The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was won by McLaren’s Lando Norris on Sunday, giving the team its first constructors’ championship since 1998.
After avoiding the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in the season-ending race at the Yas Marina track under floodlights, the pole-sitter won the team title for the British brand.
In his penultimate race for Mercedes before his high-profile move to Ferrari the following year, Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 driver’s title winner for McLaren, passed his colleague George Russell on the last lap to finish fourth.
Over the team radio, Norris, who wasn’t even alive when McLaren last won the constructors’ title, congratulated everyone. Amazing, I’m very proud of you all; you deserve this whole thing. Thank you, it’s been a special one. I’m going to have my year next year as well.
The outcome of the team title was the main focus of the last race after Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive driver’s championship in Las Vegas last month.
McLaren led Ferrari by 21 points going into the season’s record 24th grand race.
They took an early hit when Oscar Piastri, who had started in the first row with Norris in a McLaren lockout, crashed with Verstappen of Red Bull.
But in order to repel the Ferrari challenge, Norris led a calm race from the front, igniting raucous celebrations in the McLaren garage.
