Lando Norris grew to become F1 world champion for the primary time in his profession, ending third behind defeated title contenders Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The race did not present the anticipated gamesmanship from pole winner Verstappen, however there was lots at stake for Norris. Norris misplaced a spot to teammate Piastri on the primary lap, dropping again to ninth after a high-pressure first pit cease. So the Briton, who had appeared content material with a snug third place end early within the race, was now pressured to face the prospect of creating some necessary passes to get again right into a place to win the championship.
Nevertheless, Norris seized the chance to finish his championship success with an aggressive efficiency, passing 5 vehicles in three laps to return to 3rd place. All Norris wanted to safe the championship was a podium end, and regardless of not having the tempo to problem teammate Piastri forward of him or Verstappen on the prime, Norris was content material to carry on to 3rd place, ok to take his first championship.
“I used to be nonetheless capable of battle till the top,” mentioned the emotional Brit. “That is what we did and what we had to do that season for Max to chase us all the best way and for Oscar to catch us once more on the finish. They definitely have not made my life straightforward this yr.
“I used to be simply making an attempt to benefit from the second. There aren’t many individuals on the earth, not many individuals in Method 1, who get to expertise what I went by way of this season and this yr.
“I am glad for everybody. Everyone seems to be happier than me. I am actually glad.”
Norris’ night time of glory started with a chop from pole-getter Verstappen. Verstappen made up for his typical dive by swinging to the within line to dam the title chief’s path to the primary nook. Norris misplaced momentum, however this allowed Piastri, who began sooner, to guide his teammate by way of the primary two sectors of the circuit, together with a greater exit from the chicane connecting the 2 again straights. This despatched the Australian into the parabolic Flip 9 with unimaginable momentum, defying the chilly laborious compound tires and executing a daring move across the exterior of his teammate.
This transfer dropped Norris to 3rd place, permitting Charles Leclerc to reap the benefits of George Russell’s gradual begin early within the race and transfer into fourth place.
McLaren’s early stint tire administration gave Leclerc many alternatives to construct up the strain, and from laps 4 to 10, connecting with Norris’ gearbox and managing the rubber grew to become important, because the tire hole started to open up. Nevertheless, the primary pit cease drawback was taken out of Norris’ arms by Russell, who pitted from fifth place on lap 14 to stop progress.
Norris and Leclerc each reacted on lap 16, dropping to the underside of the highest ten and behind a probably damaging prepare in site visitors that had not but stopped.
It was a vital second within the Brit’s race, however he pushed by way of relentlessly. On lap 18, he braked laborious and decisively handed Kimi Antonelli on the hairpin, then handed Carlos Sainz earlier than Flip 9. On the second again straight on the next lap, Norris bravely double-overtook Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson, shifting him as much as fourth place.
Yuki Tsunoda, who began subsequent on laborious tires, was instructed by his staff to “give it his all” when his teammate’s title rival appeared in his mirror. Tsunoda replied that he would, however the relentless Norris left him with no defensive choices.
McLaren set its sights on the Crimson Bull racing automotive’s gearbox from the hairpin. Tsunoda tried to interrupt the slipstream and weave to chop off the move, however Norris reacted by racing off the street, passing the Japanese star who was sacked on the descent into the chicane.
It was a painful second for McLaren’s pit wall, so the stewards investigated the transfer, however after deliberating they sided with Norris and penalized 5 Tsunoda vehicles for weaving.
Norris returned to the rostrum place successful the championship unconditionally. Solely a late conversion, with two stops to cowl Leclerc, saved him busy on his option to his new standing because the thirty fifth F1 World Champion.
Nevertheless, the battle for first place was nonetheless undecided.
Piastri was one in every of two drivers to begin on laborious tires inside the highest ten, and his technique was to progress deep into the race and hope that on this scenario he may take the lead and trigger injury to his championship rivals.
Chief Verstappen pitted on lap 23 and Piastri took over the lead. He ran deep till lap 41, however on the finish of an enormous opening stint it was clear he was giving time to the Dutchman, and even Norris, in preparation for catastrophe.
Piastri maintained second place after the pit cease, however was now 24 seconds behind the chief. McLaren was optimistic that they might catch the leaders as that they had completed in Qatar, however with 17 laps the problem was too nice. This gave Verstappen his finest eighth win of the season and ended the four-time champion’s protection by simply two factors.
Leclerc completed in a shocking fourth place regardless of pulling the set off on his second pit cease on lap 39, holding off Russell to take the place.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso completed sixth forward of Haas’s Esteban Ocon, securing the groups seventh and eighth place on the title desk respectively.
Lewis Hamilton used a soft-start, two-stop technique to recuperate from sixteenth to eighth place, beating Oliver Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg to take the ultimate factors of the season.
Lance Stroll completed eleventh forward of Gabriel Bortleto, Carlos Sainz, Hiroki Tsunoda, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon, Racing Bulls teammates Izak Hajjar and Liam Lawson, and Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapino.
consequence
