Lando Norris: 2025 F1 world champion receives trophy for winning Drivers' Championship at FIA Awards

Lando Norris collected the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship trophy as he was formally crowned 2025 world champion at the FIA Awards in Uzbekistan.

Five days after clinching his maiden title by finishing third in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Norris was presented with his prize as F1's 35th world champion on Friday at the governing body's end-of-year event to recognise achievements in world motorsport.

"It was incredible," said Norris of winning the championship.

"Obviously this is a lot of people's dreams, a lot of racing drivers' dreams and I got to finally live it.

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"Live that one dream that I had when I was a little kid."

The top-three finishers in the Drivers' Championship are required to attend the annual event, which this year took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital, at the culmination of the FIA's annual general assemblies week.

Outgoing champion Max Verstappen, who won last Sunday's season finale to finish just two points shy of Norris, finished second in the 2025 standings but did not travel to Tashkent on doctor's advice due to illness.

Verstappen sent his apologies in a video message in which he also paid tribute to his McLaren rivals after his four-year reign as world champion came to an end.

"A big congratulations to McLaren and especially Lando," said Verstappen.

"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."

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Oscar Piastri, Norris' team-mate, collected his third-placed trophy while McLaren were awarded the Constructors' Championship for the second year running and 10th time in their history.

The Woking outfit clinched that title at September's Singapore Grand Prix with six rounds of the season to go, eventually finishing up 364 points clear of second-placed Mercedes.

It is the first time McLaren have won a drivers' and constructors' title double since 1998.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown lifted the constructors' trophy alongside team principal Andrea Stella and said: "Fantastic season.

"All the men and women at McLaren have done an unbelievable job led by our two awesome drivers, of course the job Andrea has done leading.

"To go into the final race with two drivers fighting for the world championship when everyone said that couldn't be done, I'm just very proud of how McLaren went racing and that's exactly what we plan to do next year."

'Got emotional after the race then got extremely drunk!'

Standing on stage with Piastri, Brown and Stella, Norris paid tribute to McLaren, his title-rival team-mate and Red Bull's Verstappen.

"Congratulations and thank you to McLaren, the team I've been with for many, many years on giving both of us an incredible car that at times made our life very easy and beautiful and we could bring home many wins all the way to the end of the season.

"Mr Piastri, the incredible team-mate that I've had, who has helped me improve so much over the past few seasons and made us the team that we are, allowed us to turn into the team winning two constructors' back-to-back.

"Of course, to Max as well, for challenging us the whole way, putting us under pressure, just doing what Max always does."

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And 11 years on from appearing at the awards as a teenager when a karting world champion, Norris said: "It's been amazing to grow up here alongside a lot of you guys, deliver it with McLaren to get to race all the world champions that I've been racing against - Lewis [Hamilton], Max [Verstappen], Seb [Vettel], Fernando [Alonso].

"All the incredible drivers that I looked up to and watched when I was a little kid and get that chance to race against them, to try and beat them and show what I can do against them all and we managed to do that this year.

"So very proud, very happy of course. Got very emotional on Sunday after the race, then got extremely drunk and had an amazing time!"

'I can pay it off now!' - Norris and Ben Sulayem's 'fine' joke

Norris' acceptance speech also included a humorous exchange with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem after the new world champion used an expletive in one of his answers while assessing the ups and downs of his year.

Norris said: "I and we had our fair share of mistakes and f*** ups. Can I say that here? I'm ok?"

Ben Sulayem, who last year oversaw an FIA clampdown on drivers swearing out of the car in places such as official press conferences by imposing fines, jokingly replied: "10,000!"

Norris then continued: "Sorry, yeah. I got fined! I can pay it off now!"

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