Lando Norris secured his maiden Formula 1 championship as Max Verstappen took victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver lost second place to teammate Oscar Piastri on the opening lap, but kept Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at bay to claim the third place finish he needed to end Verstappen’s four-year reign as world champion, ultimately taking the title by just two points.
As for the Dutchman, it was another dominant lights-to-flag victory at Yas Marina, crossing the line 12.5 seconds clear of Piastri in second.
After passing George Russell at the start, Leclerc piled the pressure on Norris early on, but ultimately faded in the second half of the race in fourth with the Mercedes coming home in fifth.
Fernando Alonso continued his strong end to the season in sixth for Aston Martin, followed by Esteban Ocon in seventh.
Lewis Hamilton’s disappointing first year for Ferrari ended with a P8, marking the first time the seven-time world champion has gone podium-less in a season in his 18-year career.
A frantic midfield battle saw Nico Hulkenberg pip Lance Stroll to P9 after the Canadian received a five-second penalty for impeding.
Ollie Bearing finishing P10 on the road, but a penalty of his own dropped the Briton behind Stroll and Gabriel Bortoleto to P12.
