McLaren driver Lando Norris won the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers Championship after finishing third at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday behind Max Verstappen and his teammate Oscar Piastri. At 26 Norris becomes the first McLaren driver to win the title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and the eleventh British driver to claim a Formula 1 world championship. Norris ended Verstappen’s four-year streak at the top in his seventh season in F1. Verstappen made a strong late-season comeback but fell just two points short after winning Sunday’s race from pole position. Piastri Norris’ teammate and another contender for the title finished second after overtaking Norris at the start. Despite finishing behind Verstappen and Piastri Norris knew third place would be enough to secure the championship so he was confident throughout the race. With Piastri finishing second McLaren had control helping Norris claim the title. This also marks McLaren’s first double win of both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships since 1998. The only tense moment for Norris came in his second stint when he had to pass slower cars on older tires after pitting earlier than most on lap 16. Yuki Tsunoda received a five-second penalty for pushing Norris off the track during an overtake on the back straight. Charles Leclerc pushed hard during the race and threatened Norris’ title hopes but finished over five seconds behind in fourth. Lewis Hamilton had a strong race climbing from 16th to eighth ending his first season with Ferrari on a positive note. Leclerc finished fourth followed by George Russell in the lead Mercedes Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton in the battling Haas and Ferrari cars. Nico Hulkenberg recovered well to finish ninth in his 250th race for Kick Sauber while Lance Stroll claimed the final point in 10th despite a penalty for unsafe driving. Ollie Bearman was penalized for multiple changes of direction finishing 12th behind Gabriel Bortoleto. Carlos Sainz came 13th for Williams and Tsunoda was 14th after his penalty for defending against Norris with an unusual tire strategy. Kimi Antonelli Alex Albon (penalized for speeding in the pit lane) and the Racing Bulls drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson finished next with Lawson receiving a penalty after a clash with Bearman. Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto completed the field with Gasly ahead despite a penalty for exceeding track limits.