Lando Norris closed out the Formulation 1 season by successful the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at a canter to safe McLaren its first constructors’ championship since 1998.
Norris bought the proper launch from pole place to determine a wholesome lead over the sphere early, however McLaren’s comfy grip on the title trophy momentarily slackened when teammate Oscar Piastri, beginning second, was spun round by Max Verstappen into the primary flip.
Verstappen had optimistically lunged for second place into the left-hander, his front-right wheel tagging Piastri’s rear left to ship each vehicles spinning off the observe. Verstappen rejoined eleventh, whereas Piastri resumed in twentieth and final.
Stewards hand Verstappen a 10-second penalty for that contact at Flip 1 at first 👀#AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/yACly3d4Qg
— Formulation 1 (@F1) December 8, 2024
Ferrari, in the meantime, was capitalizing on the first-lap carnage.
Carlos Sainz, beginning third, threaded the needle between the spinning Piastri and Verstappen to take second, whereas teammate Charles Leclerc accomplished an epic 11-place rise on the primary lap to place himself eighth and in unlikely podium competition.
The spotlight of Leclerc’s barnstorming first lap was selecting up 4 locations with a single around-the-outside transfer into the chicane splitting the again straights. The quadruple move was facilitated by Valtteri Bottas tagging Sergio Perez on the apex of Flip 6 simply earlier than Leclerc arrived on the scene. The Finn, going through the ultimate grand prix of his profession, tipped Perez — additionally probably going through his final F1 race — into a careless spin.
Catastrophe proper off the bat for Piastri and McLaren MCL38, whereas Verstappen and Pink Bull additionally paid a heavy value. Andy Hone/Motorsport Pictures
The Mexican retired virtually on the spot, for which Bottas copped a 10s penalty, ensured Pink Bull Racing may end no increased than third on the constructors’ title desk. It’s the primary time in additional than 40 years the season’s greatest driver has raced for the crew third or decrease within the championship.
Perez’s stoppage brought about a digital security automotive that left Leclerc in eighth, although he was upwardly cell instantly as soon as racing resumed, passing his approach as much as a web fourth place shortly earlier than his first pit cease and passing Pierre Gasly for third on the next laps.
Ferrari may overhaul McLaren’s 21-point benefit with each vehicles on the rostrum, however one in all them needed to win the race. As long as Norris managed the highest spot, McLaren’s lead was protected.
Hoping to unseat the Briton, Ferrari rolled the cube with Sainz at his sole pit cease, hauling him in on lap 25. He had been trailing Norris by round 3.5s earlier than his cease, however a ferocious out-lap ensured he was inside 2s of the Briton after McLaren adopted go well with on the next lap.
Together with his tires already as much as temperate, the Spaniard briefly threatened to battle for the lead, doubtlessly turning the title race on its head. However after just a few extra laps Norris was in a position to get warmth into his rubber to start re-establishing his authentic buffer. The expansion was fractional however unstoppable, and by the tip of the race it had ballooned to five.8s. In taking the checkered flag, Norris secured his crew its first constructors’ title in additional than 1 / 4 of a century.
“It feels unimaginable,” Norris mentioned. “Not for myself however for the entire crew. The crew have achieved a tremendous job this yr to return from the place we have been at the start.
“I’m so happy with everybody. It’s been a beautiful journey, and to finish the season like that is excellent. For us to win a constructors’ [championship] after 26 years is fairly particular.”
Sainz completed a robust however in the end ineffectual second in his closing grand prix for Ferrari, unable to go along with Norris for a lot of the race.
“Clearly a little bit of a bittersweet feeling,” he mentioned. “In the long run I believe it was the utmost we may do at the moment given the tempo of Lando and McLaren. I gave it the whole lot.
“I believe we will be happy with the trouble and the championship we put collectively. It’s been a troublesome yr, however undoubtedly a yr we must be happy with.”
Leclerc accomplished a mammoth 16-place restoration from nineteenth on the grid to 3rd on the flag. His rise was completely self-made, with 11 locations gained on the primary lap alone and with out the good thing about a security automotive or different important interruption to bunch up the sphere to his profit.
“I knew I needed to be very aggressive,” he mentioned. “I knew that in lap 1 I needed to take all of the dangers potential with a view to achieve as many locations as potential to then be in a very good place for the remainder of the race. This was achieved, however then sadly we have been simply beginning too far again to do something higher than what we’ve achieved at the moment.
“We’ve simply come wanting our objective, which is a disgrace, however on the finish we’ve tried the whole lot.”
Lewis Hamilton completed fourth to cap off an excellent restoration from sixteenth on the grid. The seven-time champion, who will depart Mercedes on the finish of the yr, gained 4 locations on the primary lap and was feisty all through the race to rise to fifth behind teammate George Russell with two laps remaining. A gutsy around-the-outside transfer on the parabolic Flip 9 sealed his 12-place restoration, main Russell house for a Mercedes four-five.
Verstappen completed sixth after serving a 10s penalty for punting Piastri off the observe on the primary lap.
Gasly completed seventh for Alpine forward of Nico Hulkenberg, securing the French-owned squad sixth within the constructors’ championship forward of Haas.
Fernando Alonso floor out ninth because the highest-placed driver to complete the race with two stops, whereas Oscar Piastri accomplished the highest 10, additionally with two stops, after serving a 10s penalty of his personal for rear-ending Franco Colapinto shortly after the digital security automotive interval ended. It pressured Colapinto right into a pit cease with a rear puncture, and the Argentine later retired with a suspected energy unit problem.
Alex Albon completed eleventh forward of Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Lance Stroll, debutant Jack Doohan and Kevin Magnussen, who set the quickest lap of the race on the ultimate lap as a parting reward from his Haas crew.
Liam Lawson was categorized seventeenth after stopping on observe three laps from house, his automotive smoking alongside the again straight.
