Lando Norris will receive a rare FIA pass after winning his first F1 title

December 11, 2025 Oliver Obel

Lando Norris had barely finished his final media duties in Abu Dhabi before friends, family, and half the paddock began celebrating a moment McLaren had waited years to see: the 26-year-old becoming Formula One’s newest world champion. The title secured with a measured third-place finish has not only placed Norris among an elite circle of champions but may also grant him a rare privilege from motorsport’s governing body.

And as reports from the UAE made clear, he didn’t hesitate to make the most of his first night as champion.

A Championship decided on a knife edge

Norris sealed the 2025 Drivers’ Championship by edging Max Verstappen by two points in a finale that capped one of the sport’s most closely contested seasons. Speaking after the race, he called the achievement “amazing” and said competing against Verstappen and teammate Oscar Piastri had pushed him throughout the year.

“It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them,” he said, adding that the season had been “long” but deeply rewarding.

The victory makes Norris the 11th British driver to win the world championship, joining Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Damon Hill, and other icons of the sport.

A rare FIA credential reportedly awaits

According to SPORTbible, former Red Bull Head of Operations Richard Hopkins said the Briton is expected to receive a special FIA credential awarded only to world champions.
The pass, Hopkins explained, allows its holder to enter any Formula One paddock worldwide without the usual accreditation checks.

“Lando will be able to go to any Grand Prix around the world and not be asked for his accreditation,” Hopkins told the outlet, noting that only around three dozen drivers in the sport’s history have earned that level of recognition.

The FIA has not publicly confirmed the issuance of this season’s pass, but previous champions have received similar access.

A party that moved venues and didn’t slow down

While new privileges await Norris, Sunday night belonged to celebration. According to The Sun, Norris’ friends and family had gathered at the Shangri-La Hotel’s Pearls & Caviar bar, but their early start didn’t match the newly crowned champion’s schedule; Norris arrived hours later after completing post-race media interviews.

Within 45 minutes, staff reportedly announced the venue was closing for the night. Norris’ entourage quickly shifted the celebration to the Amber Lounge at the W Hotel near Yas Marina a glamorous post-race institution where prime tables can cost around £20,000.

Witnesses told The Sun that guests were surprised when the world champion and his group swept into the club, immediately energizing what had been a subdued crowd. Norris was soon onstage singing Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” and the mood, according to one source, “never dipped from there.”

The night stretched into early morning, with family members including Norris’ parents reportedly staying out until around 6 a.m. The same source claimed the combined drinks bill had climbed to roughly £100,000 by the end of the festivities.

A Champagne hangover and a McDonald’s detour

Speaking the next morning, Norris said he made a late-night stop at a McDonald’s drive-through before heading to bed only to find that chicken nuggets weren’t available at that hour. He settled for a chicken sausage and egg McMuffin, a choice he later joked he “quickly regretted.”

“It was amazing,” he said of the celebrations. “I was with all the most important people in my life and the ones I’ve been with through everything.”

The commercial wave ahead

A world championship typically reshapes a driver’s commercial profile, and Hopkins told SPORTbible he expects brands to “be loving it.” Companies, he said, will now compete for association with Norris, whether on his helmet, teamwear, or personal sponsorship deals.

McLaren, meanwhile, wasted no time returning him to work. Norris was back in the car for post-season testing on Tuesday this time wearing a gold championship helmet as preparations for his title defense quietly began.

Sources: SPORTbible, The Sun, FIA