McLaren have won their ninth Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, courtesy of a Lando Norris victory and a 10th place finish from Australian Oscar Piastri at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Whilst it was elation for the ‘papaya’ squad, Sunday’s Grand Prix was otherwise a race to forget for Piastri. Starting from the front row alongside Norris, Piastri’s Grand Prix was immediately thrown into chaos with four-time World Champion Max Verstappen attempting to pass down the inside of the Australian into the opening corner of the first lap. Both cars were sent spinning and fortunate to avoid any major damage. Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty for his part in the collision.

Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez would bring out the Virtual Safety Car, after being hit by the Sauber of Valtteri Bottas and was left with no option but to park up at the side of the track.

At the restart, Piastri would then clip the rear of Franco Colapinto’s Williams and find himself also with a 10-second penalty for causing that collision, with Colapinto forced to pit after incurring a puncture.

It was a lights-to-flag victory for Norris however, and despite Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc joining Norris on the podium, the McLaren victory and Piastri’s solitary point was more than enough to seal the 2024 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship for McLaren over Ferrari. It is McLaren’s first Constructors’ crown since 1998 – coincidentally neither Norris nor Piastri were born when McLaren last secured the team’s honour.

Norris would ultimately end up as runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship with 374 points to Verstappen’s 437, with Piastri ending the season in fourth with 292 points. Piastri was ninth in his debut season in 2023 with just 97.

Whilst it was a tough showing in Abu Dhabi, Piastri enjoyed an otherwise successful season which saw two Grand Prix wins in Hungary and Azerbaijan, six other podium appearances, and a Sprint Race win in Qatar. Piastri is also in illustrious company, joining Michael Schumacher (2002), Lewis Hamilton (2019), and Max Verstappen (2023) as one of only four drivers to have completed every lap in a season.

Making a surprise start in Abu Dhabi was Jack Doohan, with the Australian deputising for Esteban Ocon who was released from his duties at Alpine as the Frenchman is set to join Haas in 2025.

Already confirmed for an Alpine seat in 2025 alongside Pierre Gasly, Doohan’s Formula 1 debut was fast-tracked to Abu Dhabi.

Doohan qualified 20th on Saturday, but was promoted to start Sunday’s race in 17th due to other drivers incurring penalties.

It was an otherwise quiet debut for the Queenslander, with Doohan avoiding trouble and finishing his first Grand Prix in a respectable 15th.

The 2024 season also saw a rare occasion of three Australians participating in a Formula 1 season. Piastri was the best placed Australian in fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, with Daniel Ricciardo ending up in 17th with 12 points. Ricciardo’s season ended prematurely, with the West Australian released from his duties after the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a significant event for many drivers and teams, headlined by Lewis Hamilton’s final race for Mercedes since joining the squad in 2013. It also heralds Hamilton’s last race with a Mercedes power unit, having exclusively raced in Formula 1 since 2007 with the German manufacturer across both stints at McLaren and Mercedes. Hamilton will don the red of Ferrari from the 2025 season.

Melbourne, Victoria, will have the honour of hosting the next Formula 1 Grand Prix on 13–16 March, 2025 for the Australian Grand Prix. 

2024 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Race 
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 58 1:26’33.291 
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 58 1:26’39.123 5.832
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 58 1:27’05.219 31.928
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 58 1:27’09.774 36.483
5 George Russell Mercedes 58 1:27’10.829 37.538
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 58 1:27’23.138 49.847
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 58 1:27’45.851 1’12.560
8 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 58 1:27’48.845 1’15.554
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 58 1:27’55.664 1’22.373
10 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 58 1:27’57.112 1’23.821
11 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 57 1:26’44.542 1 lap /11.251
12 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 57 1:26’48.029 1 lap /14.738
13 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 57 1:26’50.595 1 lap /17.304
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:26’51.764 1 lap /18.473
15 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 57 1:26’59.846 1 lap /26.555
16 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 57 1:27’50.888 1 lap /1’17.597
17 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 55 1:24’36.949 Not running
     Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 30 47’27.280 Accident damage
     Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 26 41’10.430 Retirement
     Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 0 – Retirement