The Formula One (F1) Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concluded this past weekend and what a season it was. While reining champion Max Verstappen recaptured his title a handful of races ago, it went right down to the wire in Abu Dhabi to decide who would be crowned the Constructors champion. The battle raged on with only 21 points separating the McLaren papayas in first place and the Tiffosi (Ferrari) in second. To make matters more interesting, legendary Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton made his final appearance for the squad.
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McLaren & Ferrari 1-2
Ferrari front man Charles Leclerc was hit with a 10-place grid penalty by the FIA during qualifying and he started near the bottom of the pack. But that made no difference as he ultimately finished 3rd behind teammate Carlos Sainz. While a second and third place finish gave Ferrari 33-points, McLaren’s Norris finished first in what could be described as a comfortable race for him. Ultimately his 25-points secured first place for the McLaren team marking their first win since 1998.
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The end of an era
There were some doubts towards the end of the season as things weren’t going smoothly for Hamilton as to whether he’d finish the season. It’s a good thing he did because Hamilton, who failed to make it to the 3rd round of qualifying, had among his best performances of the season and finished in 4th.
“First he hugged everyone… Then he found an empty space in the Mercedes garage for the last time…Then he raised his head and looked once more at his team watching him right next to him…But this time his eyes were full of tears.” 🥺🥺🥺 pic.twitter.com/QwOQRlcEwW
— deni (@fiagirly) December 9, 2024
Hamilton’s emotional farewell lap for Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton's last ever lap as a Mercedes driver is special to watch.
— ۟ (@notracingpoint) December 9, 2024
Insane to think that he made the overtake of the season on Russell this lap too.🐐pic.twitter.com/0PJ8ozMSq3
Changing of the guard
Ironically, Sainz raced his last Grand Prix for Ferrari as Hamilton is set to take over alongside Leclerc next season in what should be an interesting season.
What’s next? The 2025 F1 Season
Approximately four months from now, the 2025 season kicks off once again with the first race set at the Australian Grand Prix from March 14-16, 2025. There will be six (6) Sprint races in 2025 in Shanghai, Miami, Spa, Austin, Sao Paulo and Qatar. Pre-season officially kicks off in Bahrain on February 26-28, 2025.
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