“There were doubts in my mind at the beginning of the year and I proved them wrong. That’s something that makes me very happy.”
Lando Norris is Formula 1 world champion, and he did it his way. A season-long battle against not only teammate Oscar Piastri but also Max Verstappen ended with a relatively comfortable third place, securing the McLaren driver his first title.
Over the past 266 days, Norris has had moments when he looked every bit the world champion, but also moments when he couldn’t look further away.
The first race in Australia was truly a harbinger of things to come, as Norris and Piastri battled for victory in what was clearly the fastest car, but an unexpected twist – thanks to the weather – saw one of them drop out of contention and Max Verstappen almost take an unlikely victory. As he would do for most of the season, the Dutchman was there to try and take advantage when it mattered.
After Verstappen did that for the tenth time in a row in Qatar, Norris’s first chance to take the title came and went, and he went into the final round knowing that there were two threats trying to take the championship away from him.
The decider lacked an edge in many ways, as the needle between two rival sides had not been there all season. Christian Horner’s departure from Red Bull robbed the situation of one of its sordid characters, although even sources close to the team wonder whether the turnaround would have been possible without the change in leadership and subsequent arrival of Laurent Mekies.
Verstappen’s comeback also changed the way the tension grew. Unlike 2021 – when two drivers in closely matched machines often occupied the same space on the track – or 2024 – when Verstappen had to try to defend an existing lead against a faster McLaren – this was a year where one car or the other often had an advantage in the closing stages, and missed opportunities from McLaren saw the gap closed.
It still meant so much to everyone involved, and Norris had the most to lose in his position as the leader going into the final lap.
“This is what we’ve been waiting for all our lives,” he said before the final.
As the race progressed, Norris had a clear game plan. He wasn’t overly aggressive on the opening lap as Piastri took second from him and got into a rhythm after the opening stint to just cover threats from behind. Despite how often drivers say they are only focused on the moment, Norris said he had the championship in mind and was working to cover all eventualities.
“You can’t think about it,” he said. “It’s a long race until the end. We’ve often seen that anything can happen in Formula 1 and I kept pushing until the last two or three laps. [then] I could take it a little easier, but I still wanted to fight until the end and that’s what we did.
“We had to do that this season, with Max chasing us all the way and Oscar catching up at the end. They certainly didn’t make my life easy this year.”
“But I felt calm. I felt calm until there were three corners to go. I started shaking a little bit. I quickly thought about all those incredible memories and then I got to see the team as I crossed the line. This is a moment I will never forget.”
There were moments of drama – think Canada – between the McLaren duo, but no one can deny that their methods could pay off in the long run, first with the constructors’ title here in Singapore, then with Norris’ crowning Sunday in Abu Dhabi. Kym Illman/Getty Images
While Verstappen’s bounce back was hugely impressive considering Red Bull’s problems earlier in the season, Norris had to try to beat a teammate in Piastri who had the same strong machine for the first part of the year, but then the same, less dominant car after the summer break. All of this took place amid McLaren’s balanced approach to racing – the infamous Papaya Rules – which meant there were times when the pair almost seemed to miss a killer edge that you could say is necessary to become champions.
Norris’s honesty on several fronts, including his self-confidence and mental health, has also been used against him at times, but winning a title with such an approach is something he sees as particularly satisfying.
“That’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” Norris said. “I feel like I just managed to win it the way I wanted to win it, and that wasn’t by being someone I’m not – not by being as aggressive as Max or as powerful as other champions in the past – whatever it may be.
“I’m happy. I just won it my way. I’m happy I could go out there and be myself and win it Lando’s way, like Andrea [Stella] would tell me. That certainly makes me happy.
“Could I have gone out and been more of the person that you probably sometimes want me to be? I could have done that too. I would have been less proud of it in some ways, so that’s why I’m very happy with myself. I stayed calm, I stayed to myself, I kept the focus on myself and I made the most of who I am.
“Sometimes I say a few stupid things, and I say a few things about Max, or maybe in the past I’ve said things that everyone is talking about, about Lewis. [Hamilton] – some things I regret and I wish I could take them back and never have come out of my mouth – but I honestly think I have more respect for them [everyone] different from anyone else.
“I give more respect to Oscar. I give more respect to Max. I try to give as much respect as possible to Lewis – he is a seven-time world champion; he is the best driver; you compare him with [Michael] Schumacher, the best driver to ever be in Formula 1. I can’t even get close to that. I may never be that. I dream about things like that.
“I dreamed about today, and I managed to get to one of seven, compared to him. Do I regret some of the comments I might have said in cooldown rooms or whatever it is? Yes. But a lot of it is in the heat of the moment, and by the time I’ve said it, I’m like, ‘Why the hell did I just say that?!'”
That’s not to say that Norris doesn’t still struggle at times with the reaction to his approach, and will be hoping to contribute to his title. He has been known to say one thing and admit the opposite within the same sentence, as he struggles with what he wants to say and what he really thinks, and that uncertainty is sometimes reflected in his driving. Whether that’s due to minor qualifying mistakes or imperfect racing skills, earlier this year it looked like it would cost him his big chance, but those were ironed out as the season progressed, especially in time for the end of the year. Norris says the confirmation that his style can win a world championship means he doesn’t have to listen to outside noise as much.
“I try to be as genuine as possible,” he said. “I always try to tell the truth. I never try to misunderstand things. If I think we’re going to win, I say, ‘I think we’re going to win.’ If I think Red Bull is going to be fast, I’m going to say so. I honestly always try… I have nothing to gain by hiding things from you.
“Do I, deep down, really hate it when you write shit about me? I do too. It’s life too, and I’ve learned to live with some of those things more. I also appreciate that everyone has their own opinion, whether they like me or not, or think someone else is better or not.”
“Why I’m happy is that I did things my way this season. I won it my way, my style of just trying to be a good person and a good team member, and I’m proud of that. No matter what other people want to write and say about it, no one really knows the truth, other than the people on the inside, in terms of what’s going on.”
“I don’t need to listen to those things, so as long as I know I’ve done a good job, which I’ve proven to myself now, then that’s all I really need to listen to: myself and my team. That’s all I need.”
Only 35 drivers have ever won the world championship, and titles don’t come by accident. Norris may have had his doubters and self-doubts this season, but now that he has joined that exclusive club he can look at the champion’s trophy, or the future No. 1 on his car, and know that doing it his way has won him the biggest prize in F1.
#world #championship #Norris #proves #RACER