McLaren clinched the Formula 1 constructors’ championship with their sixth grand prix victory of the season last weekend.
The team has been waiting 26 years for its latest title win. This was its ninth, giving them as many as Williams, and only Ferrari have more.McLaren’s half-dozen wins is the fewest any constructors’ championship-winning team has achieved since 1999, when Ferrari succeeded them, also winning six times. McLaren won seven times that year, and also outstripped their 2024 wins total without taking the title in 2000 (seven), 2005 (10), 2007 (eight, disqualified from the standings) and 2012 (seven).
The race marked the end of Lewis Hamilton’s tremendously successful association with Mercedes’ works team. He joined them from McLaren, and since then Mercedes have taken more wins than McLaren every season, until this year.
Norris scored the fourth victory of his career, giving him as many as Carlos Sainz Jnr who finished second behind him. Dan Gurney, Eddie Irvine and, fittingly, Bruce McLaren are all four-time winners, though only one of McLaren’s wins came at the wheel of a McLaren, unlike all of Norris’s.
Ferrari achieved their best ever result at Yas Marina, getting both their cars onto the podium for the first time. But victory continues to elude them at the circuit adjacent to the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park: In 16 seasons they are still yet to claim a win there.
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Perhaps Hamilton will change that. He has the most victories at Yas Marina of anyone, and is the only driver to have won at the track with two different teams: Four with Mercedes, plus McLaren’s only victory at the track prior to last weekend.
Verstappen could have equalled Hamilton’s Yas Marina win tally, but a first-lap collision with Oscar Piastri left him sixth. He also missed the chance to equal the record for most consecutive wins at the same grand prix, having taken victory in Abu Dhabi every year since 2020. The record is five, held by Ayrton Senna (Monaco, 1989-93) and Hamilton (Spain, 2017-21).
With Sergio Perez’s future uncertain, it remains to be seen whether this will be the final race for him and Max Verstappen as team mates. If not, they missed their last chance to record their 100th podium together.
Jack Doohan made his grand prix debut at the final round of the season, which was the first time in a decade this has happened. Will Stevens was the last driver to start his career at the final race, also at Yas Marina, in 2014. He drove for Caterham in what proved their final start.
Kevin Magnussen bowed out of his final race in some style by setting the fastest lap. In the final race in which a bonus point was available for this, no one scored it, as Magnussen finished outside the top 10.
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However he ensured F1 equalled the record for most different drivers who set fastest lap in a season. This record was set in 2012, and surprisingly, of the two drivers who did it in both years, neither of them was Fernando Alonso, who finished runner-up in the championship that season without setting the fastest lap:
Finally, Valtteri Bottas bowed out of F1 by becoming the third driver in history to receive a penalty which, as yet, he has no opportunity to serve. He collected a five-place grid penalty for his collision with Magnussen. Robert Shwartzman incurred the same while participating in a practice session earlier this year and failing to observe a yellow flag.
Meanwhile Jenson Button remains yet to serve the three-place grid penalty he got for flipping Pascal Wehrlein onto a barrier during the Monaco Grand Prix seven years ago. Coincidentally, poor Wehrlein suffered a remarkably similar crash in the Formula E season opener in Brazil last weekend.
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2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- Did Tsunoda ‘destroy’ his team mates – and are Red Bull wrong to pick Lawson over him?
- McLaren were ‘0.7 seconds away from losing the title’ in Abu Dhabi – Brown
- Another name change for RB and new driver numbers revealed in 2025 F1 entry list
- Ranked: The Formula 1 cars of 2024, from slowest to fastest
- McLaren are world champions with fewest grand prix wins in 25 years
Jere (@jerejj)
11th December 2024, 7:43
Jack Doohan became the 16th Australian driver to compete in F1.
He also became the 24th driver to compete in the 2024 season.
Lando Norris surpassed 400 points in F1.
He has also achieved the most pole positions for a McLaren driver since 2000.
Charles & Arthur Leclerc made history by being the first brother duo to participate in an official GP weekend session as teammates.
For the first time since 2009, a team other than Red Bull Racing or Mercedes won the constructors’ championship, even though Brawn GP is the most recent Mercedes predecessor, but a different identity nevertheless.
Kevin Magnussen surpassed 50.000 km of racing laps in F1 by completing the first 22 laps in the race.
Each session had a different driver being the slowest for each timing sector.
Oscar Piastri is the only (full-season) driver who finished every single 2024 race & is currently on a 26-race finishing streak with his most recent DNF from the 2023 Sao Paulo GP.
He also became the fourth driver in F1 history to complete every single racing lap in a season (1444 this year).
McLaren constructors’ championship drought streak was a record.
Charles Leclerc scored his career-best performance this season by finishing third in the drivers’ championship standings.
Liam Lawson became the second driver this season to drive around a lap with one tyre detached after Alexander Albon in the Emilia-Romagna GP.
For the first time since the 2012 season, the top three finishers in the drivers’ championship come from as many different teams.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
11th December 2024, 8:07
Small addition to the Piastri stat: he also became the only driver to do all the racing laps of the season and not win the drivers’ championship.
Jere (@jerejj)
11th December 2024, 11:55
@kaiie Good addition, which I hadn’t particularly noted with the other drivers to achieve the same feat.
Davethechicken
11th December 2024, 14:10
Did he definitely achieve that? It looked in jeopardy as Norris was about to lap him in the last race which would have meant he didn’t complete the final lap!
Davethechicken
11th December 2024, 14:16
Sorry ignore me, Norris didn’t lap him in the end, he was the last unlapped car or is
it the first unlapped car, not sure what is grammatically correct!
montreal95 (@montreal95)
11th December 2024, 14:31
Don’t know about grammar but logically he was the last driver on the lead lap to the last unlapped.
F1statsfan (@f1statsfan)
11th December 2024, 8:42
“Charles Leclerc scored his career-best performance this season by finishing third in the drivers’ championship standings.”
Charles Leclerc finished 2nd in the driver championship in 2022 although in 2022 he had 308 points now 359 points.
2022: 288 points from 22 races (13.09) – 3 FLAP – 17 sprint points – 3 wins – 11 podiums – 3 retirements
2024: 327 points from 24 races (13.63) – 3 FLAP – 29 sprint points – 3 wins – 13 podiums – 1 retirement – 2 no scores
F1statsfan (@f1statsfan)
11th December 2024, 8:44
Correction:
Charles Leclerc finished 2nd in the driver championship in 2022 although in 2022 he had 308 points now 356 points.
2022: 288 points from 22 races (13.09) – 3 FLAP – 17 sprint points – 3 wins – 11 podiums – 3 retirements
2024: 324 points from 24 races (13.50) – 3 FLAP – 29 sprint points – 3 wins – 13 podiums – 1 retirement – 2 no scores
Jere (@jerejj)
11th December 2024, 11:53
@f1statsfan My bad, I forgot he finished one higher in 2022.
Jere (@jerejj)
11th December 2024, 11:54
I know I should check just in case if I struggle to recall something, but still I end up making this error over & over again.
Simon
11th December 2024, 22:51
jerejj’s very own season review. The bumper, festive edition no less…
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
11th December 2024, 8:15
My favourite stat going round the internet right now is the comparison between:
Lewis Hamilton’s last race with McLaren (Brazil 2012)
– Red Bull’s multiple time world champion (VET) spun on the opening lap and recovered to P6.
– Sergio Perez retired on the opening lap.
– A British driver (BUT) won for McLaren.
– A Spanish driver (ALO) finished 2nd.
– The other Ferrari (MAS) finished 3rd.
Lewis Hamilton’s last race with Mercedes (Abu Dhabi 2024)
– Red Bull’s multiple time world champion (VER) spun on the opening lap and recovered to P6.
– Sergio Perez retired on the opening lap.
– A British driver (NOR) won for McLaren.
– A Spanish driver (SAI) finished 2nd.
– The other Ferrari (LEC) finished 3rd.
MichaelN
11th December 2024, 12:40
As much as I don’t like to be reminded of that race, that’s a pretty wild coincidence!
Thanks for that.
Jonathan Parkin
11th December 2024, 13:18
The only thing missing was a British driver crashing on the penultimate lap bringing out the Safety Car
SteveP
11th December 2024, 22:01
That would be LH being crashed into as opposed to “crashing” – Hulkenberg missed his opportunity this time.
Andy (@andycz)
11th December 2024, 13:49
Hamilton WC 2026 confirmed then!
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
11th December 2024, 14:23
I will place my bet now! Almost a certainty and not unbelievable.
Ben
11th December 2024, 10:44
And it’s all thanks to just Lando Norris! No one else in the team deserves any credit. He did this alone.
Leeroy
11th December 2024, 21:55
Perez says hi (pretty sure Piastri out-scoring Perez is also a mojor factor)
Unicron (@unicron2002)
11th December 2024, 10:47
It’s probably been mentioned on here before but it has only just dawned on me that this year saw 3 British winners – all English too. Well, one is half Belgian too.
I wondered if I had ever seen this in the 32 years I’ve been watching F1 and I remembered two seasons – 1999 and 1995.
1999 we had Herbert, Irvine and Coulthard (an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman…)
1995 was Herbert, Hill and Coulthard.
There must have been a few other examples seeing as in the 50s there was Collins, Brooks, Hawthorn and Moss. And going into the 60s there was Clark, Surtees, Hill (Graham), Ireland and Stewart.
Perhaps there was a season where there were 4 British winners?! I’m sure someone clever here will know…
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
11th December 2024, 11:30
There have never been four GP winners from Britain in a single championship season as far as I know.
Jack Jeffreys
11th December 2024, 12:15
1982 saw 4 French winners (Pironi, Arnoux, Prost and Tambay). Can’t think of any other seasons where 4 drivers from one country all won a race
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
11th December 2024, 18:01
You’re right! Gah I forgot 1958.
Joe (@jb784)
11th December 2024, 17:23
1958 featured races won by
– Moss
– Brooks
– Hawthorn
– Collins
All British
debaser91
11th December 2024, 11:49
It happened three times in the 60s:
1963: Clark, Hill, Surtees
1964: Surtees, Hill, Clark (who also finished 1-2-3 in the championship)
1968: Hill, Stewart, Clark
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
11th December 2024, 12:57
In 1958 the top 5 drivers were all British.
Of the 10 GP rounds (excellent Indy) British drivers were 9 poles and 9 wins.
Unicron (@unicron2002)
11th December 2024, 16:09
Incredible stat
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
11th December 2024, 12:37
A great year for half-Belgians, then. The best ever?
tielemst
11th December 2024, 13:48
Isn’t Verstappen half-Belgian too?
SteveP
11th December 2024, 22:06
Born in Belgium – doesn’t make him 100% Belgian? Or do they not ascribe place of birth nationality?
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
11th December 2024, 12:48
1958, Moss, Brooks, Hawthorn and Collins
Unicron (@unicron2002)
11th December 2024, 16:10
There it is then, you found one. I knew someone would know!
SteveP
12th December 2024, 7:31
If you’re talking about Brits, then technically Edmund Irvine Jnr. doesn’t count, as he’s Irish.
Northern Ireland isn’t British, it’s part of the UK. (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
Before any non-Brit asks why the “Great” in GB – that’s a legacy of the Norman French (GB and Brittany) and not a jingoistic power trip – except where idiots like Boris are involved.
MichaelN
11th December 2024, 12:43
Hülkenberg becomes the first Haas driver to go to another team rather than out of the sport.
Hopefully, for his sake, Bearman will one day join him.
Levi kapitany
11th December 2024, 13:10
I think its worth a mention that Gasly had caused zero damage to his car this year. I can’t recall anyone achieving this feat before.
SteveP
11th December 2024, 22:09
Now that is an amazing ‘stat’, but I’m pretty sure things got a bit bent when he and Ocon tried to share the same bit of Monaco tarmac
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
11th December 2024, 13:44
Probably due to the fact that 7 drivers had multiple GP wins this season.
F1StatNerd
11th December 2024, 15:06
When you look at all Constructors Champions since 1958, McLaren’s 2024 victory was the 3rd worst season in terms of Percentage of Races Won by the Constructors Champion.
McLaren 2024 6 of 24 = 25.0% of races won
Ferrari 1977 4 of 17 = 23.5% of races won
Ferrari 1982 3 of 16 = 18.8% of races won
No real surprise that 1982 shows up here as the worst of the worst.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
11th December 2024, 20:02
I was just thinking that 1982 must have been the year that Keke won the WDC. Looking at the stats for those years, the number of retirements is insane. The driver who won the WDC was the driver with the fewest retirements while leading races :-)
matt90
11th December 2024, 14:08
Perez scored fewer points in the last 19 races of the season than he did in the first 5.
MichaelN
11th December 2024, 14:30
That’s both outrageous and a clear sign that something is off about his situation. It’s not surprising that in equal cars he comes up short against the likes of Leclerc, Hamilton, Russell and Norris. But this bad? It’s just weird.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
11th December 2024, 16:42
I’m not sure anyone can be that bad :-) Especially the driver with the second-most starts after Barrichello without a WDC.
You don’t stay that long in F1 by being that bad.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
11th December 2024, 14:26
A great thread. All fascinating stuff.
An Sionnach
11th December 2024, 15:46
Unfortunately, I would guess that Max may have improved his finishing position by hitting Piastri. Piastri’s penalty was his own fault, but he wouldn’t have been at the back without a little help.
It would have been interesting to see what would have happened to Piastri. He should have finished second. It wouldn’t be good if he couldn’t stay ahead of Sainz in a better car. It would be a very bad sign if he finished behind Leclerc or even lower. I’m guessing he would have finished third, but given his poor pace in several races, Max may have done his career a favour by getting him out of the battle with the Ferraris.
Edvaldo
11th December 2024, 16:05
If Perez had done the bare minimum, Red Bull would’ve won both, but his season was so bizarre. It was Trulli leaving Renault at mid-season levels of terrible, but it didn’t last 5 or 6 races; it was almost 20 weekends of pure garbage, combined with Norris losing many races by small details.
It’s a pretty peculiar situation that won’t happen often.
Andy (@andycz)
11th December 2024, 20:07
You mean that Trulli who has more points than Alonso, when he left the team?
Edvaldo
11th December 2024, 20:31
Oh yes. His last few races for the team were far below what he achieved earlier in the year, just like Perez.
Except Trulli was fine for 3/4 of the season, and Perez, more like 1/5.
AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken
11th December 2024, 20:28
Late to the party, but here’s one I haven’t seen mentioned.
This is the first season where McLaren has won the constructors’ championship without also winning the drivers’. They have done the inverse (i.e., winning the drivers’ championship without winning the constructors’) four times: in 1976, 1986, 1999, and 2008.
AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken
11th December 2024, 20:48
For comparison, Ferrari – the only team which has been in F1 longer than McLaren – has also had four seasons where they won the drivers’ championship without winning the constructors’: 1952, 1953, 1956, and 1958. However, 1958 was the first year that the constructors’ championship existed, so it could be argued that the previous three instances don’t count in this context.
Conversely, there have been five seasons where Ferrari won the constructors’ championship, but not the drivers’: 1976, 1982, 1983, 1999, and 2008.
This also means that on three of the four occasions where McLaren “only” won the drivers’ championship, it was Ferrari that took the constructors’ crown.
F1watcher
11th December 2024, 20:48
The McLaren team Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the first two drivers in Formula One history to each score points on every race weekend in a season.
They both scored points in 23 Grand Prix in the 2024 season. The one time they didn’t score points during the Grand Prix race during the season, they both scored some points in the sprint race on that weekend.
Lando Norris 6 points in the sprint race in Austria and Oscar Piastri scored 3 points in the sprint race in Miami.
João
11th December 2024, 21:07
666, the number of the beast
Hell and fire was spawned to be released!
SteveP
11th December 2024, 22:19
I don’t see the relevance.
I recognise the lyric, and fortunately I can’t hear it.
Cover artwork done by an old schoolfriend is the one positive point.
João
12th December 2024, 7:44
Just a light-hearted comment about McLaren’s points total.
SteveP
11th December 2024, 22:24
Another throw away:
In the last year that the fastest lap point is available, two drivers scored a fastest lap, doing so in their last race in F1 having been dropped by the team and there was no point awarded as they were both outside the top 10 finishers.
paulgilb (@paulgilb)
11th December 2024, 22:27
Not quite – both teams scored 0 wins in 2023 :).
Norris is currently the only driver with exactly 9 poles to his name – 11 is the smallest positive whole number that is no-one’s career pole total.
Hamilton has had as many Q1 eliminations in the last 6 races as in the previous 170.
Ferrari’s current Constructors’ Championship drought is now longer than their previous longest (1983 to 1999).
Second circuit (after Red Bull Ring) at which Leclerc has managed 4 podiums.
10th consecutive Abu Dhabi GP to be won from pole – equals Barcelona from 2001-2010 inclusive.
First time Norris has won a race where Verstappen has not finished 2nd.
Alonso scored as many points in Abu Dhabi as Perez has scored in the last 5 race weekends.
Hamilton’s lowest ever Championship position despite winning 2 races more than in 2022.
Norris crosses 1000 total points.
Kick Sauber’s only non-mechanical DNF of the season.
The 3 most recent instances of the Constructors’ Championship going down to the last race (2008, 2021, 2024) are also the 3 most recent instances of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships being won by different teams.
Hamilton’s McLaren and Mercedes careers both ended with 3 seasons partnering another British driver, with the overall winner (i.e. most points scored over the 3 seasons) changing during the final race, and the overall winner only outscoring his team-mate in the 2nd of the 3 seasons.
Thanks to statsf1 and the official F1 site for some of these.
MichaelN
11th December 2024, 22:37
And that is how championships are won.
It’s also a bit of indictment of Piastri who, for reference, finished those races in 13th, 4th, 3rd, and 10th.
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage- Special Unhinged Edition (@davedai)
12th December 2024, 3:11
All very interesting but who now owns controlling interest of McLaren racing?
Bahrain? Clearly not Abu Dhabi. Someone else? Equal partnership between ?
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage- Special Unhinged Edition (@davedai)
12th December 2024, 3:13
So I quote Gulf News and ask who owns McLaren and the post needs senate approval first?
KB Davies
12th December 2024, 6:56
– Lewis Hamilton’s last race with McLaren (Brazil 2012).
– Red Bull’s multiple-time world champion (VET) spun
on the opening lap and recovered to P6.
– Sergio Perez retired on the opening lap.
– A British driver (BUT) secures victory for McLaren.
– A Spanish driver (ALO) takes 2nd in a Ferrari, and the other Ferrari (MAS) completes the podium.
– Lewis Hamilton’s last race with Mercedes.(Abu Dhabi 2024).
– Red Bull’s multiple-time world champion (VER) spun on the opening lap and recovered to P6.
– Sergio Perez retired on the opening lap.
– A British driver (NOR) secures victory for McLaren.
– A Spanish driver (SAI) takes 2nd in a Ferrari, and the other Ferrari (LEC) completes the podium.