Lando Norris wins Abu Dhabi GP and guarantees McLaren title in the F1 Constructors’ World Championship

confirmed his dominance over the weekend and won the GP this Sunday (8). Behind him, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, from Ferrari, finished. With this, McLaren won the Constructors’ World Championship, with 666 points, against 652 for the Italian team. The cash prize for qualifying is important to reinforce the teams’ budget for the following season.

Norris’ teammate at McLaren, Oscar Piastri started in second place, but tangled with Max Verstappen at the start and only finished in 10th place. The four-time champion, who before the race in the United Arab Emirates had stated that he was “looking forward to taking a vacation”, finished in 6th place. McLaren monopolized the front row in 2 of the 3 free practice sessions and in the qualifying session to form the grid. With the victory, Norris secured second place in the Drivers’ World Championship, with 374 points, against 356 for Leclerc.

At the start, Norris maintained first place. Piastri and Verstappen, who started in fourth position, fought for braking in the first corner and ended up touching. While the McLaren driver was thrown off the circuit, Verstappen spun on the track and fell to 11th place. Piastri came in last place.

Piastri and Verstappen were punished with 10 seconds each. Still on the first lap, Valtteri Bottas also touched Sergio Perez and was punished with the same 10 seconds. Perez abandoned the race. On the fifth lap, Piastri decided to go to the pits to change tires, from medium to hard, to try a new strategy. At the front, Norris maintained the lead, followed by Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly, from Alpine.

In the 20th of 58 laps, Norris had more than four seconds ahead of Sainz. Leclerc was already behind George Russell, in fourth place, after starting 19th and penultimate. Verstappen was fifth, and Piastri was in 13th place. Leclerc pitted on the next lap and returned in eighth place. Sainz changed tires on the 26th lap, and Norris and Russell on the next lap.

Piastri made another stop on the 33rd lap and, like Verstappen, served his punishment. The McLaren driver returned in 15th place. In his last race for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton was the last to change tires on the 35th lap, when he was in third position. After all drivers had made at least one pit stop, Norris was the leader with around 3 seconds ahead of Sainz. In a great recovery race, Leclerc was 20 seconds behind his Ferrari teammate, in third place.

Norris gradually increased his advantage over the Ferrari drivers until completing 58 laps on the Yas Marina track under the flag of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, leader of the world rankings.

Check out the results of the Abu Dhabi GP:

1. Lando Norris (ING/McLaren),
2. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari), + 5s832
3. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari), + 31s928
4. Lewis Hamilton (ING/Mercedes), + 36s483
5. George Russell (ING/Mercedes), + 37s538
6. Max Verstappen (HOL/Red Bull), + 49s847
7. Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine), + 72s560
8. Nico Hulkenberg (ALE/Haas), + 75s554
9. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin), + 82s373
10. Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren), + 83s821
11. Alexander Albon (TAI/Williams), has a volta
12. Yuki Tsunoda (JAP/RB), one lap away
13. Ghuanyu Zhou (CHN/Kick Sauber), one lap away
14. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin), one lap behind
15. Jack Doohan (AUS/Alpine), one lap away
16. Kevin Magnussen (DIN/Haas), one lap away

• Did not complete the race: Sérgio Perez (MEX/Red Bull), Franco Colapinto (ARG/Williams), Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Kick Sauber) and Liam Lawson (NEO/RB)

Published by Luisa Cardoso
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo