Lando Norris is officially Formula 1 world champion – and the first person he wanted to share it with, after his McLaren crew and his parents, was the girlfriend who has caused such a stir in the paddock this season.
The 25-year-old Brit clinched his first world crown in Abu Dhabi, finishing exactly where he needed to be at the Yas Marina Circuit to keep Max Verstappen at bay. Coming into the race with a 12-point cushion, Norris only had to finish third to secure the title – and that is precisely what he delivered, despite losing second place early on to team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri and coming under late pressure from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
As he took the chequered flag, the emotion that had been building all season finally spilled over. Over team radio, a choking Norris told his crew: “Thank you guys… oh my god. You made my dreams come true, thank you so much. I love you guys, for everything. You deserve it. I love you mum, I love you dad. Thanks for everything. And now I’m crying!”
Once he clambered out of the car, the new champion moved through a blur of celebrations in parc fermé. He embraced his mother Cisca and father Adam, who have followed his journey from karting prodigy to world champion. Then, in scenes that will be replayed for years, he made a beeline through the scrum for his glamorous Portuguese girlfriend Margarida “Magui” Corceiro, wrapping her in a long hug and kissing her before heading up to the podium.
The pair only went public with their relationship earlier this season, confirming that a years-long on-off romance was back on. But Corceiro has been a familiar face to motorsport fans for much longer. A successful model and TV personality in Portugal, she has become one of the most talked-about WAGs on the grid and a lightning rod in a wider row about how much airtime partners of drivers should get during live races.
That debate exploded after the Singapore Grand Prix, when cameras repeatedly cut from on-track action to reaction shots of drivers’ girlfriends and family members. Some rivals felt that the focus on celebrities and partners – including Corceiro – had gone too far.
Norris’ former McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz did not hide his frustration. He complained that the production teams “go overboard a little by showing the celebrities and girlfriends” and insisted that important race moments were being missed. He said he understood using a quick reaction shot “if there is an overtake, a very tense moment in the race”, but argued it should only be done “if the competition is respected”.
Corceiro, meanwhile, has pushed back at the idea that she is courting the cameras. Speaking to Portuguese media about the storm, she shrugged: “I don’t call the cameras. If they record me, they record me. Sometimes I don’t even realise if I’m being recorded.”
On Sunday night in Abu Dhabi, though, there was no missing her. Cameras caught her in tears in the McLaren hospitality area as the final laps ticked down and the scale of Norris’ achievement became clear. Moments later she was in his arms in the pit lane as he tried to process the fact that he had just joined the elite club of Formula 1 world champions.
Norris himself admitted he had been taken aback by how emotional he felt. “I have not cried in a while. I didn’t think I’d cry,” he said afterwards. “It’s been a long journey. I want to thank my guys at McLaren, my mum and dad who supported me from the beginning. I look like a loser! I now know what Max feels like a little bit!”
He was quick to pay tribute to the two men who pushed him all the way. “I want to congratulate Max and Oscar as well, it has been a pleasure to race against both of them and to learn from both of them. But we did it, we did it! I am so proud of everyone,” he smiled.
For Norris, the title is the emotional pay-off for a nine-year journey with McLaren that began when he was still a teenager in the team’s junior programme. “It’s been a long journey with McLaren, I’ve been with them for nine years,” he said. “For me to bring something back to them, I feel like I did my part for the team this year.”
For his rivals, the story of the season will be how Verstappen and Piastri “did not make my life easy this year”. For fans, the enduring images will be different: Norris bawling his eyes out in the cockpit, punching the air on the podium – and then disappearing into the crowd to kiss the girlfriend whose presence, fair or not, has become part of the F1 drama he has just conquered.
