Lando's hope and glory

McLaren driver Lando Norris held his nerve but could not hold back the tears after clinching his first Formula One title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the race with Norris placing third behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in second, which allowed Norris to finish two points ahead of Verstappen in the season-long standings.

"It's incredible. It is pretty surreal. I've dreamed of this for a long, long time," said the 26-year-old Norris, who started his F1 career as a test and reserve driver with McLaren. "I feel like I did my part for the team this year and I'm very proud of myself for that. I'm even more proud for everyone who I hopefully made cry."

Norris became Britain's 11th F1 champion, a journey that began with kart racing when he was eight years old. The first of his 11 F1 race wins came last year, when he finished second overall in the standings.

Piastri was also in contention for his first F1 title and finished third in the standings, 13 points behind Norris, who ended the season with seven wins and 423 points.

Norris became the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton won his record-equaling seventh title in 2020, and also denied Verstappen a fifth straight title.

"Oh God. I've not cried in a while. It's a long journey. First of all, I want to say a big thanks to my guys, my parents," Norris said a few minutes after the race. "I now know what Max feels like a little bit. I want to congratulate him and Oscar, too."

Norris entered the three-way battle 12 points ahead of Verstappen and 16 ahead of Piastri, who also won seven races, but none since the Dutch GP on Aug 31.

Verstappen started from pole position with Norris on the front row beside him and Piastri third on the grid. The Dutchman needed Norris to be fourth or lower and Norris had to finish outside the top five if Piastri won.

Verstappen's astounding late-season charge came close to unseating both McLaren drivers after they had shared the lead throughout the season, before being undone by driver and team-strategy errors.

Verstappen's title chances were dramatically improved with two races to go after Norris and Piastri were disqualified in Las Vegas.

But even Verstappen's season-leading eighth win and 71st of his career could not stop Norris, who kept his composure on Sunday, having been under severe pressure in recent weeks.

"Oscar and Lando have been awesome all year," McLaren CEO Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky. "This Max guy is pretty hard to beat."

The McLaren motorhome erupted with joy when Norris clinched it, and Brown congratulated Norris on the team radio in his usual jovial manner.

"Lando, this is Zak from McLaren. Is this the world champion hotline? You did it! You did it! Awesome," Brown said.

Norris didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He did both.

"Oh my God, thanks so much. I love you guys. Thanks for everything," Norris said and then broke down in tears.

After crossing the line, Norris stayed in his car for a few moments, visibly emotional. His parents were on the side of the track and he went over to hug them before celebrating with his McLaren engineers and mechanics.

Piastri was looking to become the first Australian champion since Alan Jones in 1980, but his failure to win a race after Zandvoort cost him.

"When things have been good this year, I've felt unstoppable," Piastri said. "Ultimately, I've learnt a lot about myself. I think that will only help me go forward."

Norris praised Piastri, saying "at some point he will get the better of me, as he is an incredible driver."

Pole position was crucial on the 58-lap circuit in Abu Dhabi, where overtaking is hard, and so it proved again as Verstappen joined the long list of race winners from pole since 2015.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, ahead of fifth-placed George Russell (Mercedes) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) in sixth.

Verstappen made a clean start with Piastri overtaking Norris, while the slick Leclerc was soon behind the title-chasing Briton.

Norris changed tires on Lap 17, but was caught behind some traffic and had Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda ahead of him in third spot, which in turn allowed Leclerc to close on Norris.

Norris overtook Tsunoda on Lap 23, but went very wide and off track limits. Race stewards gave Tsunoda a five-second time penalty for zigzagging in front of Norris, who was cleared.

Tsunoda reacted angrily when informed he had moved more than once in front of Norris when defending his position.

Norris pitted again on Lap 41, with Verstappen overtaking Piastri moments later to take the lead. Piastri came in a lap later, but Norris still held the cards because both McLarens had covered an eventual second tire change for Verstappen.

The main threat for Norris was Leclerc, who was about four seconds behind him with 10 laps left.

"Is Charles catching him or not?" Verstappen asked his race engineer.

Leclerc couldn't get closer, meaning Norris could coast to the title.

Agencies Via Xinhua