Abu Dhabi GP: Lando Norris scripts history, becomes first British driver to clinch F1 championship after Lewis Hamilton | Racing News – The Times of India

Lando Norris of McLaren secured his maiden Formula 1 championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale on Sunday.Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the race, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finishing second and Norris taking third. This result enabled Norris to edge out Verstappen by two points in the final championship standings.Piastri, who was also in contention for his first F1 championship, finished the season in third place, trailing Norris by 13 points.Norris, at 26 years old, became Britain’s first champion since Lewis Hamilton’s victory in 2020, preventing Verstappen from claiming his fifth consecutive title.The championship battle saw Norris leading Verstappen by 12 points and Piastri by 16 points entering the final race.The grid lineup had Verstappen on pole position, Norris alongside him, and Piastri in third. Verstappen needed Norris to finish fourth or lower, while Piastri required a win with Norris outside the top five.Despite driver and team strategy errors from McLaren throughout the season, Verstappen’s impressive late-season performance, including his eighth win of the season and 71st career victory, wasn’t enough to overtake Norris.The McLaren team celebrated as CEO Zak Brown congratulated their new champion.“Lando, this is Zak from McLaren. Is this the world champion hotline? You did it! You did it! Awesome,” Brown said.“Oh my God, thanks so much. I love you guys. Thanks for everything,” Norris responded emotionally, breaking into tears.After finishing the race, an emotional Norris remained in his car momentarily before joining his parents at trackside and celebrating with his McLaren team members.