December 7, 2025, changed everything. Lando Norris won the Formula 1 world championship by finishing third at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix! The 26-year-old Brit defeated Max Verstappen by just two points in one of the closest title battles F1 has witnessed in years.
Lando Norris didn’t merely win the championship. He won it despite spending half the season in serious doubt about whether he could pull this off.
The Season Started Great, Then Fell Apart
Norris entered 2025 as the front-runner. He secured his first F1 victory in 2024 and was riding high. He won the opening race, and everyone figured this was his year.
Then outdriving him was Oscar Piastri. Badly.
By August, Norris was 34 points behind his Australian teammate in the standings. His low point was at the Dutch Grand Prix when his car suffered an oil leak while he ran in second. At Zandvoort, he sat quietly by himself alone on the grassy banks as Piastri drove off to take control of the race. Can you imagine? Your teammate is pulling in the win while you sit on the sidelines trying to figure out what the hell happened?
“There were those doubts that I had in the beginning of the year, and I proved myself wrong,” Norris said after clinching the title. “And that’s something that makes me very happy.”
The Comeback
After Zandvoort, something clicked. Norris went on an absolute tear. He beat Piastri in six straight race weekends. By October, he’d retaken the championship lead.
But it wasn’t just about driving faster. “I had to work harder, both on the simulator and here at the track. I had to change my approach. I had to change my style of driving,” he explained.
He brought in more coaches. Leaned on his family harder. Did whatever it took to turn things around. And it worked.
The Final Race
Abu Dhabi was nuts. Three drivers could’ve won the championship. Norris held a 12-point lead heading into the race. That meant he just needed a podium finish to seal it.
Verstappen started on pole. Norris second. Piastri third. Then on the opening lap, Piastri pulled off an audacious move to pass his teammate. Heart rates on the McLaren pit wall probably went through the roof.
Norris dropped to third but kept his cool. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc pressured him. He had some close calls in traffic after his pit stop. Yuki Tsunoda forced him off track at one point and got a five-second penalty. But Norris dealt with everything.
“I felt calm until three corners to go,” he admitted afterwards. “I started to shake a little bit.”
When he crossed the line in third, Verstappen had won the race but lost the championship by two measly points. His four-year reign as world champion was over.
What Makes Him Different
Lando Norris’ age is 26, which is pretty young, though not outrageously young when it comes to F1. He has been racing at the highest levels since 2019. Seven seasons with McLaren. When drivers are always trying to get the next best seat, that kind of loyalty is rare.
Lando Norris height is around 5.7, which is quite decent for a Formula One driver. It doesn’t matter if you’re tall and your job is driving a race car at 200 miles an hour.
Lando Norris ethnicity is Belgian and British. His dad is Belgian; his mom is British. He was raised in Glastonbury, England, and began racing karts when he was 7.
What distinguishes Norris most is his candidness. Most athletes hide their struggles. Not him. He has spoken openly about mental health, about the pressure, and about the doubts. And that makes him relatable in a way most F1 drivers are not.
His Lando Norris Instagram (@lando) has over 7 million followers who get to see both the glamorous race weekends and the goofier side of him playing video games with friends.
The Money Side
Lando Norris’ net worth is estimated to be around $30 million, though that’ll jump significantly now that he’s world champion. His McLaren salary is reportedly $20 million per year, plus sponsorship deals and bonuses.
Lando Norris merchandise is about to fly off the shelves, too. Anything with championship gear is an instant seller. Get ready to see many more papaya orange McLaren hats and shirts in the paddock next year.
What Happens Now
Here’s where it gets interesting. F1 is in for a huge technical shakeup in 2026. New engines. New regulations. Everything resets. The car that won Norris the championship in 2025 won’t mean jack in 2026.
“It could be my only opportunity in my life that I get to do such a thing,” Norris said about putting the number one on his car next season. “Formula 1 is unpredictable. You never know how much things can change.”
He’s right. McLaren might not have the fastest car next year. The new Cadillac team joins as the 11th team on the grid. Everything’s up in the air.
But Norris proved something this season. When things got tough, when everyone doubted him, including himself, he figured it out. He dug deep. He changed what needed changing. He got better.
The Real Story
Lando Norris didn’t win the championship because he was the fastest driver all season. He wasn’t. Piastri was faster for months. Verstappen put together one of the great comeback seasons in Formula 1 history, recovering from being 104 points behind in August to just 2 short at the end.
Norris became victorious because he was consistent when it counted. He also learned from his mistakes faster than his competitors. He was mentally strong in those darkest hours.
He received his trophy on December 13 at the FIA Awards in Uzbekistan. During his speech, he light-heartedly swore and was mock-fined by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Even as world champion, he’s still the same slightly irreverent guy.
This Thursday, December 18, he’s in there for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He is the first Formula One driver to be nominated since Lewis Hamilton in 2020. Darts phenom Luke Littler’s also nominated and actually picked Norris as his choice to win.
From self-doubt in August to world champion in December. From sitting on the grass at Zandvoort to standing atop the world. That, folks, is a turnaround of fate if there ever was one, and he earned every bit of it.
