The new world champion: “I thank my parents for letting me pursue my dream. I have an amazing team; you deserve it all. It’s been a very long journey. It was an honor to race against Max and Oscar”

“Thank you, guys. Oh my God, you’ve made the dream I’ve had since I was a kid come true. Thank you so much, I love you guys. You deserve it all. I love you, Dad, I love you, Mom. Thank you for everything. I’m not crying…”, these were the words an extremely emotional Lando Norris said over the radio just seconds after being crowned world champion. He had to fight until the very last race, holding off Max Verstappen’s (the Grand Prix winner) comeback attempt, but in the end, the British McLaren driver managed to edge out his rival by two points and claim his first World Championship title. After letting it all out over the radio and hugging his loved ones as soon as he stepped out of the car, the Englishman seemed quite emotional even during the post-race interview conducted by David Coulthard: “Oh God. I haven’t cried in a long time. It’s been a long, very long journey. First of all, I want to thank everyone on the team, my parents. I’m not crying (he says, laughing, ed.). I want to thank my parents; they’re the ones who’ve supported me from the very beginning. I look like a loser right now… (still laughing, ed.).” And then, from the podium: “I’ve had a surreal year, with so many ups and downs. You try to achieve something and you succeed—it’s incredible. Thanks to the team, my family, and my girlfriend, who have suffered alongside me these past few days. I’m proud to have played a part in F1 history, and I’m grateful to Mom and Dad for giving me the opportunity to chase my dream.”

Speaking to Formula 1 reporters, Norris immediately congratulated his rivals: “It’s a fantastic feeling (to be champions, ed.). Now I know a little bit of what Max feels. I want to congratulate him and Oscar, my rivals throughout the season. It was an honor to race against them; I also learned a lot from them. It’s been a long season, but we made it. I’m very proud of everyone.” The world champion then commented on today’s race in Abu Dhabi, which he finished in third place—the minimum result he needed to secure the title: “I thought about the title a bit today; you can’t help but do so. The race was very long, and we knew that. We know that anything can happen in F1. I kept pushing until the last two or three laps, then I eased off a bit. I wanted to fight until the end, just as we did throughout the season with Max trying to make a comeback until the very last moment and Oscar gaining a few points in the final races. They certainly didn’t make life easy for me.”