Key Highlights
- The rest is history. The driver celebrates with his team during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday (Getty)Those days on the road as a junior, with his father Adam and mother Cisca by his side, all came flooding back on one emotional evening in Abu Dhabi as Norris, 26, became Britain’s 11th Formula 1 world champion. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“All those years ago, when I saw F1 on the TV and I saw a go-kart for the first time, those memories were there on the last couple of laps,” Norris said, after sealing the podium he needed on Sunday night to pip race winner Max Verstappen to the 2025 title by two points.“It took me back to where it all started.
- I wouldn’t be here without my parents, the sacrifices they’ve made, my brothers and sisters, just everything that goes into achieving what we all achieved today.“This is not my world championship.
- This is ours.”By the time a shattered Norris slumped onto the press conference sofa in the Yas Marina press centre, powered only by a combination of Monster energy drink, an undisclosed alcoholic spirit and prizewinning adrenaline, it had been nearly two hours since the chequered flag had waved.
- A dozen interviews down already, Norris would have been forgiven for wanting to be anywhere else but here. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut to his credit, and in a manner he has at times struggled to stay true to throughout this topsy-turvy 24-race juggernaut of a season, Norris answered each question with a sincerity and candour, explaining how he staved off Verstappen’s magnificent comeback charge and the challenge of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris, then 14, was the main protagonist in a children’s book about his world karting triumph a decade ago (Edge)At his greatest hour, an emotional Norris opened up with grace, responding earnestly to critics who have labelled him too weak to reach the summit of single-seater motorsport. He said: “If you compare me to all the champions from the past, have I been as aggressive as them?
- No.