There could be no second possibilities this time. has been susceptible to in-race lapses of judgement and focus in 2024 however right here, with a 26-year hoodoo solely in his arms, the Bristolian gave his beloved a long-awaited constructors’ championship on the season-finale.
Norris, pole-sitter and the quickest man all weekend, saved it clear and prevented bother – the place his teammate Oscar Piastri didn’t – to win the and seal the groups’ title for the papaya. Ferrari did their greatest, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc each on the rostrum, however finally a 14-point benefit was sufficient.
The final time McLaren sealed the constructors’ championship, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard have been the drivers within the 1998 MP4/13 cockpit. Each have been current right here in Abu Dhabi as considered one of F1’s largest groups ended their lengthy wait within the MCL38.
As for , in his 246th and remaining race for Mercedes, a trademark cost by way of the sphere. Beginning in sixteenth, the seven-time world champion ended the with a fourth-place end, passing George Russell on the final lap.
He parked his automotive on the house straight on the finish, waved to the group and mentioned his goodbyes. Ferrari, and all of the glamour that goes with it, awaits Hamilton as he heads into his 40s.
Russell completed fourth and Max Verstappen in sixth, as he dropped again after a penalty for clattering into Piastri’s rear-left wheel a matter of seconds into the race.
Piastri recovered for tenth, however regardless of. His teammate had secured the crowning second.
“It feels unimaginable, not for myself however for the entire crew,” he mentioned. “It’s been an extended journey and to finish the season like that is excellent.
“To win a constructors’ Lando Norris holds his nerve to information McLaren to F1 glory in Abu Dhabi after 26-year wait after 26 years is fairly particular. Zak has already mentioned we’re going to get fairly hammered tonight!”
It led to preferrred vogue after a begin which was removed from it. The Yas Marina Circuit, with its quick residence straight, shouldn’t be susceptible to drama at flip one on lights out. However this yr, as McLaren merely wanted a clear get-away for each their drivers, a Verstappen-shaped curveball threw open the race for the title.
The Dutchman surged down the within and clipped Piastri, who spun and dropped all the way down to final. Fortuitously, his McLaren was not irrevocably broken however the normally mild-mannered Australian sharply gave his verdict over crew radio.
“Yep, transfer of a world champion that one.”
Verstappen was duly given a 10-second time penalty, although Piastri himself acquired the identical judgement from the stewards after crashing with the rear of Franco Colapinto, giving the Williams a puncture.
Mercifully for Zak Brown’s crew, and their followers watching again on the McLaren expertise centre in Woking, Norris was unimpacted by the first-lap shenanigans and led, comfortably, by way of the primary part of the 58-lap race.
The Brit pitted on lap 26. Would the mechanics maintain their nerve? You guess they’d. A two-second pit-stop meant Norris rejoined the race nonetheless in P1 and, with the quickest racepace on the observe, the Brit simply needed to preserve it error-free at hand McLaren their prized silverware.
No ignoring yellow flags like final week in Qatar. No flirting with the wall like in Singapore. Norris was assured, composed and by a margin of eight seconds took the chequered flag for his fifth win in Components 1.
Cue jubilation from the orange-clad personnel on the pit-wall. For a crew in no man’s land firstly of the season, it has been an outstanding turnaround from crew principal Andrea Stella – previously of Ferrari – and his engineers.
Norris’ purpose now, with a way of longing about what may need been this yr, will probably be a person title pursuit extra full and cool-headed than final yr’s topsy-turvy marketing campaign. He even referenced it on the crew radio straight after the race.
“So happy with you all, you deserve this, thanks a lot,” he mentioned.
“That is our yr. Subsequent yr goes to be mine too.”
