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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Lando Norris clinched his first-ever World Drivers Championship after finishing third in Abu Dhabi- just enough to hold off Max Verstappen by a razor-thin margin of two points. The final points tally: Norris ended on 423 points, while Verstappen finished on 421. The result marks the end of Verstappen's four-year reign as champion.
The race began with Verstappen starting on pole getting a clean getaway and leading from the start. On the first lap, Norris was overtaken by his own teammate Oscar Piastri, who took P2 putting pressure on Norris early. Norris faced multiple challenges: attacks from Charles Leclerc, a tricky stint in traffic after his first pit stop, and a wheel-to-wheel battle with Yuki Tsunoda which saw Tsunoda penalized 5 seconds for aggressive defending. Despite a brief off-track excursion while overtaking Tsunoda which was investigated stewards ruled it was Tsunoda's fault, so Norris kept P3. Later in the race, McLaren reacted to tire-strategy shifts by covering off a second stop for Norris, ensuring he could hold onto third even under threat from Leclerc. Meanwhile, Verstappen drove a near-perfect lights-to-flag race and crossed the line 12 seconds ahead of Piastri.
Final Results:
1. Max Verstappen- Red Bull
2. Oscar Piastri- McLaren
3. Lando Norris- McLaren
4. Charles Leclerc- Ferrari
5. George Russell- Mercedes
The beginning of the 2026 Formula One season begins in Melbourne, Australia for the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
Written by: Daniel Torres
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