By: Kwame Bediako
Lando Norris has captured his first Formula 1 world championship after a tense and thrilling conclusion to the 2025 season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Entering the race with a clear target, a top-three finish to secure the crown, Norris delivered under immense pressure despite slipping to third place early.
His composed driving through the final laps was enough to fend off a late charge from Max Verstappen, who won the race but couldn’t prevent Norris’s historic triumph.
This victory caps off a remarkable journey for the 26-year-old McLaren driver, who steadily climbed the F1 ranks over the past several years.
From mid-field finishes in his rookie seasons to last year’s close second place, Norris has consistently improved, helped greatly by McLaren’s technological leap forward in 2025.
His relentless determination and race craft were on full display throughout the season, where multiple wins and podiums laid the foundation for today’s landmark achievement.
Norris’s contract extension with McLaren through 2027 guarantees that the team will continue to build around their champion, promising an exciting title defense next year.
The British driver now finds himself among the sport’s elite, tasked with maintaining McLaren’s dominance as they aim for continued success in a highly competitive field.
In claiming the championship, Norris becomes the 11th British driver to win the F1 Drivers’ title and ends a five-year gap since Lewis Hamilton’s seventh and final crown in 2020.
His breakthrough feels like the dawn of a new era in Formula 1, offering fresh inspiration to a new generation of racing fans and British motorsport enthusiasts.
Throughout the 2025 campaign, Norris demonstrated remarkable consistency and resilience, achieving wins in iconic races such as Monaco, Hungary, and the British Grand Prix.
