After seven seasons since making his Formula 1 debut, Lando Norris has etched his name in history by claiming the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. The thrilling title race boiled down to the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where three contenders—Norris, 26; four-time World Champion Max Verstappen, 28, driving for Red Bull Racing; and McLaren's Oscar Piastri, 24—competed for the coveted top prize.
As the season drew to a close, Norris led the World Championship standings, closely followed by Verstappen and Piastri. The latter two drivers were no slouches, especially Verstappen, who had mounted a fierce comeback in the Red Bull car in the second half of the season. But on a hot Sunday in the desert, after a grueling 58-lap battle, Verstappen emerged in first place, with Piastri in second and Norris in third. Despite finishing third in the final race of the season, Norris was able to clinch his first Drivers’ Championship by a mere two-point margin.
Norris’ victory marks the first time a McLaren driver has won the World Championship since Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time Drivers’ Champion now driving for Ferrari, in 2008. When The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the seasoned McLaren driver last year about his aspirations in five years’ time, he replied, “I hope to still be in Formula 1 and hopefully a champion by then.” It seems that goal came a bit earlier than expected, and Norris would undoubtedly not complain about it.
During that conversation, Norris also shared the biggest challenge he had overcome to reach his current position in his career: “Probably focusing more on myself and not worrying as much about what other people think.” He continued, “I think I grew up a little bit in the right way, always trying to do the right thing and please people. But that can be very stressful. So trying to be happier displeasing people—it doesn’t feel like the right thing to say, but you can’t please everyone. And acknowledging and understanding that allows you to be more yourself and live a bit more freely.”
Norris joined McLaren in 2019, making his F1 debut with the team. Piastri, on the other hand, made his F1 debut in 2023 after joining McLaren as a reserve driver the year prior. Thanks to McLaren’s dominance this season, the team also won the Constructors’ Championship at the Singapore Grand Prix in October, marking a back-to-back win for them after taking home the Constructors’ title last year.
