Norris clinches maiden F1 title in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen wins race

F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Lando Norris clinches maiden Formula 1 title, Verstappen takes race win

McLaren driver Lando Norris bagged his first Formula 1 title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. The win makes 26-year-old Norris to become the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, and he also denied Verstappen a fifth straight title.

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.

How Norris clinched his maiden title

Norris entered the three-way battle 12 points ahead of Verstappen and 16 ahead of Piastri. Verstappen started from pole position for Red Bull with Norris on the front row beside him and his McLaren teammate Piastri third on the grid.

Verstappen needed Norris to be fourth or lower and Norris had to finish outside the top five if Piastri won.

Norris was tearful as he won the title by two points ahead of Verstappen, who relinquished his crown after four consecutive years.

‘A kid's dream come true'

After Norris crossed the finish line, his race engineer delivered the words every driver dreams of hearing- “That's it mate, you are world champion, world champion!”

"Thank you guys, you made a kid's dream come true," he replied.

On the podium under the floodlights of Yas Marina, Norris admitted he hadn't expected to tear up. “I haven't cried in a long time — I didn't think I would, but I did,” he said.

“I want to thank my mum, my dad, they've supported me since the beginning.” "It feels amazing, I know now what Max feels like a little bit. I want to congratulate both Max and Oscar, I've enjoyed it, it's been a long year!" he added.

When did Norris join British F1 team?

A member of McLaren's Yong Driver Programme since 2017, Norris joined the British F1 team in 2019 with Carlos Sainz Jr as his partner, and made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix where he finished 8th.

It took Norris a season more for his first podium finish, when Bristol-born driver came third in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, finishing behind Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, and ahead of F1 great Lewis Hamilton.

Source: LiveMint
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