop to cover Leclerc, while Piastri stayed out longer before his final stop, ultimately emerging too far behind Verstappen to challenge for victory. Norris held firm in third for the remainder of the race.
The final standings had Norris at 423 points, Verstappen at 421, and Piastri closing his breakout campaign with 410. Norris becomes the 35th world champion in Formula 1’s history and the first McLaren driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 to lift the trophy. His triumph also coincided with McLaren securing its second consecutive constructors’ title.
Norris was overcome with emotion after hearing confirmation that he was world champion, saying on F1TV: “It’s a long journey It feels amazing. … I’m just crazy happy. … Thank you guys. I love you guys, thanks for everything. I love you Mum, I love you Dad. And I’m crying!”
Sunday’s result also ended Verstappen’s four-year run atop the sport. The Dutchman later acknowledged that McLaren’s divergent strategies complicated his options: “What complicated, also, a bit, was that Oscar was on a different strategy .. So there was really not much that I could have done different.”
For Piastri, the result was bittersweet. “Obviously I would have wished for a slightly different ending,” he said, though he praised his teammate as “a deserving champion.” The Australian leaves 2025 with seven race wins and his strongest season yet.
Looking ahead, F1 faces a major reset in 2026 as new regulations arrive alongside an 11th team, the GM-backed Cadillac entry. Norris said that “I need to understand what I can do better. I feel like I did that this year and I’ve got to do that even more next year if I want to retain what we’ve been able to achieve this year.”
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