Formula One F1 - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - December 8, 2024 McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki
ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Lando Norris delivered McLaren a first Formula One constructors' title since 1998 on Sunday and said next year was going to be his turn at the top.
The Briton won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from pole position, racing untroubled from start to finish as McLaren chief executive Zak Brown endured 58 laps of nervous agony on the pitwall.
"You all deserve this. Thank you so much. It's been a special year," said Norris over the team radio after taking the chequered flag.
"Next year is going to be my year too."
The 25-year-old expanded on that later in pre-podium comments -- once he had told everyone that he and Brown were going to celebrate by getting "absolutely hammered" with the team.
"We want to win the constructors’, we want to win the drivers’ next year," he said.
"I made my mistakes this year, but I've learned a lot, and I've learned a lot from (Red Bull's four times champion) Max (Verstappen) and my competitors around me. As much as I'm happy now, I'm excited to get next year going."
McLaren's constructors' title lifted them joint-second on nine with Williams in the all-time lists, behind only Ferrari who have 16.
It was also their first title of any sort since Lewis Hamilton's first drivers' crown in 2008.
The last time they were Formula One's top team was with Finland's Mika Hakkinen when Ron Dennis was in charge, a different era -- before either Norris or teammate Oscar Piastri were born.
"Today was a very special day for all of us. It was ours to lose today and I'm sure at certain moments people thought that it was not far away from being lost," said Norris of a race full of nervous tension after Piastri collided with Verstappen at the first corner.
That left the Australian at the back of the field before fighting back to 10th.
"For a minute, my heart was like, 'Oh God, it's not looking as likely’," said Norris. "But if I just kept my head down and kept focused, I knew I could deliver and do what I got to do.
"But the bigger picture of us winning a championship for the first time in 26 years, you wouldn't have thought that when you say the name McLaren.
"For me to be part of that, for Oscar to be part of it, is something we're incredibly proud of. And delivering that for the team has put the biggest smile as possible on everyone's face."
Brown, who has steered the team through the lows of the pandemic when McLaren's finances were parlous, went from biting his nails to embraces all round as McLaren beat Ferrari by 14 points.
"That was the worst two hours of my life, by far," said the American. "I was worried about everything, and he drove flawlessly."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
