Lando Norris clinched the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory to hand McLaren a first Constructors’ title since 1988, the Briton having to fly the flag alone after Oscar Piastri’s early drama.
McLaren’s two car hunt was reduced to one when Piastri was hit by Max Verstappen out of Turn 1 and spun out of contention. But for McLaren, Norris’ victory ahead of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc was enough to give McLaren by 13 points.
McLaren wrap up F1 2024 Constructors’ title with Abu Dhabi win
For the final time in the F1 2024 World Championship, the drivers lined up on the grid for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with the entire field on the medium Pirellis except Lewis Hamilton who was on the hard tyres.
Lando Norris made a flying start from pole position with Max Verstappen quick to attack Oscar Piastri for second. The two clashed coming out of Turn 1, both spinning with Verstappen down to 11th and Piastri P20.
That became P19 as Sergio Perez went spinning after being clouted by Valtteri Bottas, the Red Bull driver’s race – and career? – over.
The VSC was out with Norris leading Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly, Charles Leclerc was up to eighth in a great first lap for Ferrari for the Constructors’ Championship. Hamilton was P12.
The VSC was lifted on Lap 3, and Piastri was again in the wars – although best to say the rear of Franco Colapinto’s Williams. The Argentinean suffered a puncture and Piastri pitted for new tyres.
The stewards’ investigations yielded a 10-second penalty for Verstappen in what Piastri dubbed “a move of a World Champion”, the same penalty was given to Bottas and Piastri also received it for his Lap 3 collision.
Lap 10, Norris was leading by three seconds ahead of Sainz and Gasly, George Russell, Nico Hulkenberg and Leclerc. Leclerc made up another position on Hulkenberg but was knocking on the door of a penalty of his own with three track limit warnings.
Gasly was the first of the frontrunners to the pits, in on Lap 15, Zhou Guanyu joined the penalty list with a five-second for a false start, and Lance Stroll closed in on one with a black-and-white flag for exceeding track limits.
Pit stops came thick and fast around Lap 20 but Norris, Sainz and Russell stayed out. For Liam Lawson it was a bad stop as he went and then stopped, before reporting: “The wheels aren’t on mate.” He pitted again, VCARB tightening the tyre.
Sainz, Norris and Russell pitted on Lap 27 with Norris back out in the lead ahead of Sainz, Verstappen and Hamilton who had yet to pit, Leclerc, Gasly and Russell, make that Russell and Gasly. Verstappen stopped three laps later and had a few choice words to say about the stewards as he served his 10s penalty.
Bottas and Magnussen, both contesting their final F1 races, collided on lap 31 as the Sauber locked up and punted Magnussen. Bottas made it back to the pits but retired the car. With no Safety Car on the horizon, McLaren threw the dice with Piastri to serve his penalty and Mercedes finally called Hamilton in.
With 20 to go, Norris led Sainz by 2.6s with Leclerc third ahead of Russell, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Hamilton and Alonso. Verstappen and Alex Albon were running inside the points. In the Constructors’ it was still advantage Norris with McLaren 13 points to go the good.
Getting the ‘Hammer Time’ message, Hamilton overtook Hulkenberg for sixth before closing down Gasly who he made short work of. He was 14s behind Russell with 15 to go and while he began to close the gap, the lap count ran low. The gap was reduced to a second with two to go.
Back at the front, Norris broke Sainz’s challenge and put tenths between himself and the Spaniard with every passing lap. Running over a piece of debris didn’t help Sainz’s cause.
Norris into the final lap of the championship eight seconds ahead with the Constructors’ Championship victory within his grasp. He took the chequered flag, his fourth win of the season and sealed the teams’ title for McLaren. Sainz was second ahead of Leclerc while a late pass from Hamilton put him P4 ahead of Russell.
Verstappen was sixth ahead of Gasly, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Piastri with a solitary point. Jack Doohan finished P15 on his Alpine debut as he prepares for his first full campaign in F1 2025. There was late drama for Lawson as his smoking VCARB broke down on the final lap.
Result
1 Lando NORRIS 1:26:33.291 58 laps
2 Carlos SAINZ +5.832
3 Charles LECLERC +31.928
4 Lewis HAMILTON +36.483
5 George RUSSELL +37.538
6 Max VERSTAPPEN +49.847
7 Pierre GASLY +72.298
8 Nico HULKENBERG +75.374
9 Fernando ALONSO +82.470
10 Oscar PIASTRI +83.896
11 Alexander ALBON +1 lap
12 Lance STROLL +1 lap
13 Yuki TSUNODA +1 lap
14 ZHOU Guanyu +1 lap
15 Jack DOOHAN +1 lap
16 Kevin MAGNUSSEN +1 lap
Did not finish
Liam Lawson VCARB – lap 58 – technicalValtteri Bottas Sauber – lap 31 – collisionFranco Colapinto Williams – lap 28 – engineSergio Perez Red Bull – lap 1 – collision