McLaren end F1 title drought as Ferrari defeated

McLaren has claimed its first constructors’ championship in 26 years as it fended off Ferrari at the final round of the 2024 campaign in Abu Dhabi.

The Woking-based squad took over the lead in the standings after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in September as it charged towards its first title triumph for some time.

However, it faced a late challenge from Ferrari who picked up form in the second half of the campaign.

The gap between the two teams read just 21 points ahead of the final round of the season – however a strong showing from McLaren allowed it to seal the trophy.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started the race from pole position, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc started from third and 19th respectively.

Norris dominated the race to take the fourth victory of his race career.

However, Piastri endured a difficult race after clashing with Max Verstappen at the opening corner, sending him to the back of the field.

He also picked up a 10-second time penalty for another coming together with Franco Colapinto and ended the grand prix in 10th place.

Ferrari managed to secure a double podium result as Leclerc enjoyed a strong recovery drive – but it wasn’t enough to overthrow the deficit to McLaren.