McLaren Secures First Drivers' Title Since 2008 With Norris' Abu Dhabi Masterclass
McLaren ended its 17-year Drivers' Championship drought as Lando Norris clinched the 2025 F1 title in Abu Dhabi through flawless strategy execution, overcoming Max Verstappen and Red Bull in a tense season finale. Team principal Zak Brown called it 'unbelievable' after perfect pit calls secured McLaren's first drivers' crown since Lewis Hamilton's 2008 victory.
McLaren Racing celebrated its first Drivers' Championship since 2008 as Lando Norris secured the 2025 F1 world title in a strategically masterful Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Team CEO Zak Brown described the victory as 'unbelievable' after meticulous pit wall decisions and flawless execution overcame Max Verstappen's Red Bull challenge in a season-long battle.
Why it matters:
Ending a 17-year Drivers' Championship drought represents a watershed moment for McLaren, validating their multi-year rebuild under Brown's leadership. The victory carries extra weight as Norris dethroned four-time champion Verstappen while navigating intra-team competition with Oscar Piastri - proving McLaren's current driver pairing and operational maturity can outperform F1's dominant force.
The Details:
- Norris executed a critical two-stop strategy while Verstappen and Piastri ran one-stop approaches, requiring precise traffic management after his first pit exit
- McLaren split starting tires between Norris (medium) and Piastri (hard) to create strategic flexibility against Red Bull's pace
- A tense mid-race sequence saw Norris defend against Charles Leclerc in Ferrari's DRS range while managing tire deg
- Brown highlighted the operational perfection: 'Pit stops, covering Leclerc, avoiding Yuki Tsunoda contact - everything went right when any mistake would've cost the title'
- Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed the defensive strategy shift: 'We had to cover Leclerc immediately, which locked us into the two-stop plan'
- Piastri's hard-compound run created crucial pressure on Verstappen, though the Dutchman's pace ultimately secured his race win
What's next:
This dual championship triumph (Drivers' and Constructors') positions McLaren as F1's new benchmark heading into 2026.
- The team's strategic sophistication now matches Red Bull's operational excellence, with Brown noting 'the stress to win the Drivers' title was every bit as high as the Constructors'
- Norris' championship validates McLaren's driver development program, potentially accelerating contract talks for both drivers
- With Honda power units returning in 2026, McLaren aims to build on this momentum against Red Bull's anticipated regulation adaptation
- Brown's 'everything went right' assessment masks underlying challenges - maintaining this level requires solving persistent qualifying weaknesses seen throughout 2025
The Abu Dhabi victory completes McLaren's remarkable resurgence from midfield strugglers to championship contenders, with Brown already framing 2026 as 'an opportunity to establish sustained dominance rather than defend a single title.'