Lando Norris started from pole and dominated the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, leading every lap to take his fourth win of 2024 and deliver McLaren’s ninth Formula One constructors championship and its first in 26 years.
Norris sped away at the start and never looked back in the 58-lap race, crossing the line 5.832 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to seal the constructor crown for the papaya team by 14 points over the scarlet cars.
“It feels incredible, not just for me but for the whole team; the team did an amazing job to come from where we were at the beginning — I’m so proud of everyone,” said Norris. “We want to win the constructors and drivers next year. I made my mistakes this year, but I’ve learned a lot; I learned a lot from Max [Verstappen of Red Bull Racing] and my competitors around me, so as much as I’m happy now, I’m excited for next year.”
While Norris got away cleanly at the start, his teammate Oscar Piastri started second but ended the first lap in last position after being spun by newly crowned four-time world champion Verstappen, who tried an overly ambitious overtaking move.
Piastri recovered to finish 10th, while Verstappen fared better and managed to end the race in sixth despite the contact and a 10-second penalty for causing a collision.
The Turn 1 contact opened the door for Sainz, who seized the opportunity to jump to second and try to keep the Scuderia’s constructor hopes alive, but he never really got close enough to mount a challenge.
“A bit of a bittersweet day; in the end, P2 was the maximum we could do given the pace of Lando in the McLaren,” said Sainz, who leaves Ferrari for Williams next year. “I gave it everything. In the first stint it looked like we could hang on to them, but when we put on the hard tires, they just seemed to be one or two tenths quicker like we’ve seen all weekend. They were just out of reach.”
With McLaren arriving in Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead, Ferrari needed a complete papaya meltdown to have a chance of wrestling the team title away, and Norris’ win ensured that it didn’t happen. Charles Leclerc climbed 16 spots to third by the end to make the constructors battle interesting, but it wasn’t enough. He crossed the line 31.928 seconds behind Norris.
“I knew I had to be very aggressive, and I knew on Lap 1 I had to take all the risks possible to gain all the places possible to be in a good position for the rest of the race,” said Leclerc, who ended Lap 1 in eighth after starting 19th. “I don’t think we could have got anything better than we did today.”
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a nice comeback in his final race with the team, moving up 12 spots from 16th on the grid to score a top-five finish. Hamilton did it in dramatic fashion, reeling in teammate George Russell in the late stages, before pulling off a last-lap pass to take fourth. Hamilton joins Ferrari next year.
“We dreamed alone, but together we believed and as a team we achieved … thank you for all the courage, determination and the passion,” Hamilton said in the car after the checkered flag. “It started out as a leap of faith and it extended to a journey into the history books. We did everything together and I’m so, so grateful to everyone.”
The race also marked the final Grand Prix starts for Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Team Stake’s Valtteri Bottas, who ironically made contact at Turn 5 on Lap 31. Bottas retired after a puncture, while Magnussen continue but ended the day as the second-to-last runner, in 16th.
The 2024 season closed with Verstappen a four-time world champion, taking the driver crown with 437 points, followed by Norris second, at 374, and Leclerc third, with 356. McLaren took the team title with 666 points, followed by Ferrari in second, with 652, and Red Bull third, with 589 points.
