Lando Norris coolly claimed victory in a tense, emotional and incident-filled Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday to ship McLaren’s first constructors’ championship in 26 years as Lewis Hamilton completed a exceptional fourth in his closing race for Mercedes. The 25-year-old Norris got here house 5.832 seconds forward of Carlos Sainz and his team-mate Charles Leclerc to finish Ferrari’s title problem on an evening of accidents, penalties and tantrums underneath the floodlights on the Yas Marina Circuit. “Papaya on prime!” mentioned Norris on his slowdown lap after the season-closing race.
“Congrats to everybody. Unimaginable. So happy with you all. You all deserve this. It has been a particular one. Subsequent 12 months goes to be my 12 months too.”
McLaren had not received the groups’ title since 1998, the 12 months earlier than Norris was born, and began the day with a lead of 21 factors and a entrance row lockout, however noticed Oscar Piastri despatched spinning in a conflict with newly-crowned four-time champion Max Verstappen of Pink Bull on the first nook.
This inspired Ferrari, with Leclerc beginning nineteenth on the grid, they usually mounted a defiant if useless bid for glory, ending second and third forward of Hamilton, who handed team-mate George Russell on the ultimate lap.
Russell got here house fifth forward of Verstappen, who was one in all a number of drivers to be handed a ten second penalty for his crash into Piastri, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly with Nico Hulkenberg taking eighth for Haas.
Fernando Alonso was ninth for Aston Martin and Piastri, after a battling drive, tenth within the second McLaren.
‘Silly idiots’
In scorching, dry and clear circumstances, Norris made a clear begin from his eighth pole of the 12 months to guide into Flip One the place Verstappen attacked Piastri on the within and made contact along with his automotive to ship each spinning.
Piastri waited to rejoin in twentieth and final, however Verstappen squeezed again into eleventh as team-mate Sergio Perez’s depressing season concluded with a spin out at Flip Six after contact with Valtteri Bottas’s Sauber.
Leclerc, with a scintillating surge on the opening lap, rose from nineteenth to eight.
Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for his ‘dive bomb’ transfer on Piastri, who reported “yep, transfer of a world champion there” on McLaren group radio.
After a short Security Automotive intervention, Piastri hit the rear of Franco Colapinto’s Williams, forcing the Argentine to pit with a puncture. Piastri additionally pitted for recent hards earlier than being given a 10-second penalty, as was Bottas for his half in ending Perez’s race.
On the entrance, Norris led Sainz by 2.7 seconds forward of Gasly and Russell as Leclerc climbed to sixth by lap 10 when Hamilton, having began sixteenth as the one man on hards, was as much as twelfth. For Norris, figuring out a win was important for McLaren, the strain was on.
Haas started the pit stops on lap 12 with others following to raise Hamilton to fifth on lap 21.
Sainz pitted from second in 2.2 seconds after 26 laps, gifting Norris a lead of 26.2 earlier than he pitted, forward of Russell, and rejoined with a one second benefit on the Spaniard. Verstappen, but to cease, was third earlier than pitting, taking his penalty and rising eleventh.
“Might we ask for 20 seconds?” requested Verstappen with sarcastic venom. “Silly idiots.”
Bottas and Magnussen, a duo of their probably closing F1 races, then collided on lap 31.
“Is not that simply nice?” mentioned the Dane. He pitted and rejoined on softs whereas the Finn retired.
‘Lewis, it is hammer time’
On lap 34, Hamilton, dreaming of a podium, lastly pitted from third for his mediums, taking seventh forward of Alonso and Verstappen, a trio of 13 title wins. Norris led Sainz by 3.2 seconds with Leclerc third.
With 20 laps to go, Hamilton’s race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington, for the ultimate time, advised his driver “Lewis, it is hammer time”. Hamilton requested for the hole time and was advised 14 seconds. “You are able to do it,” chimed in his group chief Wolff earlier than he took Gasly for fifth.
On the entrance, Norris was the embodiment of cool, 5.9 away from Sainz and managing his race with indifferent precision regardless of struggling in ‘soiled air’ as he lapped many of the subject, together with Piastri within the closing laps, when Hamilton closed inside a second of Russell earlier than snatching fourth.
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