Abu Dhabi GP: McLaren wins Constructors

McLaren wins the Constructor’s title in Abu Dhabi as Lando gets the race. The two Ferrari drivers Carlos and Charles finish P2 and P3 respectively.

McLaren wins Constructors at Abu Dhabi

McLaren gets the Constructor‘s Championship in the final race here at Abu Dhabi. However it was not as smooth sailing as they would have expected, having started from P1 and P2. While Lando got a good start and kept things in control, Oscar was bumped into by Max Verstappen, effectively sending him back of the grid. Coupled with a 10 second penalty, the rest of the race was all about bouncing back and he finished in the final podium point at P10.

Lando drove a brilliant race at Abu Dhabi, made no mistake and won the race. This coupled with a healthy lead of 21 points over Ferrari ensured that McLaren won the Constructors. While it has happened many times in 2024 that Lando got the pole but lost the position on the first lap, Abu Dhabi was one where he did not make any mistake. This was suppose to be his year as he had the fastest car for a majority of the season. However in-experience raised its ugly head and Max was bang on the money everything. So while the Driver’s Championship went to Max, McLaren at least managed to cling to the Constructor’s.

Ferrari valiant but missed it at Abu Dhabi

Ferrari had a very good race but it was just not enough to snatch the title. Charles LeClerc had a miserable time at Abu Dhabi with the 10-place grid penalty and deleted lap in Q3, effectively starting from P19. No one expected much from such a situation. However he drove brilliantly and was at P8 just after the first lap. From then onwards he kept on climbing up to eventually finish P3. Carlos did a very fine job too and kept up the pressure on Lando. However in pushing extra he lost his tyres and in the end did not have the pace to mount a challenge to Lando. Still both the Ferrari drivers finished on the podium and they would be happy with the result in the final race of the season.

Mercedes farewell for Lewis Hamilton

It was the last race for Lewis Hamilton with the Mercedes team, unarguably the most successful partnership in F1 history. Lewis had an unlucky Quali session and was starting from the back of the grid. Then like a true Champion he stormed through the field to eventually finish in the P4 position. This was an apt farewell for the seven time World Champion. George had a decent race too and he finished P5.

Red Bull woes at Abu Dhabi

It was not a day for Red Bulls but they had it coming. Sergio Perez went DNF as the race started and that pretty much sums up his 2024 season. It would be tough for him to continue in that seat despite having a 2-year contract extension. Max, having already won the Driver’s Championship, went Kamikaze on Oscar as the race started. This gave him a 10 second penalty and anyway did not have the pace to challenge up. He finished P6 but wouldn’t mind it as the season comes to a close.

Gasly and Hulkenburg were impressive to finish in P7 and P8 and Alonso finishing in P9. Overall it was an interesting race and a fitting end to the 2024 season.

Abu Dhabi GP: 2024 Drivers and Constructors standing