It was a grand finale for Norris and McLaren and a bittersweet farewell to Mercedes for Lewis Hamilton.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates—For the first time in 26 years, McLaren took the Constructors’ Championship title Sunday evening as Lando Norris went from start to finish, taking the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Norris’s 5.8-second victory started right from the beginning as the Briton went out into the lead quickly ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri and kept the lead despite just one pitstop. Sainz got close until he pitted. Norris continued his unproblematic drive, finishing ahead of the Scuderia and clinching the title.
Lando Norris: It feels incredible for me and the whole team. They’ve done a fantastic job this year to come from where we were initially. I am so proud of everyone; it has been a lovely journey, and to end the season like this is perfect.
Lewis Hamilton just took fourth in his final drive for Mercedes, ahead of teammate George Russell, by passing him on the last lap. Max Verstappen ended up in sixth but struck Piastri on the very first corner and was issued, as was the McLaren driver, a 10-second penalty and could never get near the front.
Pierre Gasly finished seventh ahead of Haas F1’s Nico Hulkenberg, which gave his Alpine team sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso took ninth, ahead of Piastri, who moved up to finish tenth, even after hitting Williams Franco Colapinto and putting him out of the race.
Besides the collision between Piastri and Verstappen, which put out the only virtual safety car of the evening, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez retired his car on the next lap, with Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas also retiring from the race following his collision with Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen. RB’s Liam Lawson left the race at the last lap with engine problems.
Norris and his team will undoubtedly be among the favorites for next season, and the Briton thanked his team for this job. “Congrats and a big thank you to everyone in McLaren,” he added. “Everyone in papaya, and everyone who has supported us this year, it was a tough one, but for us to win Constructors’ after 26 years is pretty special.”
It was a special win they all deserved.
