Lando Norris closed out the System 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 ascertain a wholesome lead over the sphere early, however McLaren’s snug 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 automobiles spinning off the monitor. Verstappen rejoined eleventh, whereas Piastri resumed in twentieth and final.
Stewards hand Verstappen a 10-second penalty for that contact at Flip 1 in the beginning 👀#AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/yACly3d4Qg
— System 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 rivalry.
The spotlight of Leclerc’s barnstorming first lap was choosing up 4 locations with a single around-the-outside transfer into the chicane splitting the again straights. The quadruple go was facilitated by Valtteri Bottas tagging Sergio Perez on the apex of Flip 6 simply earlier than Leclerc arrived on the scene. The Finn, dealing with the ultimate grand prix of his profession, tipped Perez — additionally probably dealing with his final F1 race — into a careless spin.
Catastrophe proper off the bat for Piastri and McLaren MCL38, whereas Verstappen and Crimson Bull additionally paid a heavy worth. Andy Hone/Motorsport Pictures
The Mexican retired virtually on the spot, for which Bottas copped a 10s penalty, ensured Crimson Bull Racing might end no greater 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 workforce third or decrease within the championship.
Perez’s stoppage prompted a digital security automobile 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 might overhaul McLaren’s 21-point benefit with each automobiles on the rostrum, however certainly one of them needed to win the race. As long as Norris managed the highest spot, McLaren’s lead was secure.
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 swimsuit on the next lap.
Together with his tires already as much as temperate, the Spaniard briefly threatened to battle for the lead, probably turning the title race on its head. However after just a few extra laps Norris was capable of 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 workforce its first constructors’ title in additional than 1 / 4 of a century.
“It feels unimaginable,” Norris mentioned. “Not for myself however for the entire workforce. The workforce have carried out an incredible job this yr to come back from the place we have been firstly.
“I’m so pleased with everybody. It’s been a beautiful journey, and to finish the season like that is good. For us to win a constructors’ [championship] after 26 years is fairly particular.”
Sainz completed a powerful however in the end ineffectual second in his remaining grand prix for Ferrari, unable to go along with Norris for many of the race.
“Clearly a little bit of a bittersweet feeling,” he mentioned. “Ultimately I feel it was the utmost we might do in the present day given the tempo of Lando and McLaren. I gave it all the things.
“I feel we may be pleased with the trouble and the championship we put collectively. It’s been a troublesome yr, however positively a yr we have to be pleased with.”
Leclerc accomplished a mammoth 16-place restoration from nineteenth on the grid to 3rd on the flag. His rise was solely self-made, with 11 locations gained on the primary lap alone and with out the advantage of a security automobile or different vital 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 in an effort to achieve as many locations as potential to then be in a great 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 carried out in the present day.
“We’ve simply come wanting our objective, which is a disgrace, however on the finish we’ve tried all the things.”
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 monitor 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 automobile 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 present from his Haas workforce.
Liam Lawson was categorized seventeenth after stopping on monitor three laps from house, his automobile smoking alongside the again straight.
