Race Highlights | 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

It is time to answer the final question of the season. Who will we call the champion constructor of the world? And the season finale is underway. Good launch off the line for the two McLarens, Carl Stolling on the grid, dropping down there. He's really, it's Jürgen Senneider and a crash at turn one. Contact, massive contact, Oskar Piastri, making contact with the Red Bull as they flash through. It's Lando Norris with the lead, then Carlos Sainz up to third, goes Pierre Gasly. In fourth goes George Russell. But a dramatic moment as Piastri and Verstappen come together. Yeah, Max Verstappen, brilliant getaway off the line, made quick work of Carlos Sainz. And then rather than taking the cautious, cautious approach into turn one, he sent it. I don't think that Piastri knew he was coming. Not sure he did as we see a battle now with one of the Haas, that's Magnussen trying to go by Perez up the inside into sixth. And he gets the move done. Brave on the brakes in his final start in Formula One. And round he goes. Perez spins, a wild opening lap of the Grand Prix. Yeah, so Verstappen's made short work of Sainz, who's a bit tardy. And this is where the surprise comes. He sends it and realises that Oskar has given him a bit of space. But just the momentum of that Red Bull was always going to drift wide. And the contact was definitely made, Red Bull to McLaren. And we now know that Verstappen's given a 10-second penalty for this contact. This was on the first lap, super late braking move from Magnussen. And then the contact between Bottas and Perez is how Perez went round. Perez would then lose drive from the car and park up. Bottas has been penalised with a 10-second time penalty for that moment. Willis is on board with Oskar Piastri as he tries to find his way past the Williams. Oh, big contact. And how did that not rip the front wing off? Penalty there for Piastri causing a collision. So his day going from bad to worse with that. That was a late send from Charles Leclerc. And Kevin Magnussen saw it coming, opened up the steering, got him back on the exit. But that Ferrari is roaring on by. And Charles Leclerc has gone from the back row of the grid up to seventh position as Ferrari continue to fight for this Constructor's title. Leclerc will be believing he can quickly clear the Aston Martin. And Fernando Alonso is outside of DRS4. Hülkenberg, it means he doesn't get it. But Charles Leclerc did. The Ferrari screams by and Charles Leclerc has gone from 19th on the grid to sixth position in the Grand Prix. Lando Norris is being told and is managing his tyres at the moment as we see Max Verstappen getting to the inside. And it's the same order for the Haas and the Ferrari. But Verstappen gets past the green Aston Martin and on the exit of the corner, the order changes up to fifth place. This is some attacking drive from Charles Leclerc as Hamilton gets past Lawson. And now three moves into that corner that could be defining for later on. This isn't really working out for Leclerc now being stuck behind Gasly. We saw as he makes the move now down into turn six DRS, nothing Gasly can do on those older tyres. The car dropped down, was sent and the front left was not tight. It didn't look right, certainly when the car hit the ground. And that's kind of where the driver's looking. You're looking a little bit out to the left hand side, out into the into the pit lane or the fast lane there. So he would have noticed that right away. Had that been the right front, maybe not. I guess Gasly doesn't have DRS, so it's going to be a little bit easier than what we saw before. He doesn't defend after how many laps he had to try it around the outside and look at the back of that Alpine. I was surprised he didn't just go for it. But obviously it worked out there. And hearing that we're cutting to Kevin Magnussen, debris on the circuit. So there's a spin for Kevin Magnussen that we caught late and a part of his car has gone and there's a puncture for Valtteri Bottas in what could be his final Grand Prix in Formula One. Lock up for Valtteri Bottas. Oh my word, huge lock up and contact between the Sauber and the Haas. Yeah, on the inside. Yeah, just no front grip. We heard earlier in the Grand Prix, I think it was Lewis Hamilton talking, or was it Max Verstappen saying, just couldn't break into the corners as you get those front tyres not quite working. Oh, isn't that just great. Two drivers looking at their last Grand Prix start to have it end like that is really unfortunate for both. Ferrari making progress from where they were last year, where Mercedes beat them to the punch. Mercedes was second last year. Ferrari were third. Looks like they're going to upgrade, but not to the position they want to be. Talking of upgrades, Max Verstappen, easily by Fernando Alonso, now finds himself recovering up to eighth. Laid on the brakes for Lewis Hamilton. He'll be enjoying this feeling. He fights it, getting the power on as he gets past and he moves up to sixth position, past Nico Hülkenberg. Lap 46 of 58, we're coming to the end of an extraordinary season with seven different winners. As the Red Bull easily slides past the Alpine there, up into the sixth position. Might have to wait until he gets to it. Whoa, he lost the air on the front wing and Piastri gathered it together, getting too close to the back of the V-Carve. Well, every day is a school day and he'll just have learnt that and banked it away for the future. And let's see with the help of DRS whether he can reverse what happened to him one lap ago. No, can't go for the overall speed, but he feels he's got the confidence to run to the outside, better grip, does he have the room? That's a great way to fire yourself by up into 11th place. And this is an easy pass to break William's heart. Piastri recovers to the points and Albon's chance of that first point score since Baku disappears. As Norris pushes on through turn 13 and 14, Hamilton will take the battle to turn number nine on the last lap. But this is the moment that McLaren dreamed of. Lando Norris wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. McLaren are world champions of 2024. They win the Constructors' title for the first time since 1998. Around the outside goes Lewis Hamilton in the left-hand side of your screen. And he's roared around the outside to take fourth away from George Russell. What a move in his last drive for Mercedes. He was never going to accept finishing behind his teammate. Carlos Sainz has come home in second, completing the podium and climbing 16 places will be Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, up 12, completes his attacking stint with Mercedes after a decade in the doldrums. A season to remember for one of Formula 1's most famous Constructors. We did it, mate. We did it. World champions. Well done. Papaya run, Tom. Incredible. Well done, everyone. So proud of you all. Thank you so much. It's been a special year. Next year is going to be my year too. 84 wins, 78 pole positions and 153 podiums. A standout stint in Formula 1 like no other. Hamilton and Mercedes sign off in style. And the top two teams in the World Championship, it's like times of old, Ferrari and McLaren. Another title for the famous team restored to the top of the Formula 1 World Championship. And McLaren, the top team in the world for the first time since 1998. The first time in 26 years. And the party, as told by our winner today, will go long, long, long into the night.