Lando Norris ‘Blocked’ From Receiving F1 Championship Trophy After Abu Dhabi GP
Lando Norris has yet to lift the Formula 1 world championship trophy despite sealing the title in Abu Dhabi, narrowly holding off Red Bull's Max Verstappen by just two points.
Norris finished third at the season finale to claim his maiden world title and deliver McLaren's first Drivers' Championship since 2008.
It was a tense race for the Briton, who started second on the grid but immediately lost the position to teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri.
Norris was then forced to hold off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc before having to fight through traffic following his first pit stop.
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He survived a brief scare while overtaking the second Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda, but ultimately delivered the podium finish he needed to secure the championship.
Norris ended the season on 493 points, with Verstappen on 491 and Piastri, who had led the standings for much of the season, finishing on 410.
Despite becoming world champion, Norris is yet to lift the trophy itself.
The Drivers' Championship prize was displayed during the build-up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and shown by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
However, Norris will not actually receive it until the FIA's annual prizegiving gala on December 12 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Instead of lifting the trophy in the post-race celebrations, he will receive it at a black-tie event on Friday.
Fans should be able to watch the award presentation, with the gala typically streamed across the FIA's YouTube and social channels.
As per ESPN, the official world champion's trophy was only commissioned in 1975 and there is only one authentic version, which was not present in Abu Dhabi.
The FIA confirmed to ESPN that they needed to keep it in London for engraving once the world champion was confirmed.
McLaren are also waiting to receive their Constructors' Championship trophy, with that trophy presented at the same gala.
Liberty Media, who own Formula 1, has pushed for trophies to be awarded at the season finale, but the FIA has resisted.
The governing body believes moving the presentation to the final Grand Prix would significantly reduce interest in attending the gala.
Under current rules, the top three finishers in the championship must attend the event, meaning Norris, Verstappen and Piastri will all be in Uzbekistan.
If any of those three fail to attend, they will be hit with a fine, as Lewis Hamilton discovered in 2021 following the controversial end to that year's world championship.
The ceremony also features awards across a range of other motorsports.
Last year, Gabriel Bortoleto was named FIA Rookie of the Year, while Bernie Ecclestone received the FIA President’s Innovation Medal for his contribution to the sport.
Topics: Lando Norris, Formula 1, McLaren, Motorsport
James Taylor