Norris wins 2025 F1 championship: clinches world title in Abu Dhabi by 2 points over Verstappen

Lando Norris is the new Formula 1 World Champion. The McLaren driver number 4 secured his first title by finishing third in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, resisting 58 laps of intense pressure to hold the position he needed. The final margin over Max Verstappen was just two points, in one of the closest championship deciders in recent championship history.

Twelve-point lead and 58 laps to manage

Norris arrived in Abu Dhabi with a 12-point lead over Verstappen, needing to finish on the podium to win the championship regardless of the Red Bull's result. Starting from second position, Norris lost a place to his teammate Oscar Piastri on the first lap, but that third place was enough to be crowned.

The real battle began when Charles Leclerc of Ferrari stuck to the back of the McLaren with DRS enabled. For 15 laps, Norris had to defend every corner, every braking zone, knowing that one mistake could cost him the world championship.

Photo By Red Bull Content Pool

Tsunoda executes team orders on lap 24

On lap 24, after his first pit stop, Norris got stuck behind Yuki Tsunoda. Verstappen's teammate within the Red Bull family received radio instructions to "do what you can" to hold Norris up.

Tsunoda executed the orders with moves on the limit of legality. Between turns 5 and 6, he weaved on the main straight, forcing Norris off the track when attempting an overtake. The stewards determined the pass was valid but penalized Tsunoda with five seconds for making more than one change of direction, a penalty that came too late to help Norris.

Norris covers Leclerc with two-stop strategy

Once free of traffic after his first stop, Norris was running third but with Leclerc closing in on fresher tires. When the Ferrari pitted for its second stop on lap 39, McLaren reacted immediately. Norris pitted on lap 40, also for a second stop.

The strategy worked. Norris exited the pits maintaining third place, with Russell between him and Leclerc. In the last 18 laps, Norris managed the pace without taking risks. The team told him to stay calm in the final laps. With third place, the championship was his.

Photo By Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen wins the battle but loses the war

Max Verstappen executed a perfect race from pole position. He controlled the pace, managed the tires, and finished with a 12.6-second lead over Piastri. But this time, winning was not enough. Verstappen needed Norris to finish fourth or worse, something that was never really in play.

Oscar Piastri finished second with a solid performance that helped McLaren in the strategy. Piastri started on hard tires, a strategy that spaced out the top three and prevented Verstappen from using more aggressive team tactics.

The rest of the grid

Leclerc finished fourth, 23 seconds behind the winner, with George Russell fifth for Mercedes after a one-stop strategy that didn't work as planned. Fernando Alonso was sixth, a result that gave Aston Martin seventh place in the constructors' standings.

The race had multiple incidents and penalties. Lance Stroll and Oliver Bearman each received five-second penalties for multiple changes of direction. Liam Lawson accumulated another similar penalty in the early laps. Pierre Gasly was penalized for exceeding track limits.

Lewis Hamilton salvaged a difficult weekend with Ferrari by finishing eighth after starting sixteenth. The seven-time champion made up positions with a two-stop strategy that allowed him to score points on his debut with the Italian team.

Photo By Mclaren

A new name in history

Lando Norris joins the list of British F1 World Champions, following in the footsteps of Mike Hawthorn, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton, and Jenson Button. At 25 years old, Norris completed a journey that began in 2019 when he debuted with McLaren.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 Carrera - Formula 1

Pos	Nº	Piloto	Equipo	Tiempo
1	#1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	86:07.469
2	#81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+12.594s
3	#4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+16.572s
4	#16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+23.279s
5	#63	George Russell	Mercedes	+48.563s
6	#14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+1:07.562
7	#31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	+1:09.876
8	#44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+1:12.670
9	#27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	+1:19.014
10	#18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1:19.523
11	#5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber	+1:21.043
12	#87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	+1:21.166
13	#55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+1:22.158
14	#22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing	+1:23.794
15	#12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+1:24.399
16	#23	Alexander Albon	Williams	+1:30.327
17	#6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	+1 LAP
18	#30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+1 LAP
19	#10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+1 LAP
20	#43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+1 LAP