FACTS AND STATS: McLaren’s record 26-year title wait ends as Charles Leclerc scores career-best performance

What a way to end the year. McLaren were hot favourites to secure the constructors’ championship in Abu Dhabi, but the flying Ferraris made them sweat all the way to the chequered flag. It made for a thrilling race and threw up no end of fascinating figures for us to mull over at the end of an amazing 2024 Formula 1 season…

• McLaren win the constructors’ championship for the first time since 1998.

• That 26 years between championships is a record interval for a constructor.

REPORT: Norris sails to victory ahead of Sainz and Leclerc in Abu Dhabi as McLaren seal constructors’ championship

• McLaren were deposed as reigning champions – by Ferrari – 13 days before Lando Norris was born in 1999.

• The polesitter won at Yas Marina for a record-equaling 10th consecutive time, tying Barcelona in Spain (2001-2010).

• Norris had never previously finished in the top four at Yas Marina.

• Norris led from start to finish for the second time in his career (the other was Singapore 2024).

• Norris’ victory was the first Yas Marina win for anybody other than Mercedes or Red Bull since Kimi Raikkonen won for Lotus in 2012.

• Norris is confirmed as the drivers’ championship runner-up.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 07: Pierre Gasly of Alpine and France during qualifying — Another strong race from Gasly ensured Alpine finished sixth in the standings

• With P2, Carlos Sainz scored his 25th podium finish for Ferrari in his final start for the team (the ninth-highest in the team’s history).

• It was the fourth top-two finish of the year for Sainz.

• Ferrari have still not won at Yas Marina in 16 visits.

• In the sister Ferrari, Charles Leclerc finished in P3, gaining 16 places over his starting position – a career-best performance (his previous best was +14 at Canada 2022).

DRIVER OF THE DAY: Leclerc gets your vote after going from 19th to the Abu Dhabi podium

• Ferrari put both cars on the podium for the third time in the final six Grands Prix of 2024.

• P4 for Mercedes’ Lewis was his best Abu Dhabi result since 2021.

• After finishing P5 in the race, George Russell becomes the first team mate to beat Hamilton in the standings in two different championship seasons (2022 and 2024).

• For Red Bull, Max Verstappen finished sixth for the fourth time this season (ending a streak of four straight Yas Marina wins).

• With Pierre Gasly taking the flag in P7, Alpine finish sixth in the constructors’ championship.

• Gasly’s three best results of the season came in the final four Grands Prix.

• Gasly moved up to 10th-place finish in the drivers’ championship today, the only time an Alpine driver has been in the top-10 all season.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 07: Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Stake F1 Team Kick — A DNF was not the way Bottas would have wanted to end his time with Kick Sauber

• At Haas, Nico Hulkenberg finished in P8 and lost 10th in the drivers’ championship to Gasly in final race.

• It was Hulkenberg’s 11th points finish of the season.

• As Aston Martin, came home in P9 to finish ninth in the drivers’ championship, the highest driver without a podium finish in 2024.

• Oscar Piastri finished the race in P10 for McLaren and was the only driver to complete every Grand Prix lap in the 2024 season (he came within six seconds of being lapped tonight).

• Kevin Magnussen took P16 and set the fastest lap, the third fastest lap for both himself and Haas in Formula 1.

HIGHLIGHTS: Relive the action from the season finale in Abu Dhabi as Norris dominates to seal constructors’ title for McLaren

• After technical problems with his RB, Liam Lawson failed to reach the chequered flag for the first time in a Grand Prix.

• Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas also retired and was the only full-time driver to have not scored a point this year.

• A DNF for Williams meant Franco Colapinto’s season ended with three retirements in the final four races.

• In the second Red Bull, Sergio Perez went out on the first lap for the sixth time in his career, and the second time this year after the Monaco Grand Prix.

• Drivers have raced 7,314 kilometres (4,544 miles) in Grand Prix racing this year. There are 98 days until the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.