Max Verstappen followed up securing his fourth world championship by winning a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton suffered another miserable evening in his penultimate Mercedes appearance.
Verstappen and Norris were locked in a tense lead battle until a harsh 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the McLaren driver put him at the back, before he recovered to finish 10th.
It was not necessarily a straightforward drive from there, however, with the Safety Car appearing on the first lap after Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon were both casualties in an incident with Nico Hulkenberg.
This proved to be the first of three Safety Car outings during the 57-lap encounter – and while the second restart saw Norris run close to Verstappen in a fight for the lead, the world champion ultimately held on and remained in the position through to the chequered flag.
Norris, meanwhile, saw what looked to be a certain podium result slip away after being handed a 10-second stop/go penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags, dropping him down the field and leaving him with a battle on his hands to claim points.
Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup in 2034 while the 2030 edition will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one-off matches in three South American countries.
FIFA is set to confirm the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 men's World Cups on Wednesday, with a three-continent, six-nation bid led by Morocco, Spain and Portugal to be awarded the former and the latter going to Saudi Arabia.
Following arguably the most dominant year of golf since Tiger Woods was in his prime, Scottie Scheffler received the PGA Tour Player of the Year award on Tuesday night.
European Ryder Cup stars Robert MacIntyre and Tyrrell Hatton, and Major winner Adam Scott are the latest stars to confirm their return to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, while PGA TOUR winner Akshay Bhatia will make his debut at the Emirates Golf Club from January 16-19.