It’s the last race of the 2024 season, and emotions are high.
It’s a showdown between Ferrari and McLaren for the Constructors Championship – but it seems that Ferrari will have to put in a shift to bag the title, with Leclerc starting in 19th due to a 10-place penalty.
Norris, Piastri, Sainz, Verstappen, and Gasly start in the top 5, followed by Russell, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Bottas, and Perez.
Everyone seems to be opting for the medium tyre compound, whilst Hamilton, down in 16th, is starting on the hards.
Aaannnnd it’s the final lights out of the 2024 F1 season, at the Yas Marina circuit!
Contact with Verstappen and Piastri, as they both spin and move off the track on the first corner. Norris leads the pack as Verstappen moves back to P14.
Piastri is last on track, terrible for McLaren as they started in 1-2.
Virtual safety car is out on lap 2, with Perez stopping on track after spinning out. Not a great end to the season, or potentially, his career (if the rumours are true!). Perez is out, and Bottas received a 10-second penalty for the collision.
His retirement confirms that Red Bull is P3 in the constructors championship.
VSC goes back in and amongst all the drama, Leclerc has miraculously made it up into P8.
With Piastri at the back of the grid and desperately trying to make up places, he ends up driving into the back of Colapinto, giving him a puncture.
10-second penalty for Verstappen for the collision with Piastri, not a great start to the race for Red Bull.
Piastri comes in for a new set of tyres, coming out in P18.
The Ferrari’s however, are having a fantastic race so far, with Sainz holding P2, whilst Leclerc is up into P7 from P19.
Despite being pleased that Verstappen received a penalty, Piastri got 10-seconds of his own, for driving into the back of Colapinto.
Lap 11 and after moving past Alonso, Leclerc is now up into P6. One lap later, and he’s past Hulkenberg and up into P5. However, he needs to be careful as he’s on strike 2 for track limits.
Albon and Zhou have been noted for false starts! A hectic race already and we’re only on lap 13. The pair pitted at the same time and came out in P16 and P17.
The top 4, Norris, Sainz, Gasly, and Russell, are having a seemingly peaceful race so far, with Russell failing to make an impression on the Alpine.
Gasly is next to pit on lap 15, moving onto a set of hards.
Verstappen may be next to pit from P5 as he takes to the radio to report issues with the brakes, claiming that the tyres have gotten too hot.
Zhou is handed a 5-second penalty for his false start, whilst Albon is cleared from his penalty.
Lap 20 and Norris is now leading from Sainz by 4 seconds, followed by Russell, Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Lawson, Gasly, Hulkenberg, and Tsunoda.
It’s lap 21 and Leclerc is going for the undercut, he pits for hard tyres and comes out behind Gasly in P8.
2 laps later and Russell is yet to respond, claiming that he can keep up his pace on team radio.
Lawson comes in to pit but later reports that his wheels aren’t fitted to the RB properly. He has to return to the pits on the next lap and get the front left tightened up. This is likely a penalty for the team.
Sainz pits from P2 and comes back out in third on the hards. Norris follows suit and has a rapid 2-second stop that brings him out ahead of Sainz, holding P1.
Russell also came into the pits and came out in P6, behind Leclerc.
Lap 28 and Colapinto has to retire his Williams due to a power unit issue. He didn’t have great luck throughout this race following his earlier clash with Piastri and has an unfortunate end to his F1 career (for now!)
Verstappen and Hamilton are still to stop.
Bono takes to the radio to let Hamilton know that a podium finish is looking attainable. Following Verstappen’s pit stop and penalty, Hamilton is P3. Verstappen is back out in P11.
After coming out of the pits, Verstappen calls the stewards “stupid idiots” following the call to penalise him for the earlier collision with Piastri.
Lap 32 and Bottas and Magnussen collide. Bottas has a major lock-up issue and drives into the side of the Sauber.
Bottas makes it back to the pit lane but unfortunately has to retire from the race, an upsetting end to his F1 season, and potentially (hopefully not!) his career.
Magnussen pits for softs following the collision and takes the fastest lap on lap 33.
Piastri pits and serves his 10-second penalty, coming out in P15. Hamilton then makes his first pit stop for medium tyres, coming out in front of Alonso in P7.
Verstappen gets past Alonso on lap 37 and now sits in P8 behind Hamilton. Hamilton gets past Hulkenberg, and then Gasly into P5, behind his teammate.
Verstappen is now up into P7 whilst both Ferraris sit in P2 and P3.
Leclerc asks on team radio if the team will win the constructors in these positions. The answer is no – but they’re told to keep pushing. You never know what can happen.\
Quickly closing on Russell, Hamilton is holding pace. Maybe Bono was right about a podium finish for the Brit.
Piastri has a wiggle and slides off the track behind Tsunoda. In P12, he seems to be struggling on his tyres. Lap 48 and he finally makes his move past the RB and into P11, but Tsunoda quickly regains the position.
Lap 49 and he gets past the RB, and finally makes it stick.
Norris complains about the dirty air as he makes his way past lapped cars, only 8 laps to go until the end of the season, and as it stands, McLaren has won the constructors.
Hamilton is gaining on Russell but not enough to get past his teammate, and then the Ferrari, to grab a podium spot for his last race with the team.
Lap 54 and Piastri gets past Albon and into the points, aiding McLaren’s championship points that little bit more.
Sainz has been claiming that something is stuck under the car and is lapping slower than Norris, but maintains P2 and is assured by the team that the car is okay.
2 laps to go and our podium finishers are Norris, Sainz, and Leclerc, followed by both Mercedes.
Toto Wolff takes to the radio to tell Russell to “keep it clean” with Hamilton as he gains behind him.
It’s the final lap of the Abu Dhabi GP!
Lawson needs to retire from the race as his car starts smoking on track. DRS is then disabled, but despite this, Hamilton manages to get by his teammate, and up into P4, narrowly missing the podium for his final race with the team.
Lando Norris wins the Abu Dhabi GP, and McLaren has won the Constructors Championship for the first time since 1998.
Norris and the Ferraris are on the podium, followed by Hamilton, Russell, Verstappen, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Alonso, and Piastri.
Out of the points-scoring places, we have: Albon, Tsunoda, Zhou, Stroll, Doohan, Magnussen, (with fastest lap), followed by the retirees, Lawson, Bottas, Colapinto, and Perez.
What an end to the 2024 season!
