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| Lando Norris (right) pipped Max Verstappen (centre) and Oscar Piastri (left) to the 2025 F1 title (Photo: Getty) |
Max Verstappen will not attend the FIA Prize Giving Gala on Friday where Lando Norris will receive his trophy for winning the Formula 1 world championship.
Norris ended Verstappen’s dominance of the sport at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, pipping the Red Bull driver to the title by just two points.
But unlike many other sports, the F1 champion does not officially get his prize at the season finale. Instead, the awards are giving out at a ceremony run by motorsport’s governing body.
The annual event also sees the victors of other FIA series like Formula E and the World Rally Championship collect their silverware.
FIA regulations dictate that the top-three finishers in the championship attend, with Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri travelling to Uzbekistan for the gala.
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| Verstappen previously said he did not want to attend the gala (Photo: Getty) |
However, Verstappen will not be there, with reports claiming the four-time F1 champion has been struck down with the flu.
He risks being punished for not turning up, with Sir Lewis Hamilton fined £42,000 for skipping the ceremony in 2021 after controversially losing the title to Verstappen at the last race in Abu Dhabi.
However, it has been suggested that the 28-year-old will escape such a penalty due to the reasoning behind his absence.
Curiously, the Dutchman did state last weekend that he did not want to go to the gala, telling Viaplay: ‘I have to go. Otherwise, I get a penalty. But honestly, it is nonsense.
‘We are exhausted. It has been a very tough season. You want to recharge, not sit in a hall for hours. If it were optional, I would not be there.’
What time is the FIA Prize Giving Gala and how to watch
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| Lando Norris will officially be crowned F1 World Drivers Champion at the FIA gala (Photo: Getty) |
The FIA Prize Giving Gala is taking place on Friday, December 12 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,
It is scheduled to get underway at 11pm local time (6pm UK time).
You can watch Norris lift the F1 championship trophy by live streaming the ceremony for free on the official FIA YouTube channel.
- Callum McAvoy
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