Motorsports
Lando Norris, F1 Champ 2025
Lando Norris closed out the Abu Dhabi weekend with something he had been chasing for years a Formula One world championship wrapped in the kind of race that fit his personality. Calm, clean and completely his own.
The 26-year-old Briton secured his maiden title after finishing third at Yas Marina, enough to edge out Max Verstappen by two points and end the Dutchman’s four-year run as champion. Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri finished second in the race, sealing McLaren’s first drivers-constructors double since 1998.
Norris said the victory meant more because he earned it without changing who he was. He explained that he never felt the need to drive like Verstappen or adopt the more forceful style of past champions. He preferred to race fair and honest, even if it meant leaving a few opportunities on the table. He admitted he could have been tougher in wheel-to-wheel fights but added that it simply wasn’t him.
His approach paid off with a season built on consistency and strong teamwork. The tearful celebration at the finish revealed how much the journey meant. His engineer delivered the words every driver dreams of hearing “You are world champion.” Norris could barely respond before thanking the team that guided him since his junior years.
The title is also a milestone for British motorsport. Norris becomes the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020 and the next in a line of McLaren legends stretching back to Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974. The team, led by Andrea Stella and Zak Brown, had already wrapped up the constructors’ championship in Singapore, reflecting their resurgence across the season.
Looking back, Norris said he pushed through the final laps knowing anything could happen. Verstappen and Piastri kept the pressure high throughout the year, with the championship lead changing hands more than once. Piastri, who led large parts of the season before Norris overtook him in Mexico, finished third overall.
The Abu Dhabi finale also marked a rare sight in modern F1 a title fight involving more than two contenders, something last seen in 2010.
As fans cheered under the floodlights, Norris said the real highlight wasn’t just becoming world champion. It saw the people around him happy. After nine years with McLaren, he felt he had finally given something back. He ended the night proud of the trophy, proud of the journey, and proud that he did it his way.
Nasser Al-Attiyah sealed his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Yanbu on Saturday after a controlled final stage, while Argentina’s Luciano Benavides clinched the bike crown by two seconds in one of the closest finishes in recent memory.
Driving a Dacia, Al-Attiyah entered the final 105km stage with a comfortable buffer and avoided mistakes to finish ninth on the day, enough to secure overall victory by almost 10 minutes over Spain’s Nani Roma in a Ford. Roma’s teammate Mattias Ekstrom won the last stage and completed the overall car podium in third.
The win gave Al-Attiyah his sixth Dakar car title after previous victories in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2023. The 55-year-old also brought his career Dakar stage win total to 50 during the rally. Competing with Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin, he took control of the standings early and stayed clear of late drama.
“We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there. We are so happy to win,” Al-Attiyah said at the finish.
For Romanian manufacturer Dacia, the victory came at only its second Dakar attempt and delivered its first overall win in the event.
Al-Attiyah now sits alone in second place on the all-time Dakar car winners list, moving ahead of Ari Vatanen and Carlos Sainz, who both have four titles. Stephane Peterhansel remains the benchmark with eight car wins.
“This is my sixth victory. I still need to break Peterhansel’s record,” Al-Attiyah said.
Last year’s champion Yazeed Al Rajhi retired earlier in the rally due to mechanical problems.
In the bike category, Benavides secured his first Dakar title after finishing second on the final stage aboard a KTM, edging Honda rider Ricky Brabec by two seconds overall. Brabec, a two-time Dakar winner, lost time near the finish after taking a wrong line.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment my whole life,” Benavides said after the result was confirmed.
Brabec had been on course for a third title before the navigation error in the closing kilometers. Benavides said the opportunity appeared late in the stage and he committed when it mattered.
“Even yesterday it seemed impossible, but I still felt it could happen,” he said. “I saw the opening and I went for it.”
Spain’s Edgar Canet won the final bike stage, while Tosha Schareina finished third on the day and third overall.
The victory added another chapter to the Benavides family history at Dakar, following earlier wins by Luciano’s older brother Kevin.
“Nine years in the Dakar and my first win,” Benavides said. “My brother and I are making history. It’s a dream come true.”
The Alpine Formula One Team has released Australian driver Jack Doohan ahead of the new Formula One season, ending a short and difficult chapter for the young racer.
Alpine said on Tuesday it reached a mutual agreement with Doohan to stop his driving duties, allowing him to explore other career options. The team still praised his commitment and professionalism during his four years with the organization.
Doohan, 22, stepped into an Alpine race seat at the end of 2024 after replacing Esteban Ocon. He was later named a full-time starter for the 2025 season. His run on the grid, however, was brief. He failed to finish three of his six races last season, with 14th place in Bahrain as his best result.
After retiring in Miami in May, Doohan was moved to a reserve role. That demotion effectively signaled the end of his time as a regular Alpine driver.
The son of motorcycle legend Mick Doohan was replaced in the cockpit by Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto, but results did not improve. Colapinto also failed to score a single point while driving what was widely regarded as the weakest car on the grid.
Alpine finished last in the constructors’ standings with 22 points. All of those were scored by French driver Pierre Gasly.
For the upcoming season, Alpine confirmed Gasly and Colapinto as its race drivers. The team will introduce a completely new car built around the latest Formula One regulations. It will also switch to Mercedes power after ending its engine supply from Renault.
Reigning Dakar Rally champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi has been forced to abandon the Dakar Rally, organisers confirmed on Wednesday.
Officials said Al-Rajhi withdrew at kilometre 234 of the stage after his car suffered technical problems. The setback ended his bid to defend the title he won in 2025.
The 44 year old Saudi had struggled since the opening days of the rally and started Wednesday outside the top 15. His retirement came during the first marathon stage, where crews are not allowed outside mechanical help. This meant repairs on his Toyota Hilux were not possible at the end of the 452 kilometre special stage.
Al-Rajhi has faced a difficult period since his breakthrough Dakar victory last year. In April, he was involved in a heavy crash during a race in Jordan that left him with multiple fractured vertebrae and sidelined him for several months.
With the defending champion out, the overall lead changed hands on Wednesday. South African driver Henk Lategan, also driving a Toyota, won the stage in 4 hours 47 minutes and 08 seconds.
Lategan finished more than seven minutes ahead of five time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah and now holds an overall advantage of nearly four minutes heading into the next stage.
