Verstappen wins the Abu Dhabi race, and a tearful Norris wins the Formula One title

McLaren’s Lando Norris shed tears of joy and relief as he clinched the Formula One championship for the first time, bringing an end to Max Verstappen’s four-year dominance with a tense third place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

Red Bull’s Verstappen secured his eighth victory of the season, surpassing the new champion’s total, as he clinched the season finale with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finishing in second place, 12.5 seconds adrift at the chequered flag.

Norris, at 26 years old, has become Britain’s 11th Formula One world champion and McLaren’s eighth since 1974. He has increased his points total to 423, while Verstappen follows closely with 421 and Piastri stands third with 410.

“I appreciate it, everyone,” he breathed into the team radio. “You have fulfilled my dreams.”

McLaren, having clinched the constructors’ championship in October for the second consecutive year, achieved the remarkable feat of winning both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.

I haven’t shed tears in some time. “I didn’t think I would cry, but I did,” an emotional Norris expressed in the post-race interview, having also shed tears inside his helmet during the slowing down lap around the illuminated Yas Marina circuit.

It feels incredible. I have gained some understanding of what Max experiences.

I’d like to extend my congratulations to Max and Oscar, my two greatest competitors throughout the entire season. Racing against both of them has been a true pleasure. It has been a privilege; I have gained much knowledge from both,” he added.

VERSTAPPEN FALLS SHORT OF FIVE CONSECUTIVE TITLES

Norris’s mother, Cisca, embraced Piastri in a comforting hug, as both Verstappen and the Australian offered their congratulations to McLaren’s first champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008, exemplifying true sportsmanship.

The triumph prevented Verstappen from achieving five consecutive titles, a remarkable accomplishment that has only been achieved by the legendary Michael Schumacher of Ferrari thus far.

“The way we battled in the second half of the season is something we can take great pride in,” said the Dutch driver, who was 104 points behind then-leader Piastri at the end of August, over the radio to his team.

“Therefore, try not to feel too disheartened.” I am certainly pleased. I feel a deep sense of pride for everyone’s perseverance and determination.

In Sunday’s race, Charles Leclerc secured fourth place for Ferrari, while George Russell followed closely in fifth for Mercedes, and Fernando Alonso took sixth for Aston Martin.

Esteban Ocon secured seventh place for Haas, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. This season marked a career low for the 40-year-old, who did not reach the podium at all after joining the Italian team from Mercedes.

Nico Hulkenberg from Sauber finished ninth in his 250th race, having started from 18th position, while Lance Stroll secured 10th place for Aston Martin.

Mercedes concluded the season in second place overall, while Red Bull secured third and Ferrari finished in fourth.

Verstappen took the lead from pole position.

Verstappen, requiring a victory with Norris absent from the podium, started from pole position, while his primary competitor defended against Piastri in second place, and Russell fell from fourth to sixth.

Piastri, the sole driver aside from Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in the top 10 to begin on hard tyres while the others opted for mediums, passed Norris on the first lap, putting the Briton at risk with Leclerc closely following.

Norris exited DRS range after carefully managing his tyres, pitting on lap 16 concurrently with the Ferrari driver.

The championship leader returned to the race in ninth place, while Tsunoda, who began in tenth, was at the front of a line of cars, with Leclerc once more narrowing the gap behind.

The McLaren driver managed to navigate the situation by swiftly overtaking four cars on older tyres, including both Stroll and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson in a single maneuver, and soon had the Japanese driver in his sights after Esteban Ocon’s Haas made its way into the pits.

“Do everything you can when he catches,” Red Bull advised Tsunoda, who responded that he understood what to do.

Norris went off track, and Tsunoda received a penalty.

Norris sped by, darting onto the dirt as Tsunoda made two defensive maneuvers—actions that resulted in a five-second penalty for the Japanese driver, while the Briton was deemed to have not gained an advantage by leaving the track.

Verstappen made his pit stop on lap 24, right after Norris overtook his teammate, allowing Piastri to take the lead.

Leclerc made his second pit stop on lap 39, with Norris following suit a lap later for a fresh set of hard tires, while Piastri concluded his impressive opening stint by switching to mediums on lap 42.

The Australian returned to the track in second place, trailing Verstappen by 24.5 seconds, who had overtaken him just prior to the pit stop, while Norris held third position.

“It’s not only this year or the past seven or eight years I’ve spent with McLaren, but the last 16 or 17 years of my life pursuing this dream,” said Norris, the 35th different world champion since 1950.

“Today we accomplished it together, and I’m feeling quite pleased.”