Lando Norris Defies McLaren Team Orders Moments After Winning F1 Title

Lando Norris went against McLaren orders immediately after becoming Formula One champion for the first time in Abu Dhabi.

Norris went into the final race of the season knowing that a podium finish would be enough to etch his name in history to take the title over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and deny Max Verstappen a fifth championship in a row.

Verstappen took pole position in qualifying and continued his excellent second half of the season by picking up a 71st win in F1 to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Piastri came second and Norris did what he had to do, maintain his composure even with a cheeky Red Bull tactic which forced him off the track at one point, to finish third.

The result meant he finished two points ahead of Verstappen, with Norris full of emotion after crossing the finishing line to become the 35th F1 champion and the 11th from Britain.

Lando Norris became world champion for the first time in F1. Image: Getty

Lando Norris became world champion for the first time in F1. Image: Getty

And while he was in constant conversation with his engineer Will Joseph during the race, Norris elected to against what he was told immediately after.

Speaking to the 26-year-old, Joseph said, “Hate to be a little bit boring, no burnouts.”

However, Norris decided against following orders and after replying, Sure…” – proceeded to perform celebratory donuts on the track while being cheered on by the crowd.

Joseph then replied: “Or don’t…”. The engineer couldn’t say much given Norris had just become world champion and the two continued to beam with pride at the victory.

After being called world champion, Norris struggled to hold back tears and said: “Thank you guys. “Oh my god. You made a kid’s dream come true. Thanks so much. I love you guys. Thanks for everything. You deserve it.”

He also paid tribute to his family, adding: “I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad. Thanks for everything. Oh, I’m crying.” Norris later shared embraces with both of his parents before celebrating with champagne on the podium.

Verstappen’s classy radio message

Norris finished the season with 18 podiums, seven wins and 423 points – beating Verstappen by the the most narrow of margins.

The Dutchman narrowly missed out on the chance to win five in a row but was incredibly upbeat on his team radio as he thanked his peers for a stunning end to the season.

“I confess, guys, when we come back in our second half of the season, we can be really, really proud of that,” Verstappen said.

“So don’t be too disappointed. I’m definitely not disappointed. I’m really proud of everyone. We never give up.

“Pushing, never giving up, believing in making it a success again, even when it’s really difficult. So, thank you very much everyone. And also thank you to Honda for all these years together and all these amazing successes that we have had. And we definitely also close it in style. So, thank you very much for that.”