Norris gets his hands on F1 trophy as unwell Verstappen stays away
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Lando Norris laid hands on the Formula One winner's trophy at a prize-giving gala in Tashkent on Friday as outgoing champion Max Verstappen stayed away due to illness.
TASHKENT (Reuters) - Lando Norris laid hands on the Formula One winner's trophy at a prize-giving gala in Tashkent on Friday as outgoing champion Max Verstappen stayed away due to illness but sent a congratulatory message to the Briton and McLaren.
Norris clinched the title in the final race in Abu Dhabi last Sunday, beating Red Bull's Verstappen by two points in the 24-round season with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri third overall.
The 26-year-old is the 35th Formula One champion since the first in 1950 and 11th Briton to win the crown.
"Obviously this is a lot of people's dreams, a lot of racing drivers' dreams and I got to finally live it," Norris told the audience in the Uzbek capital. "Live that one dream that I had when I was a little kid."
