As it happened: Lando Norris crowned champion at 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
As an emotional Lando Norris celebrated his maiden Formula One championship title on Sunday at Yas Marina Circuit, many around the paddock sang his praises, noting his character and personal development, alongside his incredible driving, as contributing factors.
Norris edged out race winner Max Verstappen of Red Bull and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to secure the drivers' title by finishing third at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described a “holistic approach” taken by Norris to overcome difficult parts of the season and put himself in top contention for the title.
“This season there was an important turning point in my view, which is the way Lando responded to the difficulties that we had at the start of the season,” Stella told reporters after the race.
“There was a start of a process that was structured, that was holistic, it was involving the personal development, professional, driving, race craft, and it makes me particularly glad that Lando could capitalise on this.
“Because this has been something that not necessarily I’ve seen many times before. In terms of the amount of work, the people involved, and the rate of development. So this has made Lando even capable, and this is valid for both of our drivers, of absorbing a couple of tough moments.”
Carlos Sainz, who was Norris’ teammate for two seasons at McLaren in 2019 and 2020 and is a good friend of the Briton, shared a warm embrace with the world champion on the track and reserved some kind words for him later while talking to the press.
“I’m honestly very happy for him,” said Sainz. “He’s a great F1 driver, unbelievably fast. But with his particular way of going about life and things, as much as he's got criticised a lot during the last few years for being how he is.
“He's world champion and everyone can keep dreaming about being F1 world champion while he goes about his own way and does things his own way.
“So I'm extremely happy for him because he must have felt a lot of pressure over the last few weekends and he managed to pull it off.”
Lewis Hamilton was the last McLaren driver to win a championship way back in 2008. The seven-time world champion also gave his countryman a nod during his conversations with the media, and revealed the advice he gave Norris ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP weekend.
“I’m really, really happy for him. He’s done such a great job this weekend,” said Hamilton, who finished in eighth place for Ferrari on Sunday.
“I told him going into the weekend, ‘Just continue doing you, what you’ve been doing works, so don’t change it going into the weekend and just take it one corner at a time’. I guess that’s what he did.
“It’s great to see another Brit win the championship. It’s awesome for the sport that it went down to the last race.”
Mercedes’ George Russell shared Hamilton’s sentiments, declaring Norris a worthy champion.
“I’m really happy for him, honestly. Maybe when I was a bit younger and not as mature, I think you’d be envious of a rival and fellow countryman to win,” said the 27-year-old.
“But honestly, the older we get, we recognise how difficult it is to sustain a certain level in this sport. We never know when our opportunity was going to come.
“I’m sure he wasn’t aware his chance was going to be this year. The second half of the year, especially, he’s driven really incredibly. I’m happy for him and he deserves it.”
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, of Aston Martin, had said before the race he planned on following the championship fight on the big screens while driving on the straights of Yas Marina Circuit.
He admits he was confused at certain points about the number of pit stops each of the top three drivers had already made but enjoyed the battle nonetheless.
“All three of them, they drove amazingly well this year,” said Alonso, who placed sixth in the UAE capital.
“And even now with the extra pressure in the last race, they qualified in the top three, they finished in the top three, so they still delivered the job. all three are worthy champions. Only one can win; this time was Lando.
“Congratulations to him, he has to enjoy now. You dream to become a Formula One driver, eventually and then to win the championship. That day has arrived for him and I hope he enjoys it and well deserved.”
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Teaching in coronavirus times
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Ferdous, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-3 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,400m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6pm: UAE Arabian Derby Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 2,200m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Championship Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 2,200m
Winner: Somoud, Patrick Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Conditions (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Bairaq, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
