Lando Norris Becomes F1 Champion As Verstappen's Historic Comeback Falls Short

After a double disqualification in Las Vegas, McLaren had us reconsidering whether or not one of its drivers would win the F1 World Drivers' Championship. However, Lando Norris sealed the deal with a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The 26-year-old British driver needed to finish third or better to clinch his maiden title. Defending champion Max Verstappen fell only two points shy of overcoming a 104-point deficit. The Red Bull driver did everything in his power to win his fifth world title and comfortably won the race.

Lando Norris' overtake on Yuki Tsunoda is under investigation on both sides. Norris for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Tsunoda for forcing Norris off the track. I'd argue that Yuki forced Lando off.
#F1 | #AbuDhabiGP

— Ryan Erik King (@ryanerikking.bsky.social) 2025-12-07T13:45:33.793Z

It would be dishonest to say that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was an exciting affair. Once Verstappen covered off Norris at the start and Oscar Piastri passed his teammate for second, the Red Bull was practically gone. The only hint of jeopardy was Norris needing to keep Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at arm's length behind him. The task only became somewhat difficult after the McLaren driver pitted and needed to race his way through the midfield. There was a dicey moment down the back straight when he was forced off the track by a weaving Yuki Tsunoda. In the final race of his F1 career, Verstappen's teammate was penalized for making a second defensive move. Norris wasn't deemed at fault for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

If Norris slipped into fourth, McLaren CEO Zak Brown was prepared to use team orders to win the championship. The team could've broken the emergency glass and ordered Piastri to let teammate by to take the title-clinching podium. The Australian was still in title contention, but it was a complete long shot. He needed to win the race and for Norris to finish sixth or lower. Luckily, it didn't need to come to that with Norris finishing seven seconds clear of Leclerc. When asked during the post-race press conference if he had just a Monster Energy drink in his glass or something stronger, the new world champion answered:

"Hell no! It's way more! This might be my only time—I really hope it's not, and I am confident it's not going be my only time of sitting here alone."

Norris is right to be concerned about whether he'll be champion again. Next season will bring a raft of regulations changes that'll likely erase the competitive advantages held by both McLaren and Red Bull. It's impossible to predict how the order will be reshuffled, but I have a general rule-of-thumb. Barring the odd exception, a championship-winning team typically has won at least two races in the prior season. However, besides Red Bull and McLaren, only one other team meets that criteria: Mercedes.