Lando Norris Secures F1 Championship Amidst Chaotic McLaren Season and Verstappen’s Dominance

      Clive Mason

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      When Lando Norris crossed the finish line just shy of a second ahead of Max Verstappen at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in mid-March, it set the stage for a championship battle lasting 10 months, characterized by ambiguous team orders, sharp comments, and off-track drama.

      This title contest reached its conclusion today beneath the lights and fireworks of the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, as the 26-year-old McLaren driver dashed Verstappen’s aspirations for a fifth consecutive title. Just two points ahead of the leading Red Bull and 13 points clear of teammate Oscar Piastri, Norris secured the F1 World Drivers’ Championship with a third-place finish in the race behind both competitors.

      Mark Sutton via Getty

      The British driver became McLaren’s first drivers' champion since Lewis Hamilton's victory in 2008, edging out Felipe Massa’s Ferrari by a single point in the standings—a matter currently under scrutiny in the British legal system. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix also featured the first three-way title showdown in 15 years, reminiscent of the 2010 battle among Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, and Mark Webber.

      Starting from the second position on the grid, Norris successfully defended against Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and managed to fend off Piastri—despite the Australian driver showcasing an impressive overtake on his teammate early in the race, hinting at a chance for championship glory.

      However, McLaren’s success was anything but a certainty.

      Entering the season's final race, Norris held a 16-point lead over Piastri, with Verstappen looming prominently between the two in the standings. The Dutch driver's knack for consistently bringing a less competitive Red Bull into points and podium spots posed an unforeseen challenge for McLaren's typically bright orange ambitions.

      Mark Sutton via Getty

      Yet, it was McLaren's internal struggles rather than Verstappen's driving prowess that prolonged the championship battle. Even Verstappen himself remarked before the Qatar GP that if he were in Norris' McLaren, "We wouldn’t be talking about a championship. It would already have been won, easily."

      In their relentless quest for fairness, McLaren often hindered their own progress and that of their two drivers, ultimately compromising the authentic racing experience for their viewers. At the Italian GP in early September, McLaren requested Piastri to relinquish his position to Norris and cited a similar position swap at the 2024 Hungarian GP that benefitted Piastri: "Oscar, this is a bit like Hungary last year. We pitted in this order due to team strategies. Please let Lando pass, and then you’re free to race."

      As narratives of both internal and external loyalties developed, pitting the two rival teammates against one another, the focus was diverted from the main objective: securing the drivers' title seamlessly. Occasional yet critical pit stop errors, paired with tense radio exchanges, only added unnecessary pressure. A double disqualification for McLaren following the Las Vegas GP—after both cars failed skid block inspections—made the championship excitement more thrilling for viewers but ultimately disrupted McLaren's chances to secure an early driver’s title win.

      Mario Renzi, Kym Illman via Getty

      The uncertainty and chaos came to a close on Sunday as Norris, who became a McLaren driver in F1 in 2019, stood tearfully in front of a multitude of cameras, marking a historic moment: “I haven’t cried in a while and I didn’t think I would, but I did,” Norris chuckled. “It’s been a long journey.”

      Norris’ championship triumph from third place speaks volumes. An emotional and exhausting season, marked by “scrapping by,” concluded with a bittersweet and hard-fought outcome.

      While it may not have been the ideal season finale for the McLaren driver, nor the cinematic photo-finish first-place victory, it still represented a lifetime of dedication that paid off.

      “It has been the last 16 to 17 years of my life chasing this dream, and today we achieved it,” Norris said.

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