Lando Norris secured the constructors’ title for McLaren in the final Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi. This is the first major prize for the British team since 2008. The Briton strategically outperformed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, convincingly winning the race. Max Verstappen ended the Formula 1 season in P6, partly due to an incident with Oscar Piastri in the opening round.
Here is a bird’s eye view of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:
ROUND 1/58: What a start! Max Verstappen, starting from P4, gets off well and tries to outmaneuver the McLaren of Oscar Piastri ahead of him. In the process, the two collide. Both cars spin but manage to continue. Piastri immediately falls to the back, while Verstappen joins the midfield. He later receives a ten-second time penalty plus two penalty points on his license. Sergio Pérez is nudged by Valtteri Bottas a few rounds later and spins, sustaining damage. He drops out. Virtual Safety Car.
ROUND 2/58: Oscar Piastri tries to make up for lost ground immediately after the VSC situation and crashes hard into Colapinto at P18. The latter sustains damage, and Piastri will also receive a ten-second penalty for this. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc has had a fantastic start from P19, now running at P8. The tension in the constructors’ championship between McLaren and Ferrari continues to rise.
ROUND 8/58: After the hectic opening laps, Lando Norris leads quite sovereignly, ahead of Carlos Sainz. Behind them, the rest of the top-10: Gasly, Russell, Hülkenberg, Alonso. Leclerc, Magnussen, Verstappen, and Stroll. However, Verstappen still has to serve his penalty.
Verstappen Struggles
ROUND 20/58: Leclerc has now advanced to P4, just behind Russell. Norris leads, ahead of Sainz. Max Verstappen is struggling with the temperature of his front tires and is currently running at P5. Piastri is still stuck in the midfield (P13).
ROUND 27/58: Leader Lando Norris makes his first pit stop and it’s flawless, in 2.0 seconds. Russell also comes in. The Mercedes driver re-enters the track behind Leclerc, at P7. Colapinto drops out due to damage to his Williams car after contact with Piastri.
Lap 30/58: Verstappen’s Penalty and Tire Change
Max Verstappen serves his ten-second penalty and swaps his medium tires for the hard compound. He rejoins the race in 11th place. Over the team radio, he once again expresses his dissatisfaction with the penalty imposed by the FIA stewards, calling them ‘stupid idiots’.
Lap 31/58: Bottas Collides with Magnussen
Valtteri Bottas collides with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas car. Both vehicles sustain damage. Bottas is forced to retire, marking the end of his F1 career. Meanwhile, Piastri has also served his time penalty and is now running in 15th place.
Lap 36/58: Norris Maintains Lead
Lando Norris continues to lead the race, nearly three seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz. Far behind the Spaniard, his Ferrari teammate Leclerc is in third place. If Norris maintains his lead, McLaren will secure the constructors’ championship. However, the pressure is mounting.
Lap 49/58: Current Standings
The current standings at the front are as follows: Norris leads with almost a six-second advantage over Sainz. Following them are Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, and Verstappen. Piastri had a minor slip-up and is still out of the points, running in 12th place.
Lap 57/58: Lawson’s Early Exit
Liam Lawson spins off the track, ending the Visa RB driver’s season one lap early.
Lap 58/58: End of the 2024 F1 Season
The 2024 F1 season concludes with a victory for Lando Norris, his fourth of the season after Miami, Zandvoort, and Singapore. The British driver secures the constructors’ title for his team McLaren, earning them a multi-million bonus. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen finishes the season with a sixth-place finish. Oscar Piastri scores an extra World Championship point at the last minute with a tenth-place finish.
The top 10 are: Norris, Sainz, Leclerc, Hamilton, Russell, Verstappen, Gasly, Hülkenberg, Alonso, and Piastri.
