ABU DHABI, Dec 7 (Reuters) – McLaren’s Lando Norris sobbed tears of joy and relief as he won the Formula One championship for the first time and ended Max Verstappen’s four-year reign with a nervy third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
Red Bull’s Verstappen, who ended the campaign with more wins (eight) than any driver, triumphed in the season-ender with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri second and 12.5 seconds behind at the chequered flag.
Norris, Britain’s 11th Formula One world champion, took his points tally to 423 with Verstappen on 421 and Piastri third with 410.
McLaren, who secured the constructors’ championship in October for the second year in a row, won both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.
‘I’ve not cried in a while. I didn’t think I would cry but I did,’ said an emotional Norris in a post-race interview, after also shedding tears inside his helmet.
‘It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit.
‘I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them. It’s been an honour, I’ve learned a lot from both,’ he added.
Norris’s mother Cisca gave Piastri a consoling hug while both Verstappen and the Australian congratulated the new champion in a show of sportsmanship.
The victory denied Verstappen the achievement of five titles in a row, something only Ferrari great Michael Schumacher has managed so far.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth in Sunday’s race for Ferrari with George Russell fifth for Mercedes and Fernando Alonso sixth for Aston Martin.
Esteban Ocon was seventh for Haas, ahead of Ferrari’s seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton — who failed to stand on the podium all year in a career low for the 40-year-old who joined the Italian team this year from Mercedes.
Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was ninth in the German’s 250th race and Lance Stroll 10th for Aston Martin.