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Sainz praised Norris for staying true to himself, after the McLaren ace clinched his first Formula 1 world title in Abu Dhabi.
Sainz went up to Norris right after the race to congratulate his former teammate on his F1 World Championship win (X)
They may be rivals now, fighting tooth and nail for every point — but Carlos Sainz couldn’t help gushing over old friend Lando Norris after the Brit finally clinched his first Formula 1 world title on Sunday.
Norris sealed his childhood dream with a measured P3 in Abu Dhabi, beating four-time champion Max Verstappen by just two points in one of the most dramatic title duels of the era.
He now joins an elite club of active champions — Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso — and becomes McLaren’s first world champion since 2008.
issued a gentle warning to his former McLaren teammate: stay grounded.
Amid the celebrations, Williams Racing’s Sainz — a former McLaren driver himself — posted a heartfelt montage of their years together.
Massive congratulations to @LandoNorris on his first Drivers’ Championship! He’s an incredible driver and he has proven that you can achieve your highest goals staying true to yourself! Congrats my muppet friend! Well deserved! pic.twitter.com/gLNvuxbz4F— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) December 7, 2025
“Massive congratulations to @lando on his first Drivers’ Championship! He’s proven you can achieve your highest goals by staying true to yourself. Congrats, my muppet friend!” Sainz wrote on his post.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Sainz doubled down on both praise and caution.
carlos about lando :“obviously very happy for him as a driver, i think he’s always been an extremely quick driver, quicker than what people give credit for. extremely talented, i worked with him in mclaren and i always saw a guy that meant to be multiple world champion.”
“more… pic.twitter.com/0XkMKETYbY
— nyes (@SAINZLOVERS) December 7, 2025
“I’m very happy for him because he’s always been extremely quick — quicker than people gave him credit for,” Sainz said. “He had the speed to be a multiple World Champion if it was purely down to that.”
But it was the next part that carried the weight.
“I’m happy for him as a person because he’s never followed the stereotype of a World Champion. He’s stayed honest, open about his struggles. He’s proven you don’t need to be ruthless or badass to win. You can be World Champion while being a good guy.”
In a sport where egos often inflate faster than engines can rev, Sainz’s message was unmistakable: fame can be a beast — resist it.
For now, though, “nice guy” Norris has joined the immortals, officially becoming Formula 1’s 35th world champion.
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 08, 2025, 14:03 IST
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