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What the teams said – Race day in Abu Dhabi
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McLaren
McLaren knew a win was enough to take the title, and fortunately for them Norris delivered just that. He led off the line from start to finish, keeping out of trouble to win for the fourth time this season and ensure his team won their first constructors’ title since 1998. His perfect race was in direct contrast to what happened to his team mate though. Piastri was tapped into a spin into Turn 1 by Verstappen, which dropped him to last. He then locked up and tapped the back of Colapinto’s Williams, earning himself a time penalty. That also forced him onto a slower two-stop strategy, but he just about made it back to the top 10 for a consolation point.
Lando Norris, 1st
“This feels incredible. The team have done an amazing job this season to come from where we were at the beginning. I’m so proud of everyone. It’s been a lovely journey and to end the season with another race win is perfect. A big thank you goes to everyone at McLaren, everyone in papaya, everyone who supported us this year. It’s been tough, but for us to win the Constructors’ Championship after 26 years is pretty special. I’ve learned a lot from this year, from the team and from competitors around me. I’m excited to get next year going.”
Oscar Piastri, 10th
“We did it! I am so incredibly happy for the team. Whilst it was a tough race, we managed to seal the Constructors’ Championship and that means more than anything for everyone.
“I want to thank every single person at McLaren for what they've done for myself and Lando this year. We've had so many highs, and whilst there have also been lows, we kept pushing and it all culminated into today. I am so excited for the future with this team. We go again next year."
Andrea Stella, Team Principal
“McLaren are the 2024 Constructors’ Championship winners. I’m incredibly proud of the entire team here, both trackside and back at the factory. It’s been 26 years since we’ve won the Championship. It’s a wonderful feeling this evening. Our work has paid off and we’ll be celebrating with everyone.
“I would like to give my thanks to each and everyone in the team for their hard work and dedication, and to our shareholders, partners and fans, for their unwavering support. I’d also like to thank our colleagues at HPP for the successful collaboration. It’s been a hard-fought Championship. Well done to Ferrari who drove a really good race today as well, and were great competitors. It won’t be long until we are head down into next year, but until then, we’ll make sure to take in every moment and celebrate our win.”
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Ferrari
Sainz managed to keep out of the way of the clashing Verstappen and Piastri at the start to jump to second, a position he held for much of the race. He was unable to apply much pressure to Norris ahead though, as he watched a chance of a final win for Ferrari slip away. Ferrari gave it a good go in the constructors’ with an unlikely double podium, Leclerc recovering from a P19 grid slot to climb all the way to third. A brilliant start jumped him into the top 10, and an early pit stop helped clear some rivals. He held onto his aging tyres to keep hold of the final rostrum spot.
Charles Leclerc, 3rd
"Even though the race itself was incredible, we fell short of our main objective of winning the constructors’ title, so the disappointment is there today. The first lap was really strong, I managed to make up 11 positions going from P19 to P8. The whole first stint was good, but it was a bit tricky to overtake because there was a train of DRS ahead. We managed to make it through and preserved our tyres well, so I am very happy with the way we manage our race. There was nothing we could have done better.
"Speaking about Carlos, it has been incredible to share team with him for four seasons. We pushed each other to new heights and moved the team positively, always keeping respect for each other. That we are here today, missing our on the world title by 14 points, is also thanks to his contribution. I wish him all the best and look forward to seeing what he will do in the future.
"Looking at next year, I hope that we can start the season off with a really strong car. This is probably where we missed our this year, coming back strong in the second half of the season which is where we made a big impact thanks to the incredible work of everyone back in our factory who created the upgrades which let us perform the way we have. This gives me confidence for the future and I really look forward to being back on track in 2025. A big thank you to the whole team that has made this season possible."
Carlos Sainz, 2nd
"We gave it everything we had. I did my best to try to keep Lando (Norris) under pressure but today McLaren was just a bit faster overall. Congratulations to the Papaya team for the Constructors’ Championship, they fought hard and they deserve it! As a team, we should be proud of what we’ve accomplished this year—five wins and numerous podiums is no small feat in such a tight championship. It was an emotional parade lap after the chequered flag and I suspect tonight will bring even more emotions.
"Thank you, Scuderia Ferrari, this is truly a special team. These four years together are something I will always cherish and I have no words to describe it in a simple final quote. Grazie di cuore!"
Fred Vasseur, Team Principal
"We pushed all the way to the last corner of the last lap. I am very happy with the job we did today, because it was unexpected to finish P2 and P3, given where Charles was on the grid. Today, Charles drove a great race. Before the start I had a bet with him on what his position would be at the end of lap 1 and we both lost it as he was too far ahead of what we had both predicted and we can say it’s definitely not today that we lost the championship. It’s a bit frustrating to finish 14 points behind McLaren as it is a very small margin, less than 2% of the total available. I have huge respect for what McLaren has done in recent years. So congratulations to them.
"From our side, the target is never to be P2 so, if you are not P1 it means you have to improve, but I’d say we had a good season, making a solid step forward as we’ve scored 50% more points than last season, but the target remains that of winning titles.
"And finally a word for Carlos: he was always very professional, always consistent and he and Charles always fought each other hard which is a good thing as you progress faster as a team this way. I wanted to see the team all pulling in the same direction and Carlos did more than his share in achieving that. For next year, myself and everyone in the team do not need to look for motivation, because we already have it! From tomorrow, we will already be focused on 2025."
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Mercedes
Russell kept out of trouble on the opening lap, bided his time behind Gasly and ran a longer first stint than the Alpine. With slightly fresher tyres, he managed to get past the Frenchman after the pit stops but, in that time, had been jumped by Leclerc. As for Hamilton, he was the only driver to start on the hard tyres. A long first stint combined with a decent opening lap helped him climb through the field. The last man to get rid of his original tyres, Hamilton used his fresh mediums to chase down his team mate, overtaking on the very last lap to finish fourth from P16 on the grid.
Lewis Hamilton, 4th
"That was a tough but really enjoyable race. I had to bide my time at the beginning on the Hard tyre and was struggling to make progress. To come through the field on the Medium compound in the final stages felt great though. To come through the field from P16 and make it back to P4 was awesome. I’m really happy with how my evening went and how the car felt. It was definitely a good way to end our time together!
"After the chequered flag, I was focused on just taking it all in, knowing that this was my last time in a Mercedes cockpit and savouring the emotions. I want to hold on to that moment, so I just sat there, contemplating everything we’ve been through together, all the ups and downs, and the success we’ve enjoyed. I can’t tell you how much I am going to miss this team. I’ve worked with them every day for the last 12 years and there is so much love there. That won’t disappear, no matter that we will be racing each other on track next year."
George Russell, 5th
"Lewis had an amazing race, so I want to say a big well done to him. He has not only been an incredible team-mate, but someone that I looked up to when I was karting and racing in junior formula. He is not only the greatest driver of all time but is the type of person that every racing driver should aspire to be. I wish him well in his next challenge and look forward to battling him on track.
"Today I just didn’t have the pace to compete for more than P4. I’ve not had the speed all weekend and it is a shame to end the season like that. We need to go away and understand why that was. That said, there are many positives we can take away from the season. We have got back to winning races and, on occasion, have been competing right at the front on merit. We know there is more we need to do to compete for championships, but we are all determined to make progress and do so next year. Finally, congratulations to McLaren on winning the Constructors’ Championship. They have been a worthy adversary all season and are deserving winners."
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"It has been 12 years that we have spent with Lewis. It is not only the longest driver and team partnership in the sport’s history, but it is also the most successful. A relationship of that length and a journey like that creates a bond, trust, and shared values that are rare nowadays. It is a period of time that we will always hold close to our hearts and one that I personally will treasure forever. Despite knowing that whatever happened in our final race today didn’t impact our legacy, we all wanted to end on a high. I am so glad we were able to do so. He will always be a part of our family and, if it isn’t us winning on track, we hope that it is him.
"Without the bollard getting in Lewis’s way yesterday in Qualifying, I think he could have fought for victory. He was quick throughout today and made the alternative strategy work well. He drove like a world champion. That is befitting of our time together and a real statement. For George, he had a tougher time of it. He hasn’t had the pace in the car this weekend to fight for the podium, but he did well to bring home solid points.
"Congratulations to McLaren on their success in the Constructors’ Championship. They have done a fantastic job this year. They have built a strong team with good engineering, good leadership, and good drivers. They are fully deserving of this year’s title. We are pleased for our colleagues at Brixworth too; this is a success also for Mercedes Motorsport and HPP. Whilst we know that the works team is the absolute key priority, it is great to see a customer team do so well."
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
"After yesterday’s challenges, we can hold our heads high in how we responded today. Starting from P6 and P16, we knew we would have a fight on our hands to score solid points and challenge for the podium. George, as has been the case all weekend, lacked that extra pace needed to battle for the top-three. That is unusual as he has been consistently fast this year so we need to go away and understand why that was. Nevertheless, he did a fine job to maximise points for the team and raced cleanly on that final lap with Lewis.
"Lewis meanwhile completed a drive worthy of our incredible 12-year journey together. He used the offset Hard-Medium strategy to great effect, calmly and methodically working his way through the field, before deploying the medium compound in the final stint. He worked his way past multiple cars, dropped the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, and produced a great move to take P4 on the final lap. Whilst we would have all loved to have been on the podium one final time, a battling drive against the odds seems an apt sign off for our time together. We wish him all the very best for the future, knowing that he will always be a part of our family.
"It has been a long and, at times, tough season. We know there is more work for us to do if we are to challenge for championships once again. Everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is focused on doing just that. Congratulations to McLaren and our colleagues at Brixworth on their Constructors’ Championship success. They have been the best team this year and are more than deserving of the title. We look forward to doing battle with them on the track next year."
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Red Bull
Verstappen had no pressure on his shoulders, having already won the drivers’ title with Red Bull out of contention in the constructors’. So he opted for aggression off the line, trying to send it up the inside of Piastri into Turn 1. But he tagged the McLaren, with both spinning. The stewards handed him a 10-second time penalty for that one, and he managed to recover to finish sixth, ending his four-race win streak here. Perez also had an eventful first lap for the Bulls. A spin followed contact with Bottas, which sent him into a very early retirement, with the Mexican hinting to the media that he isn’t quite as sure of his future as he used to be.
Max Verstappen, 6th
“My start was good and I went up the inside and then realised it was going to be tight at the apex with Oscar. I tried to stay on the kerb but unfortunately we clipped the tyres and spun which wasn’t great. I have already apologised to Oscar, he is one of the last guys you want to come together with and it wasn’t great. After that, we had a tough race and were struggling with tyres as they were overheating. We were just stuck in that position unfortunately so didn’t make it up with the pace. It has been a long season and there wasn’t a lot for us to fight for today. I’m looking forward to the break, I’m going to switch off, relax and spend some much needed time with friends and family. We have things to work on for next year and already have good ideas but we will see when we get into the car next year. We have had an up and down season and McLaren have been very strong from Miami onwards. I want to thank the Team for the season, it has been a long one but we have stuck together and ultimately to come away with a Drivers’ Championship has been fantastic.”
Sergio Perez, DNF
“It hasn’t been a great year and we wanted a better result today but in the end, it probably summed up the season. It was just very unfortunate to have a collision with Valtteri, I was turning into turn six and I got hit from the back. I think he broke too late but I had the feeling that the car was already damaged before that, I was upshifting and the gearbox was spinning, so I think there was potentially an engine issue prior. I ended up losing drive and couldn’t continue. I am relived this season is over in a way, it has been a very frustrating and difficult year. I am just happy it is all over and I can look forward now. We will see what happens in the coming days, I don’t know what is going to happen at the moment, I have a contract and the Team and I have been talking. It’s a case of discussing what is the best for everybody moving forwards.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal
“Firstly, we have to congratulate McLaren, it’s incredibly tough to win a Championship and they have not taken their foot off the gas all season. Full credit where it is due, they are deserving of that trophy. For us, in a season where we won nine races, more than any other team and successfully defended the Drivers Championship equates to an exceptional year. Max has been outstanding. It’s been a long season with 24 races and none of it would have been possible without the hard work from everyone both here at track and back in Milton Keynes, their continued drive and determination throughout the year was long and relentless, similarly the support from all of our partners, without them none of this would be possible and we are extremely grateful for all that they bring and what we continue to build, equally a special thanks to Honda and their consistency and contribution. I would also like to thank our fans, it is because of you that we are here and why we race, there simply wouldn’t be any F1 if it were not for them. Finally, a special thanks to Max and Checo. Their hard work and relentless pursuit throughout the campaign has not always bore the fruits they deserved but they remained committed and resolute throughout. We will look to recharge over the next couple of months as we head into 2025 and look forward to coming back fighting once again. Thank you to all, we wish you a happy holidays and a successful New Year!”
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Alpine
Gasly had a great getaway, rising to third place. He held off the challenge of Russell early on to give Alpine hope of a famous result, but couldn’t quite hold some of the top cars at bay as the race progressed. What he did do is stay ahead of Hulkenberg’s Haas to ensure Alpine finished an incredible P6 in the championship, when they had been solidly ninth just four races ago. As for Doohan, he kept out of trouble on his debut, but came home outside the points.
Jack Doohan, 15th
“Firstly, thank you to Luca de Meo, Flavio Briatore and Oliver Oakes for the opportunity, it has been an incredible experience to make my Formula 1 debut and I am very grateful that they entrusted me to step into the car this weekend. Thank you to the whole team for making the transition as smooth as possible. It was fantastic to get back racing, I have learned a lot and gained a lot of experience. We finished sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, which is great, I am happy to have assisted where possible to achieve that, both this weekend and throughout the whole season behind the scenes. Congratulations to Pierre on his result in the race and also getting tenth in the Drivers’ Championship. I am looking forward to next season, kicking it off with my home race in Australia and continuing to work and progress with the team.”
Pierre Gasly, 7th
“I am so happy for the entire team as we have achieved sixth in the Constructors’ Championship. This season we have had lows which were extremely low and highs which were extremely high. We have been through some tough moments this year and I am so proud of the team’s reaction to turnaround our season. We finished it with a competitive car, which has allowed us to regularly compete for Q3 and fight for points in the races. Credit to Haas as it’s been a great battle with them at recent races. There was also a little personal battle between Nico [Hülkenberg] and I in the Drivers’ Championship for tenth place. It was a close one today with him as it always is. He was right behind me, and I knew we just had to react to what he did and we would achieve our targets. It felt good to run in third place for some of the race but we knew that was not our fight today. In the end, an important result, sixth place secured in the Championship, so congratulations to everyone at the team for this achievement.”
Oliver Oakes, Team Principal
“It’s a great achievement to end the season in sixth place in the standings. The turnaround in the second half of the season by the team has been amazing and shows that the hard work and determination of everyone at Enstone and Viry has paid off. The team never gave up, never lost sight of the end goal, and we can take that confidence and momentum into 2025. Pierre drove a great race and did everything asked of him. He’s been at the top of his game recently and put in another top performance today to keep Nico [Hülkenberg] at bay. Jack did well today and showed promising pace, matching the cars around him on similar strategies. It’s a great learning for him to take into next year. Credit to Haas and RB who were strong this year and kept the fight exciting to the very end. Also, congratulations to McLaren on winning the Constructors’ Championship. They’ve been the benchmark this year and they thoroughly deserve it.”
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Haas
At one point both Haas cars were in the points, Magnussen making a brilliant start to climb up the order. But the team put him onto the slower two-stop strategy, which dropped him down the order. Once his sidepod had been damaged by a collision, the team popped him onto softs so that he could bag the fastest lap and ensure their rivals didn’t steal the bonus point. Hulkenberg managed to come home in the points, but crucially behind Gasly – meaning Haas came up just short in their quest to beat Alpine in the constructors’.
Nico Hulkenberg, 8th
“We’ve been consistently plugging away, scoring points all season long from the beginning to the end, so flair play to us – we’ve done so well considering where we were last year. That’s what I’m mostly happy and proud about, it was really fun to part of the process and part of the team. I’ve really enjoyed myself these past two years and I’m leaving happy and with a smile – a big thank you to this team, it’s been probably the most enjoyable time in my Formula 1 career.”
Kevin Magnussen, 16th
“The first lap went right, from P14 to P7, so that was one good thing about this race. I had a slow pit stop, that screwed my race and after the second pit stop, I got run into by Bottas, so it was definitely over then. It’s not the way I wanted to end the season, but we gave it a go, I tried something special on that first lap and went for it – gaining seven positions. Since returning, I think we’ve managed to turn the team around and get it on the right track, especially in the last half of this year, and I’m proud of that. I was a small kid dreaming about Formula 1 25 years ago, and I managed to get 10 years in the sport I was desperately dreaming to be a part of – it’s been a privilege.”
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal
“We knew we all had to go for it and at the end of Lap 1, it was looking great because Nico was in P5 and Kevin had another amazing first lap from P14 to P7. Then unfortunately on Kevin’s first stop it was slow and that’s unfortunate as our pit crew has been amazing this year, but on this critical moment it meant Kevin came out in traffic, so that really compromised his race. As Kevin was stuck in traffic, we pitted him again and on his out-lap Bottas locked up and damaged Kevin’s car. He was very unlucky, I wanted Kevin to sign off well, as he’s done so much and he’s a part of the family, but we couldn’t finish with a points scoring position with him.
“On Nico’s side he drove really well, but being in traffic all the time is really difficult. The execution of his one stop race was very good, and in normal circumstances coming home in P8 and scoring another four points would be a thing to celebrate, so I think we did the best job we could with Nico.
“In terms of championship position, it’s of course bittersweet, because we’re P7 – but were going for P6, but we couldn’t achieve it. I think everyone after the race understands that at the start of the season, if somebody said we’re going to finish P7, we’d be very happy. This year has been an amazing year, everybody working together, every department. We have things to improve, that’s part of the process, but we’re going to come back stronger next year. For now, I want us to recognize what an amazing season we’ve had and I hope everyone is proud of what they’ve achieved and enjoy the moment; I’m very proud of everyone in this team.”
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Aston Martin
Alonso climbed up to sixth off the line, but couldn’t quite hold onto that position as faster cars started to recover. He was always in the fight for the points though, as he opted for a two-stop strategy and used his fresh tyres late on to pick off Tsunoda and Albon to climb back into the top 10. As for Stroll, he had a tougher time of it in a Grand Prix that included a time penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits.
Fernando Alonso, 9th
"It's been a positive end to the season for us with two races finishing in the points in Qatar and now here in Abu Dhabi. We had to execute a perfect race and we capitalised on some mistakes by our rivals around us. I'm looking forward to taking a break over the winter after the longest season in the sport's history. We can reset and learn from all of the difficulties and apply them to next season. We have some great new additions to welcome to the team in 2025 and I'm excited for what's to come."
Lance Stroll, 14th
"I had a good start to the race and made up four positions on the opening lap, but the car didn't have the performance to fight for much more today. After the pit stops, we just didn't have the pace to climb all the way back through the traffic into the points, but we made a few positions back passing [Jack] Doohan and [Yuki] Tsunoda. This wasn't the season we were hoping for, but we will be pushing hard to come back stronger next season. Thanks to the team for all their hard work over a challenging year."
Mike Krack, Team Principal
"A long season comes to an end in Abu Dhabi. We have finished P5 in the Constructors' championship. There are still positives to take from this year, especially as the midfield battle has been so close. Today we come away with a couple of hard-earned points for Fernando - a little reward for all the effort from everyone at Silverstone and trackside in Abu Dhabi. Lance battled well but didn't have the benefit of free air that Fernando did and so had the more difficult job of navigating traffic and managing tyres. He came out on top following a decisive move on Yuki [Tsunoda] towards the end of the race.
"Congratulations to McLaren on its constructors' championship – they've had an incredible season. I want to thank our drivers, our team trackside and back at the AMRTC. Together with our fantastic partners, colleagues, and importantly our fans you are what drives Aston Martin Aramco forward and it is a privilege to be a part of this great team."
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Williams
Colapinto didn’t have a last race with Williams to remember, as he was the innocent party when Piastri hit the rear of his car at the VSC restart. That gave him a puncture, and by the time he’d limped home for new tyres and come back out at the back, the team then had to retire due to a PU problem. Albon did see the flag, and looked on for a point too – but couldn’t hold Alonso and Piastri at bay in the closing stages to finish a close but no cigar P11.
Alex Albon, 11th
"With ten laps to go, I thought it would be hard to hold on. The tyre’s grip stayed quite strong, but the temperatures just dropped off. Once the track started to cool down, I couldn’t drive quickly enough to keep the temperature in the tyres, so it felt like qualifying laps from about 25 laps in until the end, making it a very physical race. It’s a shame not to reward the team with a points finish. My consensus of the season is that it’s been one of missed opportunities. It’s easy to focus on this latter end of the season and the incidents, but realistically, we started with the car overweight when we should’ve been fighting for points. We bought one major upgrade, as our plan was always to focus on the future and at that point, a lot of teams naturally overtook us. In the end, I’m not too upset because I’m here for the long term and I know as a team we’re not interested in being the best of the midfield, we’re putting in the work now for the future to be back fighting for wins and championships and I believe in this journey we’re on. Thank you to Franco for being a great teammate. He earned his place in F1 during these remaining races and I’m sure I’ll be seeing him somewhere on the grid soon."
Franco Colapinto, DNF
"Retiring the car was not the way I wanted to end the final race of the season. I had a good start and was trying to get through the race, but Piastri hit me which caused a puncture and some damage. We still had good pace after we changed tyres but unfortunately, we had to retire the car due to a suspected PU issue. The last couple of races have been really unlucky for me. It hasn’t been the end to the season that I wanted but that’s part of Formula 1. It’s still been a dream come true, but I obviously would’ve loved to have finished how we started. I’ve been working towards racing in F1 since I was very young and I’m so grateful to everyone at Williams for the opportunity to put me in the car for these last nine races."
Sven Smeets, Sporting Director
"We started from P18 and P20 today which is never easy. After a few laps both drivers made some good progress and were driving well. Unfortunately, Franco was hit by Piastri resulting in a puncture, so we had to pit early. Afterwards his pace was good until we unfortunately had to retire the car due to a suspected PU failure. Not the last race we wanted for him, but he has showed he deserves his place on the grid. As planned, we boxed Alex early but as the race unfolded and many cars around us went for their second stop, we decided to stay out and try the one stop as it was the only way to stay in the points. The race was a few laps too long as the tyres dropped off, so at the end Alex finished P11 after a strong race. It has been a tough, long, and very hard season for the whole team but we have shown resilience and will return stronger next year."
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RB
RB started both cars on the medium tyres with Tsunoda having a terrible getaway, and ran a very long first stint – which was greeted with incredulity by the Japanese racer on the radio at one point. But while Tsunoda saw the flag, Lawson had a much tougher time of it through no fault of his own. First, his left front tyre wasn’t fitted correctly in his pit stop, requiring both a second stop to fix the issue and earning him a 10-second stop and go penalty for an unsafe release. He than had to pull over on the penultimate lap with a smoking car, which even tried to roll away after the Kiwi racer jumped out.
Liam Lawson, DNF
"A tough way to end the season, which is a shame because we started really well. It was probably one of the best races I’ve driven, even though we were a couple of laps down, the pace was actually really strong, we were fast. But we had an issue in the pits, which put us out of the race, which sucks because we could have potentially had a chance to score some points today. After that I just tried to treat it like a normal race, so I could show what I could do.
"To everybody supporting the team and myself, a massive thank you, I’ve loved my 6 races so far in the car. Obviously I’m hoping to have a future in Formula One, I gave it everything and I’m looking forward to hopefully being back next year."
Yuki Tsunoda, 12th
"Unfortunately, today my race was almost finished after the start. I don’t know exactly what happened, but honestly, I felt as if the clutch was stuck, as well as later when I came in for the pit stop as I struggled to stop properly. We’ll review it later with the engineers to understand more about what occurred during the start. I tried my best after that and was able to recover some positions, but sadly it wasn’t enough to get into the points. Looking back at this year, we really gave everything as a team and I’m happy with what I’ve done throughout the season, even if it’s a shame to finish the last race of the season without a nice result which would have been a nice thank you for everyone within the team."
Tim Goss, Chief Technical Officer
"Today we had a good chance of a points finish with a well-executed one-stop race. Unfortunately, some technical and operational issues put us on the back foot. Yuki's start didn't proceed correctly, triggering anti-stall. From the back of the grid, he then drove a solid race, only narrowly losing out to the two-stopping Stroll in the closing laps. We have some early indications of the deficiencies in the launch start and will iron these out in the future. Liam's start and first lap went well by contrast, and from running in 10th place early on we felt we had a good chance against some of our rivals ahead. However, Liam's pit stop didn't go to plan with the front left wheel only partially in place before being tightened. The resulting refitting of the wheel and penalty meant there was little chance of competing. Ultimately, a brake issue meant we had to retire the car. We will come back stronger next season."
Laurent Mekies, Team Principal
"We did not have a satisfactory season finale, with Yuki suffering a problem off the start line and Liam getting a 10 second stop and go for an issue we had during his pitstop. It is a difficult way to finish the season, especially after all the good work done from the Team on the reliability and pit stop front this season.
"Looking at the season as a whole, it’s been a mega intense year from day one when we started this season, with a new mission and a new name.
"We had our highs and lows along the way, but we have started to build stronger foundations together for the future of the Team, and it is now the time to thank everyone, in Faenza, Bicester, Milton Keynes, at Honda and at RBPT, for their fantastic work this season, which enabled us to progress in our journey.
"A very special thank you also need to go to our drivers, Yuki and Liam, who both developed immensely this year, without forgetting the invaluable imprint Daniel left on all of us earlier in the year.
"Whilst we are not happy with where we finished in the championship, our drivers have accumulated nearly double the points compared to last season, and we had our share of good fights on the track.
"There are a lot of exciting challenges to come over the winter and we will be pushing very hard to keep our progression going into 2025."
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Kick Sauber
Bottas didn’t have a dream final race for Kick Sauber. He made contact with Perez at the start, which earned himself a 10-second penalty for causing a collision. That dropped him down the order and out of contention for points, but worse was to follow. He locked up and went into the side of Magnussen, and limped home just to retire the car. He was also handed a five-place grid drop, to be served if he makes it back to the grid in the future. Zhou had a much less eventful final race for the team in green, unable to back up Qatar with any more points.
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Valtteri Bottas, DNF
"Unfortunately, today felt like a downward spiral after the incident on lap one, for which I also received a penalty. From there on, I was at the back, but we still kept trying and kept pushing. Later in the race, I had contact with Kevin [Magnussen] while defending: I locked up on old tyres and basically bumped into him. That was my mistake, and it’s a shame my last race with the team ended this way. We know we gave it everything and that is all we could do tonight. As another season goes into the books, and I plan for what’s next, I want to take a moment to thank everyone at the team, everyone at Ferrari, and all the supporters for their incredible support this year."
Zhou Guanyu, 13th
"It’s been an emotional weekend and, while I wish we could finish with a better result, we cannot let today detract from the three years I spent with the team. I don’t think the pace was at its best today, but we were out there fighting and gave it everything. Starting 15th it was always going to be difficult, and a slow stop and the penalty put us out of contention for the points. Still, it was the last race, and I think we executed our day as well as we could. I just want to thank everyone in the team and among the fans for their support over the last three years—it’s truly been a pleasure. Now it’s on to the next chapter for me, but I also wish the team all the very best for the future."
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative
"Today’s race was eventful and brought a tough season to a close, with only four points scored across 24 races. The most meaningful moment came before the race as we bid farewell to Zhou and Valtteri after three years together in which they contributed greatly to our cause and supported us through challenging times. Valtteri gave his all tonight but was unlucky with two incidents—one with Perez on lap one, resulting in a front wing change and penalty, and another with Magnussen on lap 30, which caused suspension damage and forced his retirement. It’s not the ending we hoped for, but we’ll celebrate his incredible efforts and wish him the best for the future. Zhou ran a strong race, recovering from a false start and penalty to finish P13, thanks to his pace and a well-executed strategy. We also wish him every success in his next chapter. We want to thank everyone at Hinwil, trackside, and at Ferrari for their hard work this season. Congratulations to McLaren on their well-earned Constructors’ Championship, a testament to perseverance and teamwork. Inspired, we now focus on the post-season period to build a strong foundation for 2025 and beyond."
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Pirelli
Mario Isola, Motorsport Director
“First and foremost, congratulations to McLaren on winning the Constructors’ title and well done too to Ferrari for having pushed them all the way to the very end, which made for a very exciting finale, full of suspense to really entertain the fans.
“It was the best way possible to end a very busy season, the longest ever in Formula 1 history. For our part, we believe we met the expectations of the teams and the other major players in this sport, the FIA and Formula 1, who are our most important “customers”. We did it by providing a reliable and high-performance product, which also delivered the desired effect of unpredictable racing. In fact, it’s no coincidence that this season has been. Well balanced between races where a one-stop strategy worked best and those where a two-stop was more effective, thus meeting the objectives we had been set.
“As for today’s race, we saw less graining than during Friday free practice, and even then it had little impact on performance. Degradation was also very limited, so much so that the one-stop was clearly the most effective strategy, even with many different divisions of stint lengths. Verstappen for example stopped at exactly half-distance, while others like Gasly and Hulkenberg stopped very early and then managed to finish in the points. We still have one more task to complete this year. This coming Tuesday, we will be back on track here at Yas Marina for a very important collective test. All the teams will be able to evaluate five of the six compounds homologated for 2025, the exception being the C1 which is not suited to this track. Furthermore, we will be supplying 2024 tyres for the usual rookie end of season test.”
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