McLaren Secures First Constructors' Championship Since 1998 With Lando Norris Victory

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Lando Norris secured victory from pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, clinching the Formula One Constructors' Championship for McLaren. This win marked McLaren's first title since 1998. Despite a challenging start, Norris maintained his lead throughout all 58 laps. He successfully held off Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who impressively climbed from 19th to finish third.

Lewis Hamilton concluded his Mercedes career in style, advancing from 16th to fourth place. He will replace Sainz at Ferrari next season. George Russell, Hamilton's teammate, allowed him to pass on the final lap. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri faced difficulties after being hit by Max Verstappen at the first corner. Piastri spun off but rejoined the race with a penalty for colliding with Franco Colapinto.

Norris and Piastri were not born when McLaren last won a team title. The 26-year gap is the longest in F1 history between championships for any team. This victory also marks the first time since 2009 that neither Mercedes nor Red Bull has won the championship.

Verstappen received a penalty for causing the early incident with Piastri. His teammate Sergio Perez retired after a collision with Valtteri Bottas, who may become a reserve driver at Mercedes next season. Despite these challenges and Leclerc's impressive drive, Norris remained composed and never gave Sainz a chance to overtake.

Hamilton ended his illustrious Mercedes career with records for most wins (105), pole positions (104), and podium finishes (202). However, he finished outside the top six in a season for the first time in his career.

Ferrari faced challenges this weekend, particularly after Leclerc received a 10-place penalty for a battery change. Nevertheless, Leclerc managed to secure his 13th podium finish of 2024.

The top ten finishers were Lando Norris (McLaren), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), George Russell (Mercedes), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), and Oscar Piastri (McLaren).

In the championship standings, Max Verstappen led with 437 points, followed by Lando Norris with 374 points and Charles Leclerc with 356 points. In the Constructors' standings, McLaren topped with 666 points, Ferrari followed with 652 points, and Red Bull was third with 589 points.

This season-ending race highlighted McLaren's resurgence in Formula One after years of dominance by other teams.