McLaren driver seals championship with P3 as Verstappen takes race win but falls two points short
Lando Norris became Formula 1’s 2025 world champion with a composed third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, securing his first title by just two points over Max Verstappen after a season-long three-way battle that came down to the final corner. The McLaren driver, starting second, held off pressure from Charles Leclerc to stay on the podium, exactly what he needed,while Verstappen dominated from pole to claim his eighth win of the year. Oscar Piastri took second for McLaren, finishing third in the standings and completing a team constructors’ double after their earlier crown.
Norris faced early tests, slotting behind Verstappen off the line before Piastri swept around the outside at Turn 9 to lead briefly. The Briton kept his nerve through traffic after his first pit stop on lap 15, carving past midfield runners like Kimi Antonelli, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson with precise moves. A brief weave from Yuki Tsunoda drew scrutiny but cleared Norris without penalty, while McLaren timed his second stop perfectly to cover Leclerc’s threat and emerge in clean air.
Verstappen controlled the race masterfully, chopping across Norris at Turn 1 and building a 14-second lead by the flag despite tyre management on mediums then hards. Piastri’s bold early pass and stint extensions kept pressure on the Red Bull, but Norris’ steady pace—responding lap-for-lap to Leclerc—ensured the podium and the points math fell his way. Norris becomes Britain’s first champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020 and McLaren’s first drivers’ winner since Hamilton himself in 2008.
Leclerc charged to fourth for Ferrari after strong traffic passing, while George Russell held fifth ahead of Antonelli in Mercedes’ consistent finale. Further back, Hamilton climbed to eighth from 16th but ended his first Ferrari year without a podium, underscoring a tough transition. Williams rounded out the top midfield with Sainz ninth and Alex Albon 10th as the field converged in a tight 2025 season.
Norris’ triumph caps a remarkable campaign of momentum swings: early errors gave way to six straight finishes ahead of Piastri, flipping a summer deficit into control despite McLaren’s Vegas disqualifications and Qatar strategy woes. With “papaya rules” preserving team harmony through intra-squad scraps, Norris silenced doubters on mentality, delivering under finale pressure to claim the crown by the slimmest margin in a three-contender showdown.
