The Formula One season concluded on December 7 after 24 races, with McLaren driver Lando Norris prevailing on the grid to win his first-ever World Championship, according to ESPN.
Norris said, “It is incredible and pretty surreal. I dreamed of this for a long time. I mean, everyone does. A lot goes into a season like this, a lot of ups and downs, but none of that matters as long as you come out on top, and that is what we managed to do.”
Red Bull Driver Max Verstappen has held the title for four consecutive years, coming in second place this year by a mere two points, the closest championship margin under the current points system since 2010.
A key rule change this year was the removal of the bonus point for the fastest lap, which played an important role in the season, altering late-race strategies for many teams.
The championship ultimately came down to the final race in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen finished first but fell short to Norris, who finished third, giving him just enough points to keep his lead in the overall standings.
Alongside Norris, his teammate, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, finished third in the World Championship to help his team dominate in the Constructors’ Championship, 364 points ahead of Mercedes in second place.
These two wins acquired McLaren both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships for the first time since 1998.
Despite the high tensions in the last race, the racers kept it respectful, Norris said, “I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors all season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them, and I’ve learnt a lot from them as well.”
Many other records were broken, such as Mercedes Driver Kimi Antonell, who was the youngest driver to set a fastest lap and lead a race, which shattered multiple rookie records.
Verstappen broke a record of his own for the largest point gap over a teammate, being 388 points above Red Bull Driver Yuki Tsunoda.
Ferrari struggled this year, with Ferrari Driver Charles Leclerc’s winless season, along with Ferrari Driver Lewis Hamilton’s first podium-less season, bringing about a challenging year for the iconic team.
The Australian Grand Prix, the season opener, was an immense help to Norris, who finished first, giving him a strong start to the season and helping him build a lead for the championship.
During the ninth race of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix, a collision between Verstappen and Mercedes Driver George Russell occurred, causing Verstappen to finish tenth, dropping even further behind Piastri in second.
The Austrian Grand Prix was a key race of the season, in which Verstappen suffered a costly DNF, while both McLaren drivers finished on the podium, giving them a greater lead over him.
Norris won the British Grand Prix, giving him his first home victory and closing Piastri’s lead by eight points.
The Mexican and São Paulo Grands Prix were vital races where Norris obtained flawless victories, reclaiming first place for the driver’s championship.
During the Las Vegas Grand Prix, both McLaren drivers were disqualified due to excessive wear on the cars’ skid blockers.
Verstappen took advantage of this, finishing first and helping to close the championship gap, leading him to tie Piastri for second.
Concluding the season, Norris ended first in the standings with seven first-place finishes, eighteen podium finishes, and 423 total points.
On top of Norris’s astonishing season, drivers such as Antonelli and Russell had standout seasons.
Antonelli was an eye-catching rookie who showed speed and promise, placing seventh, only six points behind Hamilton.
Russell had his career-best season with two wins and consistent podium appearances, ending up in fourth in the overall standings.
Through the winless season Leclerc still got strong results despite the numerous struggles Ferrari and their cars had, and was able to secure fifth place in the drivers’ championship.
Contrasting the positives, there were many letdowns of the season, one of which was Hamilton and his debut with Ferrari.
Hamilton, being a seven-time world champion, struggled with the car placing toward the bottom of the pole on many occasions and was ultimately outperformed by his teammate Leclerc.
Tsunoda, another driver who had a disappointing year, consistently had weekends where he didn’t score any points, falling far behind his teammate, Verstappen, and bringing Red Bull down in the standings for the Constructors’ Championship.
Some changes to look forward to during next year are cars being thirty kilograms lighter, narrower by ten centimeters, and a shorter wheelbase to improve agility.
The engine will be upgraded to be more electric, with a fifty-fifty split and more sustainable synthetic fuel.
Aerodynamics were improved with active front and rear wings that adjust for low drag on straights and high downforce in corners in place of the DRS, along with an overtaking Manual Override Mode that provides electric boost for overtaking.
DRS stands for drag reduction system, and it is a driver-activated system that opens a flap on the wing to reduce aerodynamic drag.
This new system will cut the downforce to around fifteen percent less than in previous seasons.
In the upcoming season, Audi will be replacing Kick Sauber, keeping the drivers from the original team, and Cadillac will be joining the grid as a new team alongside them.
Tsunoda will be moved to a reserve role for Red Bull, with Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar replacing him.
Experienced drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez, who did not race this year, will be coming back to join Cadillac and their upcoming team.
Numerous fans are looking forward to the 2026 F1 Season with the bringing of new car regulations, two new teams, making it the first eleven-team grid since 2016, the addition of the Madrid Grand Prix to the calendar, changes to drivers’ spots as well as some veterans coming back, and a new system to replace the long-lived DRS.