Congratulations to Lando Norris on becoming F1 World Champion after 24 amazing but sometimes intense and challenging races. Victories in Melbourne, Monaco, Austria, Silverstone, Hungary, Mexico and Brazil were highlights, resulting in a total of 18 podium finishes.
His worst moments were a clumsy collision with teammate Oscar Piastri in Canada, a retirement due to oil problems in Zandvoort, a disappointing seventh place finish after a nightmarish weekend in Baku, a technical disqualification in Las Vegas and a botched team strategy in Qatar that left him fourth. It was a roller coaster season to say the least.
To deal with all this, Lando has made great strides in mind management this season, regularly turning pole position into the lead at the end of the first lap. A good example of this was the Mexican racer from pole position slipstreaming the entire pack into the first corner. He positioned his car very well, staying close to the front of the four-car pack, braking in the right places and with the right amount, claiming the first chicane cleanly, and easily dominating the race after that.
He handled pressure situations much better, whether in qualifying, in the race or outside the car. He gradually stopped being so hard on himself in public, which only fed his rivals. But he still stayed true to who he is and how he wants to behave in the race, and learned how to spread the moments he wanted to criticize to the world.
His racecraft has always been good, and this year it has been further strengthened by sharper overtaking and defense, as well as tire management, including whispers of victory for Pirelli in Budapest, much to Piastri’s chagrin.
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Experience Lando Norris winning the World Championship title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and celebrating with donuts from the cockpit.
Did Monza have an impact on Piastri during the run-in?
Norris still lacks Piastri’s absolute laser guidance and daring overtaking, and Oscar has become the undisputed elite with sensational wins in a number of races in China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Miami, Spain and Belgium, not to mention his final race of the season in the Netherlands in August, nine races ago.
At Monza, Lando was asked to return his place after the pit stop. For me, it was a very clear decision by the team. They asked Lando to hand over priority pit stops to Oscar, as he was leading the McLarens, and to help his teammate defend Charles Leclerc from the oncoming Ferrari, with the promise not to undercut. Rand said yes to participating in the team game, even though it was against his own interests, and rightfully so. Piastri received his first pit stop in 1.9 seconds, and somehow inevitably Norris took a yawning 5.9 seconds, with an actual undercut and Piastri taking the lead.
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A four-second delay between the McLaren drivers’ pit stops at Monza caused drama with Oscar Piastri undercutting Lando Norris but eventually retaking the position.
The team fixed it and got it back on track. Of course, late pit stops are just part of the Grand Prix season, but this was done under special circumstances. At least Piastri is back in Norris’ DRS range and is said to be free to race, still making a net profit. Norris legitimately pulled away as he was the fastest car and driver combination that day.
If that’s why Oscar beheaded, he shouldn’t have let that happen. In the next race, he tripped twice into the wall in Baku, had a nightmare jump start, and didn’t see another GP podium until Qatar. He was head and shoulders above the pack that race weekend, but ultimately only finished second as his team chose not to pit under the safety car on lap seven.
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Max Verstappen pits under safety car in Qatar GP with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri absent
Two factors contributed to this fallow period for Oscar. First, it is a generally accepted fact that they have not yet reached their full potential on low-grip surfaces, but Max Verstappen and Red Bull have found rich form, winning six of their past nine starts.
The “what ifs,” “buts,” and “maybes” for all three title challengers.
Max was in unusual shape towards the end of the championship, and at one point was 104 points behind him, and even said he wouldn’t be able to win any more races after the summer. The team activated the car’s aerodynamics and Max, who used them to great effect, was visibly happy and relaxed.
In many ways, the idea of ”what if” is meaningless, as there are bound to be incidents for everyone during the 24-race, six-sprint championship season. All points matter, no matter when or how they are earned, and interestingly this year there will be no points for fastest lap in a race, which could very well shake up the championship.
But lessons must be learned and all three drivers will regret the mistakes, missed opportunities, sometimes flimsy penalties and red-fog moments. Only Lando recorded a full mechanical DNF, and both McLarens were excluded from Las Vegas, leaving only 23 GP results.
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A look back at Max Verstappen and the story of his career leading up to the season-clinching match in Abu Dhabi
McLaren did its best to be fair and equal with both drivers, which, while admirable, sometimes caused unwanted internal friction and negative media attention. This also meant that the two number one drivers would be competing for points against each other throughout the season.
Max didn’t have this problem as he won 421 points out of Red Bull’s 451, but on the flip side he didn’t have anyone to help him maximize the potential of his car and race strategy, or take points away from the McLaren duo.
Whatever the “what ifs”, “buts” and “should have been”, it ultimately ended in a three-way shootout in Abu Dhabi, with McLaren playing their sharp cards.
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Martin Brundle looks back at F1’s greatest ‘mavericks’
McLaren’s smart Abu Dhabi strategy and Tsunoda’s last-minute run
Verstappen took another impressive pole position, asserting his ability to control race pace. There was a very good chance he would lead out of the first corner and he did just that.
There was a lot of talk in the paddock before the race about Red Bull having to thwart the McLarens if Lando wanted to stay in the top three, and we were hoping that Max would slow the pack and allow Lando to catch up with the likes of Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
McLaren did three important things. First, third place starter Piastri was fitted with hard compound tires for a longer stint. Second, it was agreed that if we could pass Norris cleanly and safely, we would do so and set him after Max to prevent Norris from playing the game at that pace. Thirdly, they ran Norris’ race purely to defend the much-needed third place, pocketing the final ace card of being able to drop back at any time on the final lap even if Piastri didn’t win the title personally, but an extra position for Norris would have made a difference.
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Oscar Piastri passes Lando Norris on the first lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Max Verstappen maintains his lead.
Charles Leclerc did a great best in his Ferrari, robbing Lando of a valuable championship-winning third place, but McLaren and Lando kept their cool and did what was necessary to bring the car home. This was a masterstroke as no other contender in the field could hinder their progress after their poor strategic decisions against Qatar. Except for one.
In the second Red Bull, Hiroki Tsunoda was tasked with a very long stint on hard tires, in the belief that Norris would have to pass him at some point after the pit stop to gain position. I don’t really care about strategic team play. Everyone has two cars to maximize their competitiveness, but the radio call “you know what to do” was close to threatening and we were informed that the difference between Norris and Leclerc was 1.4 seconds.
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Lando Norris went off the track when overtaking Hiroki Tsunoda in Abu Dhabi.
Yuki should have backed up Lando from the tight Turn 12 to Turn 5 of the next lap, which would have been relatively easy and very effective. Instead, he chose to weave down the back straight like a drunken sailor while breaking regulations, ultimately forcing Norris through a filthy part of the course and actually going off course.
Tsunoda rightly received a five-second penalty for that obvious violation, but what happened to Norris’ pass that went off the track and maintained the advantage? Leclerc also passed Tsunoda, so there was no way he could give up the position. Fortunately for Norris, the stewards made a rational decision.
Apparently, there are guidelines that say if a driver is forced off the track to avoid an accident, they will not be penalized for it. Some might say Norris should have taken off or tried to pass at the other end, but there was little doubt where Red Bull would go next.
Norris finished 6.7 seconds ahead of Leclerc, so the five-second penalty shouldn’t have meant anything.
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McLaren celebrates Lando Norris’ world title win with champagne spray in paddock
Thus, the celebration of Rand and his family, friends and team began in earnest, soaked in champagne, and it was not difficult to feel a lump in the throat or even wipe away the tears right away. After all, kind people can win.
We say goodbye to Sauber, the Renault power unit, the DRS rear wing, ground effects regulations, journalist Michael Schmidt (who took part in the 750 race) and the near-retirement Mark Tubbs-Hughes, and no doubt many other aspects of F1 life.
And we bid farewell to one of the greatest F1 championships I have ever had the pleasure of commentating. Thank you for your cooperation and happy holidays.
M.B.
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