Lando Norris has been crowned Formula 1’s 35th world champion after the dramatic decider in Abu Dhabi, and it seems he has been destined for this since he was young.
Karting Days
The Briton has always been a gifted driver, securing himself many titles throughout his karting days. In 2012, he became Formula Kart Stars champion and runner-up in the MSA Super One British Championship. A year later, he won titles in the CIK-FIA KFJ European Championship, CIK-FIA KFJ Super Cup, WSK Euro Series KFJ, CIK-FIA International Super Cup, and World Karting Championship.
In addition to his titles, he also made history, which seems to be a common thing from Lando Norris. He became the youngest karting world championship winner, taking the CIK-FIA KF World Championship title at 14. This was previously held by Lewis Hamilton. He also remains the youngest ever to take a pole position at a national meeting.
The Rise to McLaren
In 2016, Norris racked up a number of wins in single-seater championships – Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series Championship in New Zealand.
Following his success in 2016 and after winning the 2016 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, McLaren signed Norris on as a Test and Simulator Driver.
Alongside his new role at McLaren, Lando took a step-up to the European Formula 3 Championship and ended up winning this first attempt with nine victories and eleven podiums from 30 races.
With his impressive performance throughout F3, he was promoted to Test and Reserve Driver and made his debut in F2 with Carlin Racing.
His F2 season started on a high note, winning the opening race in Bahrain, and after that, he was a consistent high performer, fighting for the title with George Russell and Alex Albon. Lando finished his remarkable year in Abu Dhabi by securing the runner-up spot in F2, shortly after his 19th birthday.
Formula 1 Debut
In September 2018, it was confirmed that Lando Norris would be joining Carlos Sainz at McLaren, earning his full-time seat in Formula 1.
Only 19 when he made his debut, Lando had an impressive rookie year, finishing in the points 11 times. His rise to world champion continued throughout 2021 as he took four more podiums and sadly missed out on a first win at the Russian Grand Prix, firmly establishing himself as an F1 frontrunner.
Norris played a key role in utilising the ability of the MCL60 as the team worked on key upgrades for the car.
Once those upgrades were installed, Lando cemented his place among F1’s top drivers by taking 193 points in 14 rounds, finishing as the second most consistent driver after previous World Champion, Max Verstappen.
Going into his 2024 season, Lando knew his future was with the team he’d dreamt of driving for since he was young and signed a multi-year contract extension. With a strong start to the 2024 season, and the installation of an upgrade ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Lando Norris grabbed himself an historic win.
Lando produced three more wins throughout the season, most notably in the title-deciding season finale, where he led from the Pole to confirm McLaren as Constructors’ Champions for the first time in 26 years.
Champion Of the World
Lando was eying a title challenge in 2025. Armed with a race-winning car from the first round, Lando established himself as a contender with victory in the Australia season-opener. McLaren was this season’s dominating team, consistently breaking away from the rest of the pack, and the title fight with teammate, Oscar Piastri provided fans with nail-biting excitement throughout the season. Lando delivered wins in Monaco and Silverstone, but Oscar was the Championship leader at the halfway stage, building up a 34-point buffer between Round 5 in Saudi Arabia and Round 15 in the Netherlands, before Lando began to eat into his advantage.
With their dominating car and a fight between these drivers, McLaren had their first back-to-back Constructors’ titles since the early 90s.
Wins for Lando in Mexico City and São Paulo completed his comeback in the standings and established a 24-point lead over his teammate, with three rounds to go, but previous World Champion Verstappen had found his rhythm again and the three-way battle between Piastri, Verstappen and Norris continued on until the finale race of the season.
After finishing third in Abu Dhabi, Lando confirmed himself as Formula 1’s 35th Drivers’ World Champion, the 11th Briton and the first from McLaren for 17 years, 13th overall. Winning by two points over Max Verstappen in second place, Lando ended the year with seven wins, 18 podiums, and seven Poles.
