On the last race of the season, there were sure to be multiple thoughts running through race fans’ minds. Whether it would be who would win the Constructors Championship, Lewis’s last race for Mercedes, Sainz’s last race for Ferrari, or the last race for many drivers, it would surely be an emotional race. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was one that you were sure not to miss.
McLaren, having started with a locked front row, is bringing home the Constructors Championship after a hard-fought fight against Scuderia Ferrari all season. We saw Kevin Magnussen’s last race, as well as Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson, who are all going into the next season without a seat. Jack Doohan placed 15th in his debut race with Alpine after replacing Esteban Ocon in the last race of the season.
Lando Norris placed 1st, scoring enough points for McLaren to win the constructors championship and for him to finish the season in 2nd place, behind Max Verstappen for the Drivers Championship. Sainz of Ferrari, Lando’s old teammate, was 5 seconds behind him and placed 2nd for his last race for the Scuderia. Sainz will be driving for Williams next season.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was the talk of the race, after having won driver of the day after his impressive race. Leclerc started the race in P19 and finished an incredible P3 on the grid. Lewis Hamilton placed 4th in his last race for the Silver Arrows, and he will be racing alongside Leclerc next season for Ferrari. Lewis ended his Mercedes career after 12 years this Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen collided within the first lap, setting both drivers to the back of the grid. This was worrying for McLaren, as the hopes for the constructors championship seemed to fall back. Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for the incident, ultimately leading him to finish P6 on the grid. Furthermore, the Australian also received a penalty due to his crash with Colapinto as a result of his crash with Verstappen.
Liam Lawson came into some trouble further into the race when he was set to release with a loose wheel after pitting. Lawson continued the lap until he was able to box again, where his wheels were then adjusted and placed correctly. On the last lap of the race, Hamilton and Russel were seen battling it out for 4th place, but ultimately, the position was given to Hamilton.
Sainz and Leclerc finished P2 & P3, but ultimately, they did not place high enough to bring home the constructors championship for Ferrari. The constructors championship was instead given to McLaren, their first since 1998, after finishing their season with 666 points, and Ferrari with 652. Hamilton rounded up his Mercedes career, Sainz with Ferrari, and a farewell was given to many drivers, on the last race of the 2024 season.