Lewis Hamilton is next in line to congratulate Lando Norris after he secured his maiden F1 title at the Abu Dhabi GP, claiming he was delighted for his fellow Briton. The Ferrari driver also explained that he knew how difficult it could be to arrive at a race weekend while trying to win a first championship.
Norris did all he needed to do to secure his first F1 world championship at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday. The 26-year-old was overtaken by teammate Oscar Piastri on the first lap but then settled into P3, with a podium finish enough to seal the title for the driver.
With this result, Norris became the first British F1 world champion since Lewis Hamilton and the eleventh overall from the United Kingdom in the history of the sport. Interestingly, both drivers have secured their first titles with the McLaren team eighteen years apart.
After the Abu Dhabi GP, Hamilton shared his thoughts on Norris’ achievement, saying he was proud of the man from Bristol.
“Not saying too much really other than that I’m really, really happy for him. Winning your first world championship is truly special. And the UK continues to pump out great drivers,” Hamilton said, via Sky Sports.
“I know what the feeling is also when you’re coming into this race and fighting for your first championship. It is nerve racking. Yeah, I’m just really proud of him. I just told him before the weekend that what he’s been doing works so don’t change anything. I guess that’s what he did,” he added.
During the 2025 season, Norris secured seven poles and seven wins, along with two sprint wins. This was enough for him to score 423 points, only two more than his closest rival, Max Verstappen, in the end. Oscar Piastri finished the season third with 410 points after having led the championship for fifteen rounds this year.
Lewis Hamilton surprises Lando Norris with a hug after winning 2025 world championship
Lewis Hamilton came over to Lando Norris in the media pen after the Abu Dhabi GP to congratulate the newly crowned F1 world drivers’ champion. The British pair also shared a hug as Hamilton told Norris that he was happy for him.
While Norris was speaking to members of the media after the race on Sunday, Hamilton walked over and briefly interrupted the conversation to share a warm embrace with his fellow countryman.
“Congratulations, I’m so happy for you mate! I told you…,” Hamilton said, via X.
On his end, Hamilton also ended his torrid first season with Ferrari on a relatively positive note, climbing from P16 to finish eighth at the Yas Marina Circuit. The 40-year-old ended the 2025 season with 156 points and sixth in the drivers’ standings, having failed to secure a single podium with the Maranello-based team all season. He will be delighted to see the back of not only the SF-25 but also the ground effect era.
Edited by Hitesh Nigam
