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How Lando Norris won the F1 title / Photo: Giuseppe CACACE - AFP
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How Lando Norris won the F1 title
The road was rocky and rife with twists and turns but it ultimately led Lando Norris to his desired destination in Abu Dhabi on Sunday - the summit of Formula One.
Norris's title heroics were as much down to his flair and fighting spirit as it was a tale of two teammates.
Throughout this long and draining 24-race campaign the pendulum of power swung between Norris and Oscar Piastri, his McLaren teammate.
Add in four-time deposed champion Max Verstappen's remarkable late fightback and it produced a title skirmish for the ages.
A white knuckle ride that kept F1 fans enthralled and tested to the limits the resurgent McLaren's 'papaya rules' of allowing their two gifted drivers to race unencumbered by team orders.
For much of the year the calm and collected Piastri appeared to hold the upper hand.
Nothing seemed to faze the Australian, and a three-win streak in Bahrain, Jeddah and Miami suggested the title was his to lose.
For Norris, 26, this was a painful period.
Unlike Piastri he wore his heart on his sleeve, publically berating himself for the slightest error as he sought perfectionism.
By the time the F1 circus pitched up in Monaco a cooler, more detached less self-critical Norris nailed a track record lap for pole and a first win in the Principality.
He shrugged off a DNF after crashing into Piastri in Canada with wins in Austria, Silverstone and Hungary.
An avid golfer, Norris's title ambitions however looked lost in F1's long rough at Zandvoort after a breakdown in the Dutch Grand Prix left him trailing Piastri by a massive 34 points.
The weight of expectation as 'champion-in-waiting' then appeared to play mind games in Piastri's head.
He suffered an opening lap crash in Baku after a "silly error" as the air of invincibility appeared to desert the young Aussie.
McLaren wrapped up their second successive constructors' title in Singapore but that feat was overshadowed as the friendly but feisty relationship between their two drivers boiled over, sparks flying on the streets of Singapore as the duelling duo collided wheel-to-wheel.
"So are we cool with Lando just barging me out of the way there?" Piastri complained.
Norris finally regained the championship initiative by one point for the first time since April in Mexico, followed by a perfect sprint/race from pole performance in Brazil.
McLaren's dramatic double disqualification in Las Vegas opened the title door for Verstappen, who won in Qatar last weekend before Norris sealed the deal by making the podium at Yas Marina to deny Verstappeb by a priceless two points.
E.Nieto--HdM
