Losing Wimbledon on a Double Fault

 

Dynasties rarely end politely.

 

They usually collapse in clouds of carbon fibre and recrimination.

 

This one ended with a spreadsheet.

 

After more than four seasons on top, Formula 1’s most dominant reign was undone by the smallest of margins.

 

Two points. One title.

 

A reminder that in modern F1, perfection isn’t required — but panic is fatal.

 

◼︎ Formula 1 championships are normally claimed by force of will or force majeure. This one was decided by discipline.

 

◼︎ After four years as the sport’s defining presence, Max Verstappen’s grip on the Drivers’ Championship finally loosened, edged out over a full season by a margin so slim it almost feels impolite to mention.

 

◼︎ Two points — across 24 races — separated dominance from defeat.

 

◼︎ The new champion is Lando Norris, crowned at 26, and now firmly woven into British motorsport history.

 

◼︎ He becomes the third Brit this century to win the title, after Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, and the 11th British World Champion overall.

 

◼︎ For McLaren, the statistics carry even more weight.

 

◼︎ Norris is the eighth driver to secure a Drivers’ Championship for the team, joining names that need no embellishment: Senna, Prost, Lauda, Stewart, and Hamilton.

 

◼︎ Yet this was not a season built on excess. Norris didn’t overwhelm the field; he outlasted it. Fewer errors. Fewer absences. More Sundays finished exactly where they needed to be.

 

◼︎ Sometimes the most decisive move is the one not taken.

 

◼︎ This championship didn’t just end a reign — it reaffirmed a truth.

 

In Formula 1, as in markets, consistency still compounds faster than brilliance pursued recklessly.