Lando Norris has confessed to feeling guilty after disregarding his race engineer Will Joseph’s clear instructions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Following his dramatic clinching of the maiden Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, the 26-year-old Brit was instructed over the radio: “no burnouts.” Norris acknowledged the command but immediately went against the directive by performing celebratory donuts on the start-finish straight.
The victory marked a milestone in Norris' career, as his third-place finish at the Yas Marina Circuit earned him the World Championship by a narrow two-point margin over Max Verstappen. After the race, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and his race engineer congratulated him over the radio. Despite Joseph’s polite reminder not to do burnouts, Norris cheekily replied, “Sure,” before delighting the fans with donuts.
Reflecting on his playful defiance, Norris admitted, “Will told me not to do donuts. And I’m like, ‘God, can I do donuts or not? I have to. This is one opportunity in my life to do donuts. I have to do it.’ I felt pretty bad ’cause he told me not to. It’s not often I don’t listen to Will. I felt bad that I did it, but yeah.”
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Aside from Norris’ lighthearted rebellion, McLaren faced no other rule-breaking incidents during the Abu Dhabi race. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, executed a strategic move on the opening lap to pressure Verstappen and played a vital role in McLaren’s strong performance, ultimately finishing third.
Norris also praised Piastri after the race, revealing he had hoped the rookie teammate could claim victory in the final Grand Prix—an outcome that would have further strengthened McLaren’s standing and pushed Norris higher in the championship. “I wanted Oscar to win today,” Norris said. “That would have made me even happier, seeing Oscar on the top step because he would have got his job done of trying to finish second in the championship, and I would have also got my job done through that. So it’s a shame that couldn’t be the case, and honestly, I was really hoping that was going to be the case.”
Looking ahead, Norris is confident in his growth as a driver and the fierce competition he faces. “I feel like I’m a better driver now, certainly, than I was at the beginning of the season,” he said. “When I’m racing against Max, a four-time world champion, when I’m racing against Oscar, a guy who at some point in the future will probably beat me and be a world champion, I’m performing.”