Tearful Norris takes F1 title even as Verstappen wins season-ending race in Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI, UAE – McLaren’s Lando Norris sobbed tears of joy and relief as he won the Formula One championship for the first time and ended Max Verstappen’s four-year reign with a nervy third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, December 7.
Red Bull’s Verstappen, whose eighth triumph of the campaign was one more than the new champion managed, won the season-ender with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri runner-up and 12.5 seconds behind at the checkered flag.
Norris, Britain’s 11th Formula One world champion at the age of 26 and McLaren’s eighth since 1974, took his points tally to 423 with Verstappen on 421 and Piastri third with 410.
“Thank you guys,” he gasped over the team radio. “You have made my dreams come true.”
McLaren, who secured the constructors’ championship in October for the second year in a row, won both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.
“I’ve not cried in a while. I didn’t think I would cry but I did,” an emotional Norris said in the post-race interview, after also shedding tears inside his helmet on the slowing down lap around the floodlit Yas Marina circuit.
“It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit.”
“I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them. It’s been an honor, I’ve learned a lot from both,” he added.
No five titles in a row
Norris’s mother Cisca gave Piastri a consoling hug while both Verstappen and the Australian congratulated McLaren’s first champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 in a show of sportsmanship.
The victory denied Verstappen five titles in a row, a feat only Ferrari great Michael Schumacher has managed to date.
“The way we fought back in the second half of the season, we can be really, really proud of that,” said the Dutch driver, who was 104 points behind then-leader Piastri at the end of August, over the radio to his team.
“So, don’t be too disappointed. I’m definitely not disappointed. I’m really proud of everyone for not giving up.”
Charles Leclerc finished fourth in Sunday’s race for Ferrari, with George Russell fifth for Mercedes and Fernando Alonso sixth for Aston Martin.
Esteban Ocon was seventh for Haas, ahead of Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton — who failed to stand on the podium all year in a career low for the 40-year-old who joined the Italian team this year from Mercedes.
Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was ninth in the German’s 250th race, and after starting 18th, with Lance Stroll 10th for Aston Martin.
Mercedes ended the season second overall, with Red Bull third and Ferrari fourth.
Verstappen led from pole
Verstappen, who needed to win with Norris off the podium, led away from pole with his main rival fending off Piastri in second, while Russell dropped from fourth to sixth.
Piastri, the only driver apart from Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in the top 10 to start on the hard tres with the rest on mediums, overtook Norris on lap one to drop the Briton into danger with Leclerc close behind.
Norris pulled out of DRS range, after managing the tires, before pitting on lap 16 at the same time as the Ferrari driver.
The championship leader rejoined in ninth with Tsunoda, who started 10th, leading a train of traffic with Leclerc again closing in behind.
The McLaren driver dealt with that by overtaking four cars on older tires in quick succession — Stroll and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson in the same move — and had the Japanese in his sights after Esteban Ocon’s Haas peeled into the pits.
“(Do) all you can when he catches,” Red Bull told Tsunoda, who replied he knew what to do.
Norris scythed past, running onto the dirt as Tsunoda moved twice in defense — a move that earned the Japanese a five-second penalty with the Briton cleared of gaining an advantage by leaving the track.
Verstappen pitted on lap 24, immediately after Norris passed his teammate, to hand the lead to Piastri.
Leclerc pitted for a second time on lap 39, followed a lap later by Norris for a second set of hards, with Piastri ending his mighty opening stint to switch for mediums on lap 42.
The Australian rejoined in second, 24.5 seconds behind Verstappen who had passed him just before the stop, with Norris third.
“It’s not just this year or the last seven or eight years I’ve been with McLaren, but the last 16 or 17 years of my life trying to chase this dream,” said Norris, the 35th different world champion since 1950.
“Today we all did it, so I’m pretty happy.” – Rappler.com
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