Formula One (F1) concluded its 2024 season in dramatic fashion, with a plethora of events and historical moments that thrilled the F1 fanbase and paddock alike at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit.
While the United Arab Emirates racing circuit was not the stage for Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who officially secured the title after Las Vegas, it was a crowning moment for the British-based giants, McLaren. They were crowned the 2024 World Constructors Champions for the first time since 1998.
The outpaced and full-steam performance on the circuit by McLaren driver Lando Norris secured the Papaya team’s title win, as he crossed the checkered flag first, finishing almost five seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc, respectively.
McLaren and Ferrari approached the final weekend of season as the hot on-track topics for the racing weekend because of their 21-points gap between first and second place, respectively, but were overshadowed by bigger moments off the racing track and in the paddock that reached their conclusion in the same weekend.
Hamilton and Mercedes see their end
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team ended their 13-year partnership with a fourth-placed finish at the Yas Marina circuit, which succinctly summarised the team’s difficult journey through the season.
Despite challenges brought forward at the beginning of the season, Hamilton secured a notable win at the British Grand Prix, and inherited another at the Belgian Grand Prix. Prior to F1’s pre-season testing and first race of the season in January, Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari for the 2025 season, which addressed existing rumours about his contract renewal with the Silver Arrows.
After driving an unpredictable car, Hamilton struggled to compete for an eighth title, often lagging behind his teammate, George Russell, and ended in seventh place on the drivers’ championship standings. Mercedes’ Junior driver and Formula 2 competitor, Kimi Antonelli, was announced as Russell’s new teammate from 2025.
Carlos Sainz Jr.’s swan song
Sainz had a peculiar start to his 2024 championship campaign when he unexpectedly missed the second round of racing in Saudi Arabia, due to an emergency appendix surgery, which he recovered in time from to race in Melbourne just two weeks later.
The season began as an unconfirmed swan song for the Spanish driver’s final season with the Italian constructors’ team, after Ferrari announced Hamilton to join Leclerc in 2025, rather than a contract extension with Sainz Jr. His final race win in 2024 came in Mexico City from pole position, ahead of Norris and teammate Leclerc.
His F1 record thus far guaranteed him a seat at British constructors team Williams Racing, which some saw as a questionable decision considering the minimal seats available, while others felt that with the car and team’s efforts prior to the budget-crunching crashes by its drivers, brought svelte hope for Sainz Jr. and Williams for 2025 and ahead.
Verstappen’s F1 Masterclass
Verstappen’s title defence masterclass
Speaking of, the Dutch driver claimed his fourth title, back-to-back, in a dominantly challenged manner in a season that saw the Red Bull team experience fractures to their form both on and off the track.
Amid his team principal’s, Christian Horner, raised allegations against him of abuse and improper management, Verstappen sufficiently silenced naysayers and haters with his title defence, even when Red Bull’s RB car faced performance issues and rivals Leclerc and Norris cut their gap behind him.
Additionally, Verstappen single-handedly carried the team for the majority of the season, as his teammate Sergio Perez struggled throughout the season to register consistent performance and points, with a lacklustre eighth place finish on the drivers’ standings.
Perez’s inability to match his teammate’s pace up front on the grid led to discussions and reflections by both the driver and team principal Horner on the Mexican driver’s future at the team after he signed a contract extension earlier in 2024. This was put on the back burner though for Verstappen, whose attention on his potential fourth title was certain at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November, where he won the title with a fifth-placed finish.
His season ended on a dramatic note with an on-air spat with George Russell, President of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), following an incident during Qatar’s qualifying session.
During a press conference broadcasted by Sky Sports F1, Verstappen criticized Russell, claiming he had “lost all respect” for him due to his behavior in the stewards’ room. Russell responded by accusing Verstappen of making violent threats, calling him a bully, and questioning his ability to handle adversity. This heated exchange highlighted the growing deep-seated animosity between Verstappen, his driving style, and his grid rivals.
The incident also reminded viewers of Verstappen’s clash with Norris during the Austrian Grand Prix, where he allegedly refused to take accountability for the incident.
Almost not enough for Lando Norris
For Lando Norris’ part, his advantage over Verstappen in the 2024 Miami Grand Prix showcased his impressive racing skills and helped him capture his first Grand Prix win in his F1 career.
He then recorded three more wins, in the Netherlands; a third in Singapore; and a fourth at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, but in spite of those high moments, Norris described his season as “conflicted.”
He reflected on the challenges faced in Spain, Hungary, and Italy, where his starts and strategic decisions led to lost points, capitalised on by competitors like his teammate Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Leclerc. Those mistakes cost him in the close drivers’ title against Verstappen.
Norris expressed gratitude for sticking with McLaren since 2019, amid criticism over his and the team’s past performances. He highlighted the significant progress made and felt rewarded for his loyalty, which brought him immense satisfaction.
“The fact we’ve been able to go from where we were to beating Red Bull, when not even 12 months ago they had the most dominant season, that’s an incredible achievement,” Norris told The-Race.com.
“I’m happy that I stuck through the harder times when I could have picked an easier route out of it, could have gone to different teams. The team understand that too, the journey that we’ve been on together, and I think they appreciate that, which probably makes me the happiest out of all of it.”
Norris ended the 2024 season in second place in the championship, with four grand prix wins, seven poles, and 12 podiums, demonstrating his growth as a driver and his potential for future success.
Il diamante Monegasco di Maranello Leclerc
‘The Monegasque diamond of Maranello,’ also known as Charles Leclerc, made a historic moment in 2024 and a personal achievement: he won the iconic race in the principality of Monaco.
Leclerc’s Monaco win, his first F1 race win since 2022, broke what he and others in the paddock called the ‘Monaco curse,’ that of the hometown hero failing to win in Monaco throughout his career in single-seater racing.
Leclerc’s dominant show through the streets of Monte Carlo ignited the fire of hope for Ferrari’s shot at either of the two titles in contention, a light that again faded on the side of the drivers’ title but not for the constructors’.
This light shone once more in Ferrari’s second home race in the northern city of Monza, where Leclerc won from fourth place in what was considered an uncompetitive car, and his third win in the United States Grand Prix. Both the Monegasque and Sainz Jr. succeeded in Ferrari’s shot at the constructors’ title, all the while their drivers’ title hopes dimmed with tribulations faced in performance issues and crashes during the season.
After a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi, Leclerc finished the season with 13 podiums and third in the championship standings.
Now to the 2025 season
With McLaren’s resurgence to claim the Constructors’ Championship, Lewis Hamilton’s emotional farewell to Mercedes, and Max Verstappen’s masterful defence of his title, fans were treated to high-stakes racing and unforgettable moments.
As teams focus their preparations on the 2025 season, they can leave 2024 behind knowing that the F1 season was one of the most eventful in the last decade.
