McLaren’s Lando Norris secured his first F1 title, narrowly beating four-time champion Max Verstappen in dramatic fashion in the final race of the 2025 season at Abu Dhabi.
Norris will sport the No.1 next season, a prestige reserved for the incumbent champion, while Verstappen will have to vacate the number for the Brit. The 26-year-old opened up on the surreal feeling of seeing the coveted number across his name on the board.
“I saw it actually early on the timing screen and I still find it just unbelievable,” the Brit said.
“Now is really the first time I get to see it on my suit, on the car, on timing screens. Still a surreal feeling, the whole situation of being champion,” he added.
Norris accumulated 423 points over the season, surpassing Verstappen’s
421 points for Red Bull, thereby claiming the championship title. Norris acknowledged the addictive taste of victory but added he seeks to enjoy the moment instead of getting ahead of himself.
Despite Verstappen’s determined effort to erode Norris’s 102-point lead from earlier in the season, the Brit ultimately triumphed after a strong performance throughout the year. In stark contrast, Norris’s fellow Briton, Hamilton, faced his first season without a podium finish during his debut campaign with Ferrari.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton’s remarkable record in the top tier took a significant hit as he replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. Meanwhile, Sainz elevated Williams to a fifth-place finish in the championship, securing two podiums and helping the team accumulate 137 points by the end of the year.
Sainz has a history of improving the teams he races for. During his time with Renault, he saw the team rise from ninth place in 2016 to fourth in 2018. With McLaren, he helped the team move from sixth place in 2018 to third in 2020. His subsequent move to Ferrari saw him assist the legendary team in climbing from sixth to second before his departure last year.
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