F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said Lando Norris becoming F1 world champion in 2025 would boost the sport’s younger generation.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen won Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but Norris secured the third place he needed to win the drivers’ title for the first time. The 26-year-old became the second driver to win the title since Domenicali followed Verstappen in the role in F1, and he praised all three of this season’s title contenders.
“It’s great to arrive at the end of the year with the title not yet decided. It’s not something you can take for granted. Looking back, a lot of things happened this season that seemed impossible,” Domenicali said. “Before the summer Oscar Piastri won the title, then Lando Norris and then Max was strong.
“Congratulations to Lando. He is a great person for F1. His smile, the way he is as a professional driver – he is very important, unique and will give a lot of energy to the championship and the young generation.”
“But let me say that today we saw two other great drivers with different faces, mature faces, in Oscar and Max. They both had great seasons. That’s why the title fight was here to the end. It’s really amazing.”
Domenicali also congratulated McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, with whom he worked at Ferrari, and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown for the turnaround over the past three seasons that has led the team to title winners again.
“I know Andrea, we’ve been friends for many years, and I know what the pressure was,” he said. “When I met him, I said, ‘Listen, just have fun, you deserve it, and at the end of the day, you have to be proud of what you accomplished.’ So, as always, life will give you back what you deserve.”
“Also, Zac Brown was very strong in lifting the team out of a very bad moment. I remember three years ago when the team was at the bottom. But he stayed focused, he kept the direction, he understood the needs of the team, he brought in key personnel. And as always, the team is the most important thing.”
“Now our McLaren team is back to the standard it was many years ago. You can also see how popular McLaren is with the fans. You see a lot more papaya color around, but all of this has been possible thanks to Zac’s vision, so I’m really grateful for that and I want to congratulate him as well.”
