Lando Norris holds back tears during McLaren tribute after claiming drivers' championship

Lando Norris clinched his first Formula 1 drivers' championship with a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi

Lando Norris paid a tearful tribute to McLaren and his family after claiming his first drivers' championship.

After a tense Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Norris crossed the line in third behind race winner Max Verstappen and his team-mate Oscar Piastri in second, which was enough to take the title.

"Oh, God. I've not cried in a while. I didn't think I would cry, but I did," he told David Coulthard after the race. "It's a long journey. It's a long journey. First of all, I want to say a big thanks to my guys, everyone at McLaren... My parents.

"I'm not crying... My mum, my dad. They're the ones who supported me since the beginning."

He added, while just about holding back tears: "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 of them as well. I've enjoyed it. It's been a long year. But we did it. We did it. I'm so proud of everyone."

After starting from second on the grid, Norris slipped back into third after he was overtaken by Piastri. As Verstappen led the majority of the race, Norris had to fend off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in fourth to keep the lead in the championship standings.

"It's a bit of both," he said when asked if he had the championship in his mind during the race or if he was just racing in the moment. "You can't not think of it. But I knew it was a long race.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

"We've seen many times that anything in Formula 1 can happen. I just kept pushing until the last two or three laps. I could ease it off a bit. But I still wanted to fight to the end. That's what we did. That's what we had to do this season.

"For Max chasing us the whole way, for Oscar catching up again at the end. They certainly didn't make my life easy this year. I'm happy."

He concluded before heading to the podium to celebrate: "It's been a long journey with McLaren. I've been with them for nine years. We've been through plenty of crazy difficult times and plenty of good times.

"For me to feel like I can bring something back to them, it's their first drivers' title in many, many years. I feel like I did my part for the team this year and I'm very proud of myself for that, but I'm even more proud for everyone that I've hopefully made cry."

The 2025 Formula 1 drivers' championship ends with Norris on 423 points, Verstappen just two behind with 421 points and Piastri in third with 410 points.