F1Weekly Podcast # 1124

NORRIS IS 2025 F1 WORLD CHAMPION!
MAX WINS THE FINAL RACE OF THE GROUND EFFECTS ERA

CAN OSCAR PIASTRI TAKE THE F1 CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT SEASON?
FERNANDO VERY HAPPY WITH P6 AND WILL ADRIAN NEWEY GIVE HIM HIS THIRD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP? SO MANY QUESTIONS SO LITTLE TIME…2026 COULD GIVE US A NEW TOP TEN! WILL MAX STILL BE ABLE TO DOMINATE? AND CAN MCLAREN KEEP THEIR CHAMPIONSHIPS?…WILL MERCEDES BE BACK? OR…WILL LCH AND FERRARI BE THE NEW DOMINATORS OF FORMULA 1…ONLY IN THEIR DREAMS?…WE SHALL SEE…

THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE VINTAGE BANTER BETWEEN THE HOST AND NASIR HAMEED…ON USF1 THE INTERVIEW IS…F1WEEKLY LISTENER FROM SWEDEN LARS KORNBRINK!

LANDO:

“I found a good rhythm with the car halfway through the season and I feel like I've been able to find confidence in myself, in my ability not just to win races but to go and fight for a world championship.
“I've certainly had some fortune this year but I've certainly had a fair share of tough moments – especially at the beginning, [there was] a lot I struggled with and lost a little bit of belief early in the season.
“More for myself at that point, it was nice to prove myself wrong in a way at times, starting off in Monaco Qualifying and a few moments after that. The second half of the season I've really been able to show to myself what I could do, what I was capable of doing.”

MAX:

“I’m very proud of the whole Team and I’m so proud of the incredible turnaround that we had. We never gave up and always believed we could turn things around and never stopped trying. We could have very easily just have given up, but we kept pushing, looking for improvements and always believed. This season has been a massive rollercoaster, with lots of tough moments and feelings, but I’m so proud of everyone and we have really come together as a Team. The turnaround in the second half of the season was incredible and pretty crazy that we could do that and we kept overcoming a lot of things as a Team.

Today has been a lot of fun, especially winning the race in such a dominant way. We had an incredible weekend and did everything as best as we could, so ultimately I feel good today. Although not winning a championship by two points looks painful, going back to Zandvoort we were behind by over 100 points, so am very proud of what we have achieved. Of course, for Lando this is something very special and I hope he enjoys it a lot. The first Championship win is the most emotional one and it is something you dream of since you were a little kid. His family are here and I hope he enjoys tonight with his Team. Finally, I wanted to thank the whole Team in the factory and on track: we never gave up and always believed. I am very proud of the people that I work with, they are my second family.

OSCAR:

“Honestly, pretty good. I knew that going into today I needed the stars to align to win the championship.

“Ultimately, I tried my best and put myself in the best position I could to try and win the race and give myself the best opportunity, but it wasn’t to be. I think we can be very proud of the season we’ve had.

“On a personal level, it’s obviously not quite the ending that I wished for but I think when you look at the season as a whole, I’m very proud of the work that I’ve been able to put in and my team have been able to put in to make so much progress from last year. I’m looking forward to plenty more fights in the future.”

FERNANDO:

"It is great to finish the season with a strong P6 here in Abu Dhabi. Our race pace hasn't always matched our qualifying recently, so a solid Sunday here feels very good. It's been a challenging year, and I want to thank the whole team for their hard work all season. We'll enjoy a break, then switch our focus to preparing for the big changes next year. And congratulations to Lando on his first World Championship; it is a special moment for any young driver, and he deserves it."