Lando Norris partied like a brand-new world champion in Abu Dhabi. Now the clock resets.
The McLaren driver sealed his first Formula 1 crown by two points after a nerve-scorcher of a finale at Yas Marina, outlasting Max Verstappen to snap the Dutchman’s four-year run. He didn’t do it with fireworks on Sunday, either. He did it with composure.
Needing only third to bank the title, Norris was muscled by Verstappen into Turn 1 and then ambushed by Oscar Piastri at Turn 9. Charles Leclerc shadowed him, Yuki Tsunoda picked a fight he didn’t need to pick, and still Norris never put a wheel wrong. Verstappen scored win number eight of the season to Norris’ seven, but the maths was the Briton’s friend. Title secured. Doubters quiet.
He celebrated like he meant it. British tabloids reckon the bar tab hit six figures as the champion worked his way from Pearls & Caviar to the Amber Lounge, leading a chorus of the usual anthems and soaking in a first crown that arrived the hard way. Whether the total was £100,000 or not, it looked like money well spent for a 26-year-old who’s worn the “next big thing” tag for years.
Then, because this is modern F1, the party stopped and the grind resumed. Norris was back at Yas Marina on Tuesday for the post-season test, sharing mileage with Piastri before jetting to Woking for a hero’s welcome and a sea of papaya smiles.
We clipped out our favourite moments ✨
Just look at those smiles 🧡#McLarenpic.twitter.com/A9fG5ZxiA5
— McLaren (@McLarenF1)December 10, 2025
As the confetti settles, there’s an obvious question: how many does Norris have in him? Juan Pablo Montoya, never one to tiptoe around a point, expects the answer to arrive fast.
“For me, yeah, he’s going to take a week off or a couple weeks off,” Montoya said on F1TV in Abu Dhabi. “But he wants to prove to everybody that this wasn’t a fluke. That he can go and he can start winning championships and get the job done.”
That means next season’s McLaren garage could get spikier. The love-in has been real—Norris and Piastri have pushed each other hard without detonating—but titles change the temperature. “I think you’re going to see a really strong Lando next year because he doesn’t want to go next year and get Oscar to beat him,” Montoya added. “Through the year, if one of them is dominating the other one, it’s just not going to be fun.”
He’s right. McLaren’s step has been enormous, but Red Bull still stacks wins, Ferrari still lurks, and a two-point championship is, by definition, a fragile thing. Norris’ Abu Dhabi was a study in judgment: covered off at Turn 1, outfoxed by his teammate, harried by Leclerc, briefly stalled by Tsunoda’s elbows—and utterly unflustered. That’s the version of Norris that wins more than once. The version that doesn’t get baited, doesn’t overdrive, doesn’t chase Verstappen on a day when fourth would do, and strings together a season with the sort of relentless competence we used to see wearing a blue race suit.
Will he party the same way if he goes back-to-back? Maybe. Should McLaren worry about headaches? Only the strategic kind. Playing referee between two front-running drivers is a problem every team principal signs up for—until it arrives. Andrea Stella managed 2025 superbly; 2026 will test the margins.
For now, Norris gets his breather: a short holiday with family, friends, and girlfriend Margarida Corceiro before the simulator calls again. The champ’s had his night out. The hangover was worth it. And with Verstappen already collecting wins and Piastri already nicking moves into Turn 9, the message is blunt enough: enjoy the moment, because the next one won’t wait.
