Lando Norris clinched his maiden F1 title after finishing third at the Abu Dhabi GP. All three title contenders made it to the podium at the final race of the season, with Max Verstappen taking victory ahead of Oscar Piastri. But P3 was enough for Norris to win the title by two points.
- Verstappen wins race, 12.594 seconds ahead of Piastri
- Norris wins title with P3 result
Lando Norris secures maiden F1 title
Verstappen wins Abu Dhabi GP
McLaren split its strategy between its two drivers, with Norris starting from P2 on soft tyres and Piastri starting from P3 on hard tyres. Pole-sitter Verstappen defended his lead at the start, while Norris dropped to P3 after being overtaken by Piastri.
Heading into the Abu Dhabi GP, Norris held a 12-point lead in the standings. So, the title would be his as long as he finished on the podium. But it wasn’t a comfortable run to P3 for Norris, who had to fend off pressure from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and even went off track to avoid and overtake Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Nevertheless, Norris held on to third place to secure his first-ever F1 title. Verstappen’s victory means the final gap between him and Norris at the end of the season is just two points. Piastri had to settle for third place in the standings, 13 points behind his teammate Norris.
Norris acknowledged his two title rivals during the post-race interview, saying, “It feels amazing! I now know what Max feels like a little bit. I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them. It’s been an honour; I’ve learned a lot from both of them as well. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been a long year, but we did it, and I’m so proud of everyone.”
2025 F1 drivers’ championship standings
Hamilton goes from P16 to P8
Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, followed by Mercedes’ George Russell, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Haas’ Esteban Ocon. Lewis Hamilton wrapped up his first year with Ferrari with a P8 result – climbing from P16 on the grid after another difficult qualifying session. Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg completed his 250th race in P9, while Lance Stroll rounded out the top 10, handing Aston Martin a double points finish.
