Lando Norris and the Night the World Changed: McLaren’s Crown Returns in Tashkent
If you’re the sort who believes Formula 1 is just about cars going in circles, you probably missed the tremor that ran through the sport on December 12th, 2025. In Tashkent, Uzbekistan—a city that has never hosted a Grand Prix, but now hosts a memory—Lando Norris, the perennial “future champion,” finally became the present. The FIA Awards Gala, usually a parade of the expected, became the scene of a coronation eleven years in the making. And for McLaren, it was the night the ghosts of Senna, Prost, and Hakkinen could finally rest a little easier.
- The Boy Who Grew Up on the Podium
- Tashkent: Where the World Watched
- The Season That Broke the Mold
- McLaren’s Long Road Home
- The Human Side: Laughter, Tears, and a Well-Timed F-Bomb
- Rivalries, Respect, and the End of a Reign
- The Numbers Game: How Close Was It?
- The Ceremony: More Than Just a Trophy
- The Social Side: Love, Laughter, and Instagram
- The Legacy: What Comes Next?
The Boy Who Grew Up on the Podium
Lando Norris’s journey to this moment is the stuff of modern F1 folklore. He first appeared at the FIA Awards as a karting world champion in 2014—a fresh-faced prodigy with a mop of hair and a grin that seemed to say, “I’ll be back.” Eleven years later, he stood on the same stage, but this time as the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion, clutching the trophy that had eluded so many before him.
His path was not the meteoric rise of a Hamilton or a Verstappen, but a slow, relentless climb. Norris debuted for McLaren in 2019, endured the team’s rebuilding years, and watched as others—Ricciardo, Sainz, even his own teammate Oscar Piastri—threatened to steal the spotlight. But Norris, with his blend of raw speed, technical acumen, and a sense of humor that could cut through the thickest PR fog, became the heart of Woking’s resurgence.
It was incredible. Obviously this is a lot of people’s dreams, a lot of racing drivers’ dreams and I got to finally live it – live that one dream that I had when I was a little kid.
Lando Norris, FIA Awards, Tashkent, 2025
Tashkent: Where the World Watched
The FIA Prize Giving Ceremony has always been a traveling circus of tuxedos, trophies, and the occasional awkward handshake. Paris, Vienna, Monte Carlo—these are cities that know how to host a gala. But Tashkent? The Uzbek capital, more famous for Silk Road history than horsepower, became the unlikely epicenter of the racing universe.
Norris arrived with his partner, Magui Corceiro, and a McLaren entourage that included CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella. The red carpet was less Cannes, more Central Asian chic, but the emotion was unmistakable. As Norris lifted the trophy, the room erupted—not just for a new champion, but for the end of an era dominated by Max Verstappen and the return of McLaren to the summit.
Watch Norris receive his trophy at the FIA Awards Gala (Formula1.com)
The Season That Broke the Mold
The 2025 season was not a procession. It was a knife fight in a phone booth. Norris, Verstappen, and Piastri entered the Abu Dhabi finale with a mathematical shot at the title. Verstappen, the four-time champion, won the race. Piastri, Norris’s own teammate, finished ahead. But Norris’s third place was enough—a mere two points separated him from Verstappen, making it one of the tightest finishes since Lauda edged Prost by half a point in 1984.
Oscar certainly didn’t make my life easy, and we had a great rivalry and competition against each other for the last three years. Obviously, in the second half of the season, Max was catching up and putting pressure on both of us, and all of us as a team, and we had some great moments.
Lando Norris, FIA Awards speech
The numbers tell their own story. Norris entered 134 Grands Prix, stood on 31 podiums, and took 5 wins before this season. But it was his consistency—his refusal to buckle under the relentless pressure from Verstappen and the internal threat from Piastri—that defined his championship run. McLaren, for their part, secured back-to-back Constructors’ titles, a feat not seen since the days of Senna and Prost.
McLaren’s Long Road Home
For McLaren, Norris’s triumph is more than a trophy. It is a resurrection. The team’s last Drivers’ Champion was Lewis Hamilton in 2008—a lifetime ago in F1 terms. Since then, the Woking squad has endured Honda engine debacles, management shakeups, and the ignominy of midfield mediocrity. But with Norris at the wheel, and a technical team finally firing on all cylinders, McLaren has reclaimed its place among the sport’s giants.
| McLaren World Champions | Years Won |
|---|---|
| Emerson Fittipaldi | 1974 |
| James Hunt | 1976 |
| Niki Lauda | 1984 |
| Alain Prost | 1985, 1986, 1989 |
| Ayrton Senna | 1988, 1990, 1991 |
| Mika Häkkinen | 1998, 1999 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 2008 |
| Lando Norris | 2025 |
Norris joins a pantheon that includes Fittipaldi, Hunt, Lauda, Prost, Senna, Häkkinen, and Hamilton. Not bad company for a kid who once joked about his own “cursed” luck.
The Human Side: Laughter, Tears, and a Well-Timed F-Bomb
If you want a sanitized, sponsor-friendly champion, Norris is not your man. His acceptance speech in Tashkent was vintage Lando—heartfelt, self-deprecating, and, in a moment that will live in FIA Awards infamy, gloriously unfiltered.
Of course we’ve had some great wins, winning in Monaco and Silverstone was a dream, but I and we had our share of mistakes and f*** ups, can I say that here?
Lando Norris, on stage at the FIA Awards
The camera panned to Magui Corceiro, who looked momentarily mortified before breaking into a smile. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, never one to miss a chance for levity, joked about a fine. Norris, quick as ever, replied, “Oh sorry, I got fined! I can pay it off now!” The room laughed, and for a moment, the sport felt less like a corporate monolith and more like a family reunion.
See the moment Norris drops the F-bomb at the FIA Gala (Crash.net)
Rivalries, Respect, and the End of a Reign
Max Verstappen, the man Norris dethroned, was absent from the ceremony due to illness but sent a video message. The Dutchman, never one for sentimentality, offered his congratulations with characteristic brevity. The torch had been passed, not with fireworks, but with a nod of respect.
You guys had an unbelievable season and it was really cool to be able to race against you guys until the end. Definitely enjoy it, take care, have a great evening and see you guys all in 2026.
Max Verstappen, video message to Norris and McLaren
The 2025 title fight will be remembered not just for its closeness, but for its civility. Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen pushed each other to the limit, but the bitterness that marred other eras was refreshingly absent. Perhaps the sport, like its new champion, is finally growing up.
The Numbers Game: How Close Was It?
Formula 1 has seen its share of nail-biters. Lauda over Prost by half a point in 1984. Hamilton over Massa by a single point in 2008. Norris’s two-point margin over Verstappen doesn’t quite break records, but it stands as one of the sport’s great title deciders. In an era of dominant streaks and processional championships, 2025 was a reminder that unpredictability is still possible.
Read: The stats behind Lando Norris’ title and how Monza swap was pivotal (ESPN)
The Ceremony: More Than Just a Trophy
The FIA Awards have always been about more than silverware. They are a celebration of survival, of excellence, and—occasionally—of the absurd. This year, the absurdity was Norris’s hair, which FIA president Ben Sulayem gleefully mussed up on stage, and the sight of McLaren’s leadership team, who looked as if they’d just won the lottery (which, in F1 terms, they had).
The ceremony itself has a storied history, rotating through the world’s capitals and honoring legends from Fangio to Schumacher to Hamilton. But Tashkent 2025 will be remembered as the night Formula 1’s future became its present.
The Social Side: Love, Laughter, and Instagram
No modern F1 story is complete without a social media subplot. Norris and Corceiro’s red carpet appearance set Instagram alight, with fans swooning over their coordinated black outfits and public displays of affection. Corceiro, a Portuguese model with 2.5 million followers, shared behind-the-scenes glimpses of the evening, cementing the couple as the sport’s new power duo.
See Margarida Corceiro’s Instagram post from the FIA Awards (Times of India)
And for those who prefer their drama unscripted, Norris’s “f*** ups” moment quickly became a meme, with fans and pundits alike celebrating the return of authenticity to a sport often accused of being too polished for its own good.
The Legacy: What Comes Next?
For Norris, the challenge now is to avoid the fate of Jean Alesi—brilliant, beloved, but ultimately a one-hit wonder. The history of McLaren’s champions is a cautionary tale as much as a celebration. Fittipaldi, Hunt, Lauda, Prost, Senna, Häkkinen, Hamilton—each faced the burden of expectation after their first title. Some rose, some fell. Norris, with his blend of talent and tenacity, seems better equipped than most.
For McLaren, the task is to sustain this renaissance. The team’s back-to-back Constructors’ titles suggest a foundation built to last, but Formula 1 is a sport that punishes complacency. The 2026 season, with new regulations and hungry rivals, will be a different beast.
But for now, let’s allow the orange confetti to settle. Lando Norris is World Champion. McLaren is back. And for one night in Tashkent, the world of Formula 1 felt young again.
