Tearful Norris takes F1 title as Verstappen wins Abu Dhabi race

ABU DHABI, Dec 7 : McLaren's Lando Norris sobbed tears of joy and relief as he won the Formula One championship for the first time and ended Max Verstappen's four-year reign with a nervy third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.

Red Bull's Verstappen, who ended the campaign with the most wins (eight), triumphed in the season-ender with McLaren's Oscar Piastri second and 12.5 seconds behind at the chequered flag.

Norris, Britain's 11th Formula One world champion at the age of 26, took his points tally to 423 with Verstappen on 421 and Piastri third with 410.

McLaren, who secured the constructors' championship in October for the second year in a row, won both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.

"I've not cried in a while. I didn't think I would cry but I did," said an emotional Norris in a post-race interview, after also shedding tears inside his helmet on the slowing down lap around the floodlit Yas Marina circuit.

"It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit. 

"I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It's been a pleasure to race against both of them. It's been an honour, I've learned a lot from both," he added.

NO FIVE TITLES IN A ROW FOR VERSTAPPEN

Norris's mother Cisca gave Piastri a consoling hug while both Verstappen and the Australian congratulated the new champion in a show of sportsmanship.

The victory denied Verstappen the achievement of five titles in a row, something only Ferrari great Michael Schumacher has managed so far.

"The way we fought back in the second half of the season, we can be really, really proud of that," said the Dutch driver, who was 104 points behind then-leader Piastri at the end of August, over the radio to his