ABU DHABI: Lando Norris won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday to deliver McLaren’s first Formula One constructors’ title since 1998 after team-mate Oscar Piastri collided with Max Verstappen on the opening lap and finished 10th.

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were second and third for Ferrari, McLa­ren’s historic rivals and the only team that could have beaten them to the championship.

“You all deserve this. Thank you so much. It’s been a special year,” said Norris over the team radio after taking the chequered flag.

“Next year is going to be my year too.”

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in his last race for Mercedes, overtaking team-mate George Russell on the 58th and final lap. He joins Leclerc at Ferrari next season.

“Lewis, that was the drive of a world champion,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Red Bull’s Verstappen, who took his fourth successive drivers’ title in Las Vegas last month, ended up sixth after collecting a 10-second penalty for a collision that left McLaren’s hopes totally in Norris’s hands.

Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpine with Nico Hulkenberg eighth for Haas and Fernando Alonso ninth for Aston Martin.

McLaren finished with 666 points to Ferrari’s 652 and Red Bull’s 589.

There was drama from the start as Verstappen and Piastri clashed, with McLaren locking out the front row in qualifying but Verstappen right behind in fourth slot.

Both cars spun, the Australian resuming at the back of the field while Norris made a clean getaway from pole position and sped away.

Verstappen said he had been “super unlucky”, and had been all the way up the inside of the McLaren into the first corner, but the stewards and Piastri saw it otherwise.

“Move of a world champion, that one,” commented Piastri sarcastically, before he was handed a 10-second penalty of his own after running into the back of Franco Colapinto’s Williams.

Verstappen served his penalty on lap 30, dropping from third to 11th and seemingly taking a pop at the stewards over the radio.

“Could we ask for 20 seconds, stupid idiots,” said the Dutch driver, who was handed two 10-second penalties in Mexico in October.

Leclerc moved through the field from 19th on the grid, up to 12th by the end of the first lap and fourth by the time he pitted at the end of lap 20 with team-mate Sainz settled in second and Russell a distant third.

“Unfortunately, we were starting too far back to do anything better than what we did. I think we did the maximum. It hurts when a season is so close until the end,” said Leclerc before the podium celebrations.

Norris made his pitstop for hard tyres at the end of lap 26, retaining the lead with a smooth stop quicker than either of the Ferraris.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez wrapped up his miserable season with yet another retirement after a first lap clash with Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas sent him spinning out. Team bosses will decide his future next week.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2024