Why Lando Norris hasn't been awarded the official F1 Drivers' Championship Trophy despite clinching title in Abu Dhabi

Lando Norris had fulfilled his lifelong dream of being crowned the Formula One world champion on Sunday after finishing third at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Briton simply needed a podium finish after entering the final race of the season with a 12-point lead over Max Verstappen, who was the defending champion this year and had won the last four consecutive seasons.

And despite the late-season drama, the 26-year-old staved off a spirited late push by Verstappen to beat the Dutchman by just two points, becoming the first McLaren driver since 2008 to win the F1 drivers' title. The Woking-based British team had won its first Constructors’ title of the millennium last year, and completed the double this season thanks to Norris’ triumph.

Norris, however, is yet to lift the FIA F1 World Drivers’ Championship trophy three days since his triumph at the Yas Marina Circuit, following which he celebrated reportedly with a late-night dinner at a McDonalds and by partying till early morning.

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And while he did receive a trophy on the podium in Abu Dhabi, it wasn’t the official piece of silverware sanctioned by the FIA that is awarded to the top driver at the end of the season. Rather, it was the trophy that he had won for finishing third in final race of the year.

When will Norris receive the official F1 Drivers’ Championship trophy from FIA? 

Norris, who has been with McLaren throughout his Formula One career and had made his debut in 2019, will have to wait slightly longer to get his hands on the real thing.

FIA, the Paris-based organisation that governs motorsport and automobiles in general, will be presenting the trophies for the Drivers’ as well as Constructors’ Championships at their annual awards gala. The star-studded event will be taking place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Friday, 12 December.

Norris, however, will not get to keep the trophy with him after receiving it at the prize distribution ceremony. Instead, he can order a replica of the trophy, as other champions have in the past.

The FIA does not award the trophies for the drivers’ and constructors’ titles immediately after the season-ending race due to the possibility of another team demanding a review of the final result, which could alter the result not just of the race but of the championship itself.