Lando Norris won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 24e and last round of the Formula 1 season, and offered his McLaren team the constructors’ world title, Sunday December 8 at the Yas Marina circuit.
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| McLaren’s Briton Lando Norris, winner of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 8. |
| Photo : AFP/VNA/CVN |
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 coming back from the 19e at 3e 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, said Norris. Now my goal is to be world champion next year. I made mistakes but I learned a lot. This year.
Despite the 10e place of Oscar Piastri, who spun after being hit at the first turn by the quadruple world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who received a ten-second penalty, McLaren, who had 21 lengths of 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 away and we couldn’t do better. It hurts, we finished so close, it’s a shame but we tried everything at least”, underlined Leclerc.
Norris won his fourth victory of the season without trembling to secure his place as runner-up in the drivers’ standings, 63 lengths behind Verstappen, who finished sixth on Sunday December 8.
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 .
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. Yas Marina.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly finished seventh on Sunday December 8 after a solid race and allowed his Alpine team to maintain sixth place in the constructors’ standings with a seven-point lead over Haas.
AFP/VNA/CVN
