Five days after securing his first world championship with third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lando Norris was officially crowned world champion during the FIA awards ceremony in Uzbekistan. On stage, the 26-year-old Brit enjoyed a funny—and slightly embarrassing—moment with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The playful moment with Ben Sulayem
“My team and I made mistakes and messed up, can I say that here? Is that okay?” Lando Norris said during his thank-you speech. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, known for cracking down on drivers’ swearing, jokingly replied: “10,000!”
Norris responded: “Oh, sorry, I’ve been fined! Now I can pay!”
The banter continued with an unexpected gesture: Ben Sulayem ruffled Lando Norris’s hair, just as he had at Yas Marina, adding humorously:
“I was going to fine you 5,000 euros, but now I think you need it for your hair after I messed it up.”
Tributes to McLaren and rivals
Lando Norris then paid tribute to McLaren, his teammate Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen, who he beat by just two points in the championship:
“It’s been incredible. Of course, this is the dream of many people, the dream of many drivers, and I finally got to achieve it. To fulfill that childhood dream. Congratulations and thanks to McLaren, the team I have raced with for many, many years, for giving us an incredible car that, at times, made our lives so much easier and allowed us to secure many wins until the end of the season. Mr. Piastri, the incredible teammate I’ve had, who helped me improve so much over the past seasons and made our team what it is, allowed us to become the team winning two consecutive constructors’ titles. Naturally, also thanks to Max, for challenging us all the way, putting us under pressure, simply doing what Max always does.”
Racing against F1 legends
The new champion also reflected on the thrill of competing against Formula 1’s greats:
“It has been amazing to grow here with many of you, achieve this result with McLaren, and race against all the world champions I competed against: Lewis [Hamilton], Max [Verstappen], Seb [Vettel], Fernando [Alonso]. All the incredible drivers I admired and watched as a child, and having the chance to race against them, try to beat them, and show what I’m capable of against all of them—and this year, we managed to do it.”
Lando Norris ended with a smile and a touch of honesty: “I’m very proud and obviously very happy. On Sunday after the race, I got emotional, then I got drunk, and had so much fun!”
A finale that reflects the genuineness of a champion who, between emotion and humor, wrote his first golden page in Formula 1 history.
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