McLaren takes constructors’ championship
Verstappen and Red Bull should also come back with a vengeance.
Lando Norris did not put a foot wrong at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last race of the championship, at the Yas Marina circuit last Sunday.
But the spoils went to McLaren, who won the constructors’ championship again after many years.
McLaren last won the constructors’ championship in 1998. That 26 years between championships is a record interval for a constructor.
If Max Verstappen had not bumped Oscar Piastri off in the first lap, it might have been a clean sweep and a one-two for McLaren on the day.
As it was, the two Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc came home in second and third, respectively, with the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Verstappen was given a deserved 10-second penalty for his actions, which set him way back in the field.
He did well to fight his way into sixth place at the finish, and the world champion had to be content with this performance.
Next up was Pierre Gasly in seventh spot and Nico Hulkenberg in eighth place, with both drivers getting the maximum out of their cars.
In ninth place was Fernando Alonso, who crossed the line less than half a second ahead of Piastri.
It was a good race with a lot of action. Hamilton drove a good race in his Mercedes for the last time and pipped his teammate by one second. He leaves for Ferrari next year.
The new season, which starts in March 2025, should see McLaren leading the pack, but we don’t know what Ferrari will do with the Hamilton-Leclerc pairing.
Verstappen and Red Bull should also come back with a vengeance.
It all depends on improvements on the cars during the winter off season.
I should also mention that many of us are hoping for and expecting good things from Sainz as he switches to Williams.
He has a great challenge ahead of him but has wonderful ability and a good attitude, which all augers well for 2025.
I wish all of you a wonderful festive season and a very happy New Year.
DRIVERS
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 437 pts
2 Lando Norris (McLaren) 374 pts
3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 356 pts
4 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 292 pts
5 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 290 pts
6 George Russell (Mercedes) 245 pts
7 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 223 pts
8 Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 152 pts
9 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 70 pts
10 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 42 pts
11 Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) 41 pts
12 Yuki Tsunoda (RB) 30 pts
13 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 24 pts
14 Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 23 pts
15 Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 16 pts
16 Alexander Albon (Williams) 12 pts
17 Daniel Ricciardo (RB) 12 pts
18 Oliver Bearman (Haas) 7 pts
19 Franco Colapinto (Williams) 5 pts
20 Zhou Guanyu (Sauber) 4 pts
CONSTRUCTORS
1 McLaren (Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri) 666 pts
2 Ferrari (Charles Leclerc/Carlos Sainz) 652 pts
3 Red Bull (Max Verstappen/Sergio Perez) 589 pts
4 Mercedes (Lewis Hamilton/George Russell) 468 pts
5 Aston Martin (Fernando Alonso/Lance Stroll) 94 pts
6 Alpine (Pierre Gasly/Jack Doohan) 65 pts
7 Haas (Nico Hulkenberg/Kevin Magnussen) 58 pts
8 RB (Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson) 46 pts
9 Williams (Alexander Albon/Franco Colapinto) 17 pts
10 Sauber (Valtteri Bottas/Zhou Guanyu) 4 pts
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