Lando Norris secured his first Formula 1 World Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with rivals and fellow drivers congratulating the Briton on his achievement at the Yas Marina Circuit.
The McLaren driver became the fourth champion on the grid, joining Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the club.
Verstappen missed out on a fifth title by two points.
Norris claims maiden F1 title as Verstappen misses fifth crown by two points
Norris took third place at the Yas Marina Circuit to seal the title, becoming McLaren’s first champion since Hamilton in 2008. The season included crashes, intra-team battles and a comeback by Verstappen.
George Russell, who raced with Norris in junior categories, shared a photo of the pair from their early days on social media.
“I want to wish congratulations to Lando as he becomes World Champion,” Russell said. “We’ve raced together for so long and he is more than deserving of the title. Hopefully we can do battle on track next year for the 2026 crown!”
Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli added: “Congratulations to Lando too. He deserves it but also well done to both Max and Oscar Piastri who have also been brilliant this year. It was a great battle all year.”
Sainz praises former team mate
Carlos Sainz, who partnered Norris at McLaren, shared a compilation of their years competing in Formula 1 on Instagram.
“Massive congratulations to @lando on his first Drivers’ Championship,” Sainz wrote. “He’s an incredible driver and he has proven that you can achieve your highest goals staying true to yourself! Congrats my muppet friend! Well deserved!”
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the Spaniard said: “I’m very happy for him as a driver because I think he’s always been an extremely quick driver, quicker than people give him credit for, and extremely talented since I worked with him at McLaren. I saw a guy that had the speed to be a multiple World Champion if it was purely down to speed.
“I think along the way he’s developed a lot of his skills and now he’s World Champion. More than anything, I’m happy for him as a person because I think he’s a driver that doesn’t follow the typical stereotype of a World Champion.
“I think he’s always stayed very true to himself, very honest, very open about his own struggles. He’s just proven to everyone that you can also be World Champion being a good guy and that open. You don’t need to be ruthless or badass to show to everyone that you can be World Champion so I’m happy for him.”
Hamilton joins post-race celebrations
As fireworks went off over the Yas Marina Circuit, Hamilton walked into Norris’ post-race interview to say “I told you!” with a grin. Both drivers can now call themselves champions with McLaren.
Verstappen, who finished the season two points behind Norris, said winning a first title was something all drivers dream of.
“Winning your first title is something that I think we all dreamt of when you get into the sport,” the four-time World Champion said. “You work for that since you’re a little kid. It’s what you dream of.
“So, when you win your first title, this is very emotional. And, yeah, I hope for Lando as well. You know, I saw a lot of his family is here, so it’s important to enjoy this a lot as well tonight. Also, with his team.
“I think, again, that’s another story where it showed that even when you have tough years, when you keep working hard, you keep adding good people to the team, you can overcome all of those things, and you can become very successful again. And, yeah, they had an incredible season together, so it’s important that they enjoy it.”
Oscar Piastri, who partnered Norris at McLaren and led the championship for portions of the season, called the Briton a deserving winner.
“I think a very deserving winner,” Piastri said. “I know that every weekend I go on track, it’s going to be tough. And I think we’ve pushed each other through the last three years.
“I think, especially this season, [it] has been tighter than ever. So, yeah, I think he’s had a great season. Probably all three of us, but obviously, myself and Lando in the same team, in the same car, have had our ups and downs at different moments. Ultimately, I think he’s had a good season and a deserving champion.”
