Written by Matt Brown
đź“· - @F1
​Lando Norris has secured his first-ever Drivers' World Championship following a third-place finish in the season-finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
​Norris entered the race knowing a podium finish would guarantee the title. Challengers Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri faced a more complex challenge, requiring multiple results to fall their way.
​Verstappen started from pole position and maintained the lead initially, but Norris, who started second, was quickly overtaken by his teammate Piastri in a brilliant move by the Australian. Throughout the race, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc constantly applied pressure to Norris but ultimately could not close the gap to the British driver. Further ahead, Verstappen and Piastri exchanged the lead multiple times, particularly following sequences of pit stops.
​The 58th and final lap confirmed the title for Norris, who crossed the finish line in third place, behind Piastri and race winner Verstappen.
​The McLaren driver couldn't hide his emotions, becoming audibly moved on the team radio as he spoke to his team, including CEO Zak Brown. Brown's season-long policy of declining to pick a 'number one driver' at McLaren was a notable backdrop to the achievement.
​Norris becomes the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, and his victory also ends Red Bull and Verstappen's dominant run of four consecutive titles.
​Elsewhere on the grid, it was a better day for Lewis Hamilton, who recovered from a poor qualifying to finish eighth. Charles Leclerc finished fourth, and George Russell's fifth-place finish secured second place for Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship.
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