Daijiworld Media Network – Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, Dec 7: A highly emotional Lando Norris etched his name into Formula One history on Sunday, securing his maiden World Drivers’ Championship title and bringing an end to Max Verstappen’s dominant four-year reign at the pinnacle of motorsport.

The 26-year-old Briton sealed the championship with a third-place finish under the dazzling lights of the Yas Marina Circuit, behind race winner Verstappen and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. With this result, Norris clinched the title by a narrow margin of just two points—capping off one of the most thrilling seasons in recent years.

As he crossed the finish line, the message from his race engineer said it all: “That’s it mate, you are world champion!” An emotional Norris responded, his voice cracking as he said, “Thank you guys, you made a kid’s dream come true.”

Standing on the podium, tears visibly rolling down his cheeks, Norris thanked his family for their unwavering support.

“I haven’t cried in a while… but I did,” he admitted. “It feels amazing. I know now what Max feels like a little bit. Huge congratulations to Max and Oscar. It’s been a long year!”
McLaren, which had already secured back-to-back Constructors’ Championships in Singapore, celebrated yet another triumph.

Team CEO Zak Brown hailed the moment saying, “That was exciting—maybe a little too exciting! What an effort by Lando and Oscar this season!”

Norris now becomes the first British driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2020 to take the world title, and delivers McLaren’s 13th Drivers’ Championship—50 years after Emerson Fittipaldi’s landmark victory for the team in 1974.

With one dream now achieved, a new era of Formula One supremacy may well be beginning.