Lando Norris reflects on the pivotal race in Abu Dhabi, where he clinched his very first world title at the Yas Marina Circuit last December. The McLaren driver reveals that even in the final laps, he was consumed by thoughts of everything that could go wrong: ‘You start thinking about every little screw, every bolt, and every wire.’
In the recent Abu Dhabi GP, Lando Norris secured his first world title by finishing third, leaving fierce competitors Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in the dust in the drivers’ championship. The Brit takes fans behind the scenes in a new video on his YouTube channel, reminiscing about the ‘most important race of my life.’
Emotional Reflections from Lando Norris on the Abu Dhabi GP
“It felt like a normal race, really like a normal race,” reflects Lando Norris on the pivotal Abu Dhabi GP. Surprisingly, this made him less nervous before the race. “It was just another day at the office. But with just two laps to go, time starts to slow down a bit. You begin to think about every little screw, every bolt, every wire. I imagine how everything in my car works. At that moment, you think: ‘Damn, what could go wrong? Because everything is going well.’ Your mind starts to focus on those little things.”
Parents Waiting in the Garage
Meanwhile, Norris’s parents were anxiously waiting in the garage. It wasn’t until he thought of his mother, Cisca Wauman, that he dared to dream about the world title. “Suddenly, I saw my mom in the garage in front of me. That was the first time, the first moment of the whole year that I realized what was happening – what was about to happen. And all I did was picture the garage, my parents there, my brother, my sisters, all in the garage for the last four corners.” In the end, the McLaren driver crossed the finish line in third place without any issues, becoming the eleventh British world champion.
