'You've driven insane this year' – Norris' fellow drivers congratulate him on his maiden title

Lando Norris secured his maiden F1 World Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, prompting his on-track rivals to rush to congratulate him on his remarkable achievement. It's what every Formula 1 driver wishes for, and they all came together on this unique occasion to praise the Briton.

He became the fourth champion on the current grid, joining an exclusive club that includes Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, with the Dutchman losing out on winning his fifth consecutive title by just two points.

He endured crashes, tense intra-team battles and a mighty comeback by the Dutchman on his way to becoming McLaren's first victor since Hamilton back in 2008, taking third place at the Yas Marina Circuit to seal the title.

Childhood rival George Russell, who is still waiting for his first opportunity to get stuck into a championship fight, took to social media to share a photo of the pair in their junior days, showing how far they've both come.

He also added: "I want to wish congratulations to Lando as he becomes World Champion. We’ve raced together for so long and he is more than deserving of the title. Hopefully we can do battle on track next year for the 2026 crown!"

"Congratulations to Lando too," his Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli said. "He deserves it but also well done to both Max and Oscar Piastri who have also been brilliant this year. It was a great battle all year."

Carlos Sainz, Norris' former team mate at the Woking outfit, also shared a compilation of the years they've spent competing against each other in F1, captioning the Instagram post: "Massive congratulations to @lando on his first Drivers’ Championship! He’s an incredible driver and he has proven that you can achieve your highest goals staying true to yourself! Congrats my muppet friend! Well deserved!"

Speaking after the race, the Spaniard told Sky Sports F1: "I'm very happy for him as a driver because I think he's always been an extremely quick driver, quicker than people give him credit for, and extremely talented since I worked with him at McLaren. I saw a guy that had the speed to be a multiple World Champion if it was purely down to speed.

"I think along the way he's developed a lot of his skills and now he's World Champion. More than anything, I'm happy for him as a person because I think he's a driver that doesn't follow the typical stereotype of a World Champion.

"I think he's always stayed very true to himself, very honest, very open about his own struggles. He's just proven to everyone that you can also be World Champion being a good guy and that open. You don't need to be ruthless or badass to show to everyone that you can be World Champion so I'm happy for him."

As the fireworks went off over the Yas Marina Circuit, Hamilton walked into Norris' post-race interview to say "I told you!" with a grin in a heartwarming moment, with both drivers now able to call themselves champions with McLaren.

There were also words of congratulations from Norris' 2025 title rivals, with Verstappen hoping the Briton enjoys the moment.

"Winning your first title is something that I think we all dreamt of when you get into the sport," the four-time World Champion said. "You work for that since you're a little kid. It’s what you dream of.

"So, when you win your first title, this is very emotional. And, yeah, I hope for Lando as well. You know, I saw a lot of his family is here, so it’s important to enjoy this a lot as well tonight. Also, with his team.

"I think, again, that’s another story where it showed that even when you have tough years, when you keep working hard, you keep adding good people to the team, you can overcome all of those things, and you can become very successful again. And, yeah, they had an incredible season together, so it’s important that they enjoy it."

As for Norris' team mate and fellow title rival Piastri, who had led the championship himself for large portions of the season, the Australian also had nothing but words of praise for the new champion.

"I think a very deserving winner," he said when asked to give his thoughts on Norris' achievement. "I know that every weekend I go on track, it’s going to be tough. And I think we’ve pushed each other through the last three years.

"I think, especially this season, [it] has been tighter than ever. So, yeah, I think he’s had a great season. Probably all three of us, but obviously, myself and Lando in the same team, in the same car, have had our ups and downs at different moments. Ultimately, I think he’s had a good season and a deserving champion."