McLaren are Formula 1 constructors’ champions for the first time in 26 years after Lando Norris beat Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to win the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Having put themselves in full control of the lucrative teams’ title race by locking out the grid’s front row, McLaren experienced a more nervous race under the Yas Marina floodlights than might have otherwise been the case after Oscar Piastri was spun around by Max Verstappen into the first corner.
But Norris never put a foot wrong from pole position and kept Sainz at arm’s length across the 58 laps to claim his fourth win of the year and secure McLaren their ninth Constructors’ Championship – but first since 1998.
Ferrari, whose hopes of a final-day turnaround from 21 points behind almost-absolutely rested on winning the race, at least finished their season with a double podium with Sainz driving strongly on his final outing for the team to second and Charles Leclerc brilliantly charging from the grid’s back row to third.
And ahead of his blockbuster winter move to replace Sainz, Lewis Hamilton performed his own stirring race-day turnaround on his Mercedes farewell to finish fourth from 16th on the grid.
Hamilton’s final lap as a Mercedes driver after a 12-year period of unparralled success saw him pass team-mate George Russell around the outside into Turn Nine.
“That was the drive of a world champion. Amazing,” said Toto Wolff amid an emotional series of messages on Mercedes team radio with Hamilton on his slow-down lap after the race.
Verstappen, who clinched this year’s Drivers’ Championship for the fourth season in a row a fortnight ago in Las Vegas, ended his campaign in a distant sixth for deposed teams’ champions Red Bull after losing ground in the Piastri collision at the start and then being handed a 10-second time penalty by stewards.
Pierre Gasly concluded the fine end to his season in seventh to secure Alpine sixth in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of Haas, who were eighth with Nico Hulkenberg.
Fernando Alonso took ninth for Aston Martin with Piastri recovering to 10th.
More to follow…
