Lando Norris won his first Formula 1 World Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday. He beat both his team-mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to take the crown. After a long season of 24 races in 2025, Norris finished just two points ahead of Verstappen.

Verstappen had made a strong comeback after the summer break, winning six of the last ten races. However, Norris’s third-place finish in Abu Dhabi was enough to secure McLaren’s first Drivers’ title since Lewis Hamilton in 2008. This means Verstappen, who had raced with the No. 1 on his car for over 1,000 days, must now give it up.

Norris has said he will take over the number 1 for the 2026 season. He explained that the number is a symbol of hard work and pride. “It’s not just for me, it’s for my mechanics, engineers, and everyone at McLaren,” he told Sky Sports F1. “They get to feel proud too, knowing they helped make us number one.”

Verstappen had used the number 1 in 92 races since 2022, a streak longer than Michael Schumacher’s five-season run with the same number. However, Schumacher raced with it for 120 Grands Prix in total because, in his era, the title winner was automatically given the number 1. Now, Norris will switch from his regular number 4 to the number 1 for his first season as world champion.