The 2024 Formula 1 season has concluded following an eventful Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the season finale. Among the numerous goodbyes and intense title showdowns, we highlight the key winners and losers from the 24th grand prix of the season: Winner: McLaren After a nerve-wracking first corner, McLaren and Lando Norris displayed such impressive […]
The 2024 Formula 1 season has concluded following an eventful Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the season finale.
Among the numerous goodbyes and intense title showdowns, we highlight the key winners and losers from the 24th grand prix of the season:
Winner: McLaren
After a nerve-wracking first corner, McLaren and Lando Norris displayed such impressive speed that victory, securing the constructors’ championship, never seemed in doubt.
Since the Miami race, McLaren has shown significant improvements, but escalating competition with Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari had started to lessen the gap as those teams also claimed victories.
This weekend, however, was McLaren’s time to shine, and thankfully for them, Norris executed the race flawlessly.
Of course, Oscar Piastri being impacted by Max Verstappen was not ideal, and his later mishap with Franco Colapinto could have led to serious scrutiny on his performance without that shiny trophy headed to Woking. Nevertheless, he still managed to score a point. – Jack Benyon
Loser: Red Bull
Finishing second in the constructors’ championship was never in the cards, but suffering two crashes on the opening lap certainly wasn’t how Red Bull envisioned wrapping up a challenging year.
Sergio Perez’s retirement following his incident with Valtteri Bottas – for which Bottas received a penalty – combined with Verstappen’s recovery from a 10-second penalty for his altercation with Piastri at Turn 1 to secure sixth place.
It is no surprise both drivers are relieved the season has come to an end. Verstappen faced significant pressure from Lando Norris, while Perez’s future may be uncertain. – JB
Loser: Oscar Piastri
Piastri is somewhat fortunate that his clumsy incident with Colapinto post-virtual safety car did not impact McLaren’s pursuits for the constructors’ title – although had that 10-second penalty been enforced, more focus would have been on his initial clash with Verstappen for which he bore little fault.
The upcoming winter will see him prioritize tackling the ongoing qualifying shortfall that has placed Norris in a dominant position at McLaren currently. – Val Khorounzhiy
Winner: Lando Norris
This may not have been Norris’s toughest win of the year, nor his most dramatic, but the stakes were significant – particularly during the early disruption, when he recognized that Piastri was out of the race and noticed Leclerc had made notable progress and was poised to score points.
If he had fallen behind Sainz, it would have resulted in a 14-point swing sufficient to hand Ferrari the championship. Nevertheless, Norris remained composed, skillfully managing the race early on and extending his lead later after countering the brief scare of Sainz’s undercut.
Despite the doubts raised throughout the season regarding some missed opportunities, the performance throughout 2024 shows he is a driver capable of winning and often doing so convincingly. – VK
Loser: Valtteri Bottas
Bottas certainly deserves some sympathy regarding the first penalty – if there’s no leniency for that type of incident on the opening lap, “leniency” loses its meaning entirely – but the second penalty compensated for that.
The clumsy contact with Kevin Magnussen, which all but sealed Haas’s already faltering bid for sixth in the constructors’ standings, has inadvertently diminished Bottas’s appeal as a reserve driver, as he now faces a grid penalty (having retired before officials could investigate the incident).
Overall, it was a fitting conclusion to a partnership both Bottas and Sauber seem ready to move on from. – VK
Winner: Carlos Sainz
While the ultimate performance of the SF-24 might have been lacking, Sainz contributed to maintain an air of competition.
Leclerc’s Q2 lap deletion meant there could be no meaningful teammate comparison during qualifying. Leclerc’s subsequent grid penalty led to an inaccurate gauge during the race. Yet Carlos Sainz reminded Ferrari one last time why he had been such a reliable team member over these four years – providing crucial support whenever Leclerc faced challenges.
This time it didn’t quite suffice, but it’s not on Sainz – he heads to his Williams role with pride. – VK
Loser: Williams
Colapinto getting rear-ended out of the race and then retiring due to an engine problem, while Alex Albon’s unconventional strategy fell short of scoring points, seemed par for the course for this Williams season.
The hype around Colapinto had invigorated this campaign, but by Abu Dhabi – and indeed well before – the critical part of the season had long been concluded.
Colapinto will regret missing a last opportunity to advocate for an F1 return, likely now in 2026, and Williams missed out on potentially crucial consolation points. On the bright side, at least getting Sainz in the car next week serves as some comfort. – VK
Winner: Pierre Gasly
Alpine’s miraculous performance in Interlagos positioned them to surpass not only Williams but also Alpine and Haas. However, it was Pierre Gasly’s steadfast performance thereafter that ensured they capitalized on the opportunities presented by the Brazilian GP.
He was exceptional this time as well – just 0.389s off in qualifying, solid in his defense against George Russell early in the race before diverging strategies, and remained too consistent in his pace to give Nico Hulkenberg any chance at winning the ‘Class B’ contest.
It’s difficult to state, particularly against a rookie teammate this weekend, but this version of Gasly might be the finest we’ve seen in F1. – VK
Loser: Haas
Haas had a slim chance of finishing sixth in the constructors’ championship heading into the final race, but failing to secure that position will be disappointing.
Nico Hulkenberg lost three places for overtaking on the pit exit in qualifying, despite securing fourth, and found himself unable to challenge Gasly, who effectively anticipated his moves. They ended the race with Gasly in seventh and Hulkenberg trailing not far behind.
Magnussen was the unpredictable factor who could have scored points to contend with Alpine but started in 14th and ended up being hit by an out-of-control Bottas, leading to damage.
There are two perspectives on this; for much of the season, Haas outpaced the two teams ahead of them in the constructors’ battle. However, given the leadership changes earlier this year, little hope existed that Haas could ever reach the performance levels displayed this season. – JB
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
Any finish in this race would have been an improvement following a bizarre qualification in which his team sent him out too late, resulting in him running over a bollard.
Yet, Lewis Hamilton’s performance was a remarkable recovery through the grid. This weekend, he felt like the stronger Mercedes driver, which has been a rarity this season, and delivered a commendable race.
He may have benefitted from being one of the few to adopt a hard-medium tire strategy instead of the reverse. Nevertheless, he preserved his hard tires over 34 laps while those around him utilized fresher options.
All in all, this was one of his standout weekends of the year regarding personal performance, and a great way to conclude his run with Mercedes. – JB
Loser: RB
It was a challenging race for RB which had a chance to contend for sixth in the constructors’ standings, but never really posed a threat to surpass Haas and Alpine.
Liam Lawson experienced a pitstop mishap where he was released without a wheel attached, resulting in a penalty and a subsequent stop, culminating in him stopping right at the race’s conclusion.
Yuki Tsunoda finished in 12th, one lap down, frustrated by his team’s choice to keep him out without an early pit, echoing the most exasperated radio message of the season.
As both drivers vie for Perez’s seat, neither was able to deliver a finale worth remembering in Abu Dhabi. – JB
