Theo NeufondDecember 8, 2024
Lando Norris won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, at the end of a lively race in the fight between Ferrari and McLaren. Thanks to this victory for the Briton, the Woking team won its first constructor's title since 1998. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) completed the podium and were not far from reversing the situation. Lewis Hamilton (4th), for his last with Mercedes, also had a superb race.
Formula 1
Here’s the end of this 2024 season! If Max Verstappen won the driver's world championship in Las Vegas on November 23, the constructor's title was up for grabs this Sunday in Abu Dhabi. At the end of a race full of twists and turns, and calculations, it was finally McLaren who won the world title, thanks to the victory of Lando Norris on the Yas Marina track. The Briton won for the 4th time this season and allowed his team to win at the manufacturer for the first time since 1998. The battle was tough, notably thanks to the magnificent races of Carlos Sainz (2nd) and Charles Leclerc (3rd) , yet started from 19th place on the grid.
Starting from pole position, Lando Norris was impeccable, maintaining his first place from start to finish. For his part, Lewis Hamilton had a splendid finish with Mercedes, starting from 16th position, the seven-time world champion finished the race in 4th position, thanks to a profitable strategy. A final Grand Prix full of emotions, on many levels.
A crazy start, the fight between McLaren and Ferrari relaunched!
For the last Grand Prix of a crazy season, the start could only be a formality. While two McLarens set the pace as the lights went out, the two Ferraris were separated by 16 positions. The fight for the constructors' championship was largely in favor of Oranges Papayas, but that was without counting on the world champion, Max Verstappen. At the start, the Dutchman hit Oscar Piastri in front of him. The two cars spun, ahead of an opportunistic Carlos Sainz who took 2nd position. Verstappen managed to start again in the middle of the pack (11th), while the Australian returned to the track dead last. At the same time, Charles Leclerc made a perfect start, moving up from 19th to 8th position! The peloton had left a boulevard for the Ferrari driver from the outside. The Monegasque then found himself behind Magnussen, Alonso and Hülkenberg.
While Lando Norris took the lead of the race, followed by Carlos Sainz, Sergio Pérez also spun and was forced to abandon a few turns later. 280 Grands Prix, 6 victories and 39 podiums, the Mexican ended his season and undoubtedly his career, in a very sad way.
On the 23rd lap, Charles Leclerc had made his pit stop and found himself battling with Pierre Gasly for 7th position. The two friends overtook Liam Lawson, in front of them, during the next lap and moved up to 7th and 6th respectively. On the next circuit, the Alpine driver did not fight any longer against the Ferrari, who found himself 10 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, 4th without having made his tire change.
Oscar Piastri, very unhappy at the start of the race, managed to climb back little by little and enter the top 10 on the 24th lap. At the halfway mark, McLaren were constructors' world champions. However, the Australian was given a 10-second stoppage time penalty. Norris retained the lead, ahead of the two Ferraris from the 34th lap. The error was forbidden because, as it stood (Norris 1st, Sainz 2nd, Leclerc 3rd), McLaren was champion. But if one of the Ferraris took the lead, the Scuderria would be titled.
And the manufacturer title goes to…
The last 15 laps showed extreme tension. Leclerc, 20 seconds behind Sainz and with less fresh tires. The Spaniard losing pace against the McLaren of Lando Norris. The Papaya Oranges were getting closer and closer to their first constructor's title since 1998. The calculators were out, even on the Scuderria side when Charles Leclerc asked on the radio if Ferrari were losing in this lineup.
What strategy should you adopt? Stop one last time to put pressure on Lando Norris, or continue at a slower pace. Ferrari opted for the second option, in the hope that a racing event could occur. However, Norris was impeccable. The Briton retained the lead until the end in front of a helpless Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard raced for the last time at the wheel of a Ferrari, after 4 seasons in the Scuderria. Despite his attempts, the future Williams driver did not manage to offer the manufacturer's title to his family. McLaren was then crowned, 26 years after its last title (1998).
Lewis Hamilton leaves Mercedes with honors
The only driver to start on hard tires, Lewis Hamilton moved up from 16th to 12th position after the first loop. A strategy that paid off because the seven-time world champion maintained a fantastic pace, far from the poor performances of the last Grands Prix. While all the drivers had made at least one stop, the Briton was 2nd, still with his hard tires. At the end of his pit stop, on the 35th lap, Hamilton came out 7th and moved up two positions, first against Hülkenberg, then against Gasly, 15 laps from the end.
For his last with Mercedes, Hamilton was impressive. With the outcome already in front of him, the Briton managed to overtake George Russell, his teammate, on the last lap. A magnificent end for the man with 245 starts, 6 titles, 84 victories, 153 podiums and 78 pole positions with the German team.
Gasly offers Alpine 6th place to the manufacturer
In the rush at the start, Pierre Gasly reached 3rd position, behind Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Place he had to defend in front of George Russell. The Frenchman made his first stop quite early in the race and found himself in a fierce battle with Yuki Tsundoa on the 18th lap. The Alpine passed the RB after several combat turns and moved up to 8th position. A comfortable position for Gasly who was then the driver with the best classified stop. Facing Lewis Hamilton first, then Verstappen then, the Frenchman gave up positions but remained in the points (7th).
In the fight with Haas in the constructor's championship, Gasly allowed Alpine to score more points than the American team and obtain 6th place in the standings. A great performance, considering the difficult season for the French team. The Norman finished the race in 7th place, one position ahead of Hülkenberg (Haas).
The classification of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:
- 1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
- 2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- 4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 5. George Russell (Mercedes)
- 6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- 8. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
- 9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- 10. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- 11. Alexander Albon (Williams)
- 12. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
- 13. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)
- 14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- 15. Jack Doohan (Alpine)
- 16. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
- 17. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – DNF
- 18. Valetri Bottas (Sauber) – DNF
- 19. Franco Colapinto (Williams) – DNF
- 20. Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) – DNF
The 2024 manufacturer championship ranking:
- 1. McLaren – 666 pts
- 2. Ferrari – 652 pts (-14)
- 3. Red Bull – 589 pts (-77)
- 4. Mercedes – 468 pts (-198)
- 5. Aston Martin – 94 pts (-572)
- 6. Alpine – 65 pts (-601)
- 7. Haas – 58 pts (-608)
- 8. Racing Bulls – 46 pts (-620)
- 9. Williams – 17 pts (-649)
- 10. Sauber – 4 pts (-662)
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