This year's most unexpected victory was McLaren’s sudden resurgence and their F1 constructor's title win after 26 years. Since the 1998 season, McLaren hasn't won the Formula 1 constructor title but the drought ended this season after Lando Norris won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The season's Final race at the Yas Marina circuit became the title decider between Ferrari and McLaren.
The British racing team gave a shocker by dominating the season’s second half as Lando Norris challenged the reigning champion Max Verstappen for the driver's title. Red Bull who were dominant in the first half of the season were pushed to third by McLaren and Ferrari. Verstappen was his team's only consistent point scorer while his teammate Sergio Perez struggled with an unknown issue throughout the season.
The Dutch driver won the Formula 1 driver title after putting in a valiant effort in Brazil and Las Vegas and became the champion for the fourth time. Even he couldn't save the constructor's title as McLaren and Ferrari's drivers dominated Red Bull by their sheer speed and consistency. The Final race in Abu Dhabi became the showdown race.
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The Two McLarens of Lando norris and Oscar Piastri finished in P1 and P2 after the qualifying followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in P3 and Red Bull’s Max verstappen in P4. The race started and the McLaren team saw a big disaster waiting for them in the first corner. Verstappen had a good start, he overtook Carlos Sainz and dive-bombed into the first corner colliding with Oscar Piastri and pushing him out of the track.
The collision left Lando Norris as the only driver for them in the top 10 and he definitely needed a win to secure the title for McLaren. The two Ferraris chased him down and within a few laps, Leclerc came inside the top 5 and moved to P3 behind his teammate. But the British driver stayed calm followed the team's strategy and won the race. His teammate Oscar Piastri also finished in P10 and scored a point.
Also Read: McLaren F1 2024 Team Analysis: Back to Glory After 26 Years; Marks New Era of Dominance!
McLaren engineer loses his bet.
The McLaren crew celebrated the win all night because they had been waiting to enjoy this victory for 26 years. In the event of celebration, an unusual bet was honoured with sacrifice. A McLaren engineer had a bet with his colleagues that if the team won the constructor's title then he would cut his ponytail off which he had been growing for many years.
He honoured the bet by sacrificing his Ponytail in front of the camera and every other crew member appreciated him and gave a hug for his sacrifice to the team. After the race Ferrari team members came to the McLaren garage and congratulated them for their victory by hugging and shaking hands which was nice to see in F1.
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