Lando Norris: How McLaren driver beat Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to win 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship

Lando Norris turned the thirty fifth driver in F1 historical past to change into world champion and Britain’s eleventh after a tense title-decider in Abu Dhabi.

Driving by the Australian storm

Norris began the season completely by changing pole place into victory as he mastered a chaotic opener in blended situations on the Australian Grand Prix.

He was challenged for almost all of the race by team-mate Piastri till large drama on Lap 44 when sudden heavy rain led to each McLarens sliding extensive within the closing sector. Norris managed to swiftly get again on the street however Piastri, a lot to the devastation of his house followers, received caught on the moist grass for over a minute.

Norris held off Verstappen within the closing levels to take an exciting win, whereas Piastri might solely recuperate to ninth. Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle said Norris delivered “one of the great all-time drives”.

Mastering Monaco

Having not received the final six rounds, whereas Piastri received 4 races in that interval, Norris entered the Monaco Grand Prix in May 13 factors behind his team-mate within the Drivers’ Championship.

The Briton took the all-important pole place, then overcame the introduction of a second obligatory pit cease, which the FIA had hoped would boost the race.

The incontrovertible fact that the brand new guidelines did not change a lot suited Norris simply wonderful, with Piastri having to accept tor third having been out-qualified by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The outcome virtually put Norris again on stage phrases and ticked off a profession milestone of successful across the well-known streets of Monaco.

Bouncing again from Canada conflict

Contact was inevitable between the McLaren duo in some unspecified time in the future however a careless error from Norris in the course of the closing levels of the Canadian Grand Prix noticed him run into the again of Piastri after an enthralling battle for third place, finally coming off worse and retiring.

He accepted blame instantly which defused any stress however recovered the factors misplaced by successful three of the following 4 races in Spielberg, Silverstone and Budapest.

Norris got here out on prime after one other feisty duel on the Austrian Grand Prix, then capitalised on an error from Piastri on the British Grand Prix the place the Australian was given a maybe harsh 10-second time penalty for “erratic” braking behind the Safety Car.

Arguably extra fortune went Norris’ means when a one-stop race proved to be the most effective technique on the Hungarian Grand Prix. Running in fourth, McLaren gambled by working Norris lengthy whereas Piastri was preventing for the win with Charles Leclerc and George Russell.

Those three drivers all executed a two-stop technique although, so Norris discovered himself within the lead and held off a charging Piastri on the ultimate laps, with the pair virtually coming collectively at one level.

Three large wins with 14-point swings for every of them and the outcome simply might have gone the opposite means. Instead, Norris went into the summer season break simply 9 factors behind Piastri within the standings.

Emerging on prime after minor controversies

Norris’ title hopes appeared to go up in smoke at Zandvoort as an oil leak pressured him to retire and he fell 34 factors behind within the title race.

He got here again preventing at Monza in September, which started a run of six consecutive weekends the place he outscored Piastri. The Italian Grand Prix was not with out drama although as a sluggish pit cease for Norris noticed him come out behind Piastri within the battle for second.

McLaren inverted the positions to the frustration of Piastri, who initially stated he thought sluggish pit stops had been a part of racing. More controversy got here two races later in Singapore the place Norris aggressively barged previous Piastri on the opening lap when preventing for third.

Piastri stated on the radio: “If he has to avoid another car by crashing into his team-mate, then that’s a pretty **** job of avoiding.” That transfer set in stone the positions for the race with Norris on the rostrum in third and Piastri in fourth.

Remarkably, the McLarens made contact once more on the subsequent race in Austin, this time within the Sprint, as Piastri tried to duck beneath his team-mate on the opening lap at Turn One however was rotated by Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, with Norris an harmless bystander within the multi-car collision.

McLaren misplaced essential monitor time by successfully lacking the Sprint, so Verstappen received the race however Norris restricted the harm in second and Piastri struggled to fifth.

Dominance in Mexico and Brazil

With Verstappen now a risk to the McLaren drivers, Norris was the one who stepped up because the strain intensified in the course of the run-in with flawless weekends on the Mexico City and Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

He overcame the eagerly-anticipated future right down to Turn One in Mexico the place he went four-wide with Verstappen, Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton earlier than successful by 30 seconds – the largest margin of the season – and the lead of the championship for the primary time since April.

It was an analogous story two weeks on in Sao Paulo, with a Sprint win on the Saturday so as to add which gave Norris a 24-point lead within the championship.

Norris stated: “The team are doing an amazing job, giving me a great car. We’re pushing hard every single weekend and I’m pushing hard away from the track. Rewarding – it doesn’t come easy, that’s for sure.”

Keeping calm below large strain

McLaren’s disqualifications in Las Vegas had been a blow to Norris because it introduced Verstappen again into title competition with two races to go and Piastri additionally gained from the non-scores.

Piastri was the stronger McLaren driver over the Qatar Sprint weekend however Norris didn’t make any foolish errors and picked up sufficient factors with third within the Sprint, then took benefit of a late mistake from Kimi Antonelli to assert fourth in the principle Grand Prix and have a 12-point lead over Verstappen.

A podium was sufficient for Norris to change into world champion in Abu Dhabi and that is precisely what he was capable of do. His solely bushy second within the title got here when coming by visitors after his first pit cease, together with having to keep away from an aggressive Yuki Tsunoda within the Red Bull.

But, the championship by no means felt unsure in the course of the second half of the race as Norris drove calmly and had sufficient tempo to reply any risk from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to change into the 2025 F1 world champion.

Norris stated: “It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit and I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season.

“It’s been a pleasure to race in opposition to each of them. It’s been an honour. I’ve realized loads from each of them as nicely, so I’ve loved it. It’s been an extended yr. But we did it and I’m so pleased with everybody.”

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