British Lando Norris is the new F1 2025 champion and interrupts Verstappen’s streak in Abu Dhabi By Thiago Lemos
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Lando
The Briton finished the race in third place, a position sufficient to secure victory in the championship by just two points over second place.
Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, won the race, followed by Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren teammate.
The dispute reached the last stage with three mathematically alive drivers in the fight: Norris led with a minimal advantage, followed closely by Verstappen and Piastri.
- Norris scored 423 points in total for the season.
- Verstappen finished with 421 points.
- Piastri finished third with 410 points.
Lining up to congratulate Lando 🤩#F1 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/Hj4TUsbK9a
—Formula 1 (@F1)December 8, 2025
Decision on Circuito of Yas Marina
The race in Abu Dhabi started at 5pm local time, with Verstappen starting in pole position.
Norris adopted a conservative strategy from the start, prioritizing tire management and maintaining his podium position.
Piastri overtook his teammate at the start, but Norris recovered ground and controlled the distance to Charles Leclerc, from Ferrari, who put pressure on in the final laps.
Verstappen dominated the race from start to finish, taking his eighth victory of the season.
Norris trajectory in the season
Norris started the year as favorite after finishing runner-up in 2024 and won the opening race in Austrália.
Piastri took the lead in the championship for several stages, highlighted by consecutive victories at the beginning of the calendar.
The turning point occurred after the Itália GP, when Norris started to score more consistently.
Key victories in México and Brasil helped the Brit take the definitive lead.
Despite problems in Las Vegas and Catar, which reduced the advantage, Norris maintained regularity.
Achievement numbers
Norris recorded seven wins and 17 podiums across the 24 stages.
Verstappen led in total poles and victories, with eight each.
The final two-point difference marked one of the closest decisions in the category’s recent history.
McLaren’s position in the championship
The British team secured the constructors’ title in advance.
The last McLaren driver to be champion was Lewis Hamilton, in 2008.
Norris, at 26, becomes the 35th different champion in Fórmula 1 history.
Kingdom Unido at the top of the nations
With the victory, Reino Unido reaches 21 titles in total, remaining the most successful country.
Norris is the 11th Briton to lift the trophy, joining legends such as Hamilton, Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark.
Alemanha appears in second place, with 12 achievements.
Brasil occupies third place in statistics by nations.
Champions still active on the grid
On the current grid, four drivers have world titles.
Lewis Hamilton holds seven achievements.
Max Verstappen accumulates four.
Fernando Alonso has two.
Norris now joins this select group with his first trophy.
Partial list of multi-champions
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton lead with seven titles each.
Juan Manuel Fangio won five.
Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost have four each.
Max Verstappen has four consecutive achievements until 2024.
Reactions after the flag
Norris celebrated effusively with the team at parc fermé.
The driver highlighted the long journey since his debut at McLaren in 2019.
Piastri recognized his teammate as deserving of the title.
Verstappen congratulated his rival for his consistency throughout the year.
Legacy of the 2025 season
The season featured 24 races and intense disputes between McLaren and Red Bull.
McLaren returned to the top after years of rebuilding.
Norris has established himself as a reference for a new generation of drivers.
Fórmula 1 ends the year with greater balance between the main teams.
