Norris carries McLaren to title glory in emotional finale

There was a mixture of tears and champagne flowing after the emotional final laps of the record-breaking 2024 Formula 1 season came to a close in Abu Dhabi, with Lando Norris leading McLaren to constructors’ championship glory, while many drivers said farewell to their teams and the sport under the Yas Marina fireworks.

Destined to be an unforgettable ending to an equally unforgettable championship fight, the Abu Dhabi had everything from race-altering impacts to quadruple overtake… and that was all within the opening lap. 

As the five lights went out for the very last time in 2024, the pole-sitter Lando Norris raced off into the distance, kickstarting a relatively carefree Abu Dhabi Grand Prix campaign in which he faced no direct attacks from the Ferrari duo who ultimately completed the final podium for the year.

The same couldn’t be said for the second-running McLaren when Oscar Piastri was taken out at the first corner by an overly ambitious Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull driver diving down the inside of the first corner and straight into the #81, sending both drivers spinning as the whole field dodged the stricken cars.

Rejoining at the back of the pack, a Virtual Safety Car soon brought the Australian up to the rear of the field, however, Piastri took that too literally when he made contact with the rear of Franco Colapinto’s braking Williams, locking up as a result.

After a trip to the pitlane for new hard compound tyres, the Australian was handed a 10-second penalty for causing the collision, forced to serve it during his second pitstop on Lap 32.

In the meantime, Piastri struggled to make his way through the grid on the C3, with Fernando Alonso the Australian’s greatest roadblock on his second stint, before Aston Martin timed Lance Stroll’s stop to further mess with the McLaren driver’s run back into the points.

With 20 laps remaining in the race, however, Piastri finally disposed of Stroll at the popular Turn 6 overtaking spot, setting his sights on his next target, Jack Doohan, who he managed to pass just a few corners later.

Lando Norris leads as Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen spin after contact at the start of the Abu Dhabi GP. Image: Andy Hone / LAT Images.

Piastri had been informed by the McLaren pit wall that ninth place was the goal and that was to be achieved with “no risk”, however, that message only came through after the Australian saved a huge snap at Turn 11, having lost his aerodynamic effects running so closely behind Yuki Tsunoda through the hotel section.

After trading positions with the RB driver, Piastri finally made his way into the top ten when he demoted Alex Albon on Lap 54, falling short of McLaren’s predictions as he crossed the line under threat of being lapped by Lando Norris.

Two drivers to be lapped by the race winner were Liam Lawson and Jack Doohan, with the pair sitting in the bottom half of the order for the bulk of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

On his debut, Doohan did well to avoid the carnage of his first-ever Formula 1 start, making one place up due to Tsunoda’s shocking launch off the line while the order around him also rejigged itself. 

His time ahead of the RB driver was short-lived, however, with Tsunoda getting the jump on Doohan, with the Alpine driver not having an answer for the VCARB 01’s pace. 

That remained the theme of Doohan’s debut, with the Australian coming into the 58-lap race without high expectations and instead using the event as a learning curve ahead of his now-second race at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.

As for Liam Lawson, the Kiwi’s Grand Prix quite literally ended in flames when he was forced to pull over on the final lap of a race that never leaned in his favour.

Starting in P12, Lawson capitalised on the Verstappen-Piastri incident at Turn 1, however, soon became the Dutchman’s next target when he rejoined the field. 

The pair tussled for position into Turn 6 when Lawson was offered a lifeline in the form of the VSC being called, calling off the Red Bull driver’s move until the track had gone green again.

Liam Lawson makes a stop during the Abu Dhabi GP. Image: Zak Mauger / LAT Images.

Expectedly losing out to Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton was the next driver in his mirrors, with the departing Mercedes driver momentarily overtaking him into Turn 6, with Lawson hitting back with the better exit out of Turn 7 before Hamilton cemented the move on Lap 11. 

The Kiwi instantly lost touch with the hard-tyre running Mercedes and was in no position to defend from Pierre Gasly who soon arrived on the scene with far fresher tyres.

On Lap 23, Lawson’s evening took a turn for the worst after a slow 4.2-second stop resulted in his front right tyre not being fitted properly and a second trip into the pits to fix the issue costing him double the amount of time. 

Along with rejoining in P18, Lawson was hit with a 10-second stop/go penalty for his team unsafely releasing him into the race.

The RB driver concluded his final racing laps of the year by finding his way to a safe escape road in the middle sector, with his engine giving way just eight corners prior to the chequered flag.

As for the rest of the field, all eyes were on the title fight out ahead, however, on track, it was never really a fight as Norris controlled to interval between himself and departing Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, to sit at a minimum of four seconds.

It was unexpected that Norris would have to consider both Ferrari drivers being in his mirrors, with his nerves doubled when Charles Leclerc pulled off one of the greatest opening laps of the season, making up 11 places on the opening lap as he weaved through the chaos around him. 

Finding himself instantly within the top ten, the level of competition ramped up as he battled to keep his team’s constructors’ championship dream alive until the final moments in Abu Dhabi.

Kevin Magnussen was the first to fall victim to the Ferrari driver before Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg both lost out within a matter of laps.

The Monegasque pitted from P5, leaving Verstappen as the next man to charge through the field in a similar fashion, however, with the added stress of over-heating tyres and the fear of his brakes not working.

Having put on a thrilling display during the opening racing laps, a duel between George Russell and Pierre Gasly gradually built up to the leaders’ first pitstops of the race.

Pitting from second place, Carlos Sainz remained ahead of Russell after an efficient stop, with Norris also keeping his lead when he swapped compounds on the following lap. 

Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, and the McLaren team celebrate after securing the Constructors title. Image: Steven Tee / LAT Images.

Beyond the midway point of the race, Valtteri Bottas had his second instance of contact in his final Formula 1 outing for the foreseeable future, locking up and heading straight into Magnussen before retiring.

His former teammate was only just finding pace after running a reversed tyre strategy, meaning his medium tyre stint would see out his final race as a Mercedes driver. 

Given the “hammer time” go-ahead, Lewis Hamilton was targeting the final podium position and made good progress into the top five with 15 laps remaining and 14 seconds between himself and his teammate.

He spent the remainder of the race closing down the gap to Russell, with the team warning its drivers to race cleanly as Hamilton approached the #63’s gearbox.

On the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, vintage Lewis Hamilton reappeared for one final move in the Silver Arrow, passing his teammate for fourth place in a brilliant move around the outside of Turn 9. 

Honour the move and his history with the German team, Lewis Hamilton was voted by fans as the Driver of The Day, allowing him to take to the grid for celebratory doughnuts before tearfully farewelling his W15 and the team that helps it run. 

Post-season testing will take place over the course of the next week, with the first Grand Prix for 2025 then taking place on our home soil in just 98 days. 

Image: Andy Hone / LAT Images

Race Result:

2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Schedule: 

Friday, December 6:

FP1: 20:30 – 21:30

Saturday, December 7:

FP2: 00:00 – 01:00

FP3: 21:30 – 22:30

Sunday, December 8:

Qualifying: 01:00 – 02:00

Monday, December 9:

Race: 00:00

READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF AUTO ACTION HERE

Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here. For more of the latest motorsport news, subscribe to AUTO ACTION magazine.