Lando Norris won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 24th and final round of the Formula 1 season, and gave his McLaren team the constructors' world title on Sunday at the Yas Marina circuit.
Lando Norris won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 24th and final round of the Formula 1 season, and gave his McLaren team the constructors' world title on Sunday at the Yas Marina circuit.
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The Briton, leader of the race from start to finish, left no room for suspense, but Ferrari fought well until the end with a double podium for the Spaniard Carlos Sainz and the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, who delivered a recital, moving up from 19th to 3rd place.
“It's incredible, not just for me, but for the whole team. The team has done an incredible job. After 26 years of waiting, it's really special to win this title. It's a historic moment , relished Norris. Now my goal is to be world champion next year. I made mistakes, but I learned a lot” this year.
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“At least we tried everything”
Despite Oscar Piastri's 10th place, who spun after being hit at the first corner by quadruple world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who received a ten-second penalty, McLaren, who was 21 lengths ahead of the Scuderia before the race, maintained a 14-point advantage to clinch its ninth global constructors' crown, the first since 1998.
“I knew I had to take as many risks as possible, that's what I did, but we started too far and we couldn't do better. It hurts, we finished so close, it's a shame , but we tried everything at least,” underlined Leclerc.
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Fourth victory of the season for Norris
Norris won his fourth victory of the season without trembling to secure the runner-up place in the drivers' standings 63 lengths behind Verstappen, who finished sixth on Sunday.
For the last race of his career at the wheel of a Mercedes, the team where he spent 12 seasons and which he will leave to join Ferrari, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton took fourth place ahead of his teammate and compatriot George Russell .
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Even if he did not get on the podium, the Briton, in tears, still parked his Silver Arrow on the grid, where a tribute was paid to him while the fireworks lit up the circuit by Yas Marina.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly finished seventh on Sunday after a strong race and allowed his Alpine team to maintain sixth place in the constructors' standings with a seven-point lead over Haas.
