When the 2024 season started, most had picked Red Bull as their Constructors’ champions. But with developments mid-season, McLaren and Ferrari turned the tables around, leaving Red Bull to settle for P3 in the standings. Heading into the finale, however, there was not a lot to separate the two new challengers.
By the time the last race weekend in Abu Dhabi kicked off, the Drivers’ title was already sealed in favor of Max Verstappen, but Ferrari still had a decent shot at the Constructors’. The Woking-based outfit was just 21 points ahead.
Considering McLaren had not won the title since 1998, there was understandably nervousness around the paddock, even though they were the favorites on pure pace. Lando Norris, however, had decided to ignore the external noise and just do his job. He only wanted to win, and wasn’t worried about the gap behind. “I didn’t know the exact numbers, which is not my job,” he said in an interview with CNBC.
However, when the race began, he understood how stressed everyone was. Ferrari was not letting go without a fight, and watching CEO Zak Brown‘s face mid-race made Norris realize that.
Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren car had suffered a poor start to the race that had put him out of contention for a big points haul. So, the pressure was on Norris. “Once I knew the Ferraris were second and third, I knew I had to stay out there and score as many points as possible,” he continued.
“I remember going down some of the straights, and we have the big TVs for all the spectators and fans watching… I’d always see Zak on it, stressing and looking pretty nervous. So, I could tell a lot was on the line.”
Thankfully for those dressed in papaya colors that evening, Norris didn’t lose his focus. He won the race, which allowed McLaren to end the season 14 points ahead of Ferrari. Their championship drought was over, and they had just become the top team on the grid. Officially.
Biggest turnaround in F1 history: Zak Brown
Once Norris crossed the finish line, Brown was arguably the happiest man at the Yas Marina Circuit. He had joined McLaren in 2016 when the team was close to financial ruin and was a backmarker. His leadership, aided with recruitment of some of the best individuals on the paddock had just made them world champions.
Brown feels that McLaren sparked the biggest ever turnaround in F1 history. They went from fielding one of the worst performing cars in 2023 to developing the most dominant challenger less than a year later.
LANDO NORRIS SECURES MCLAREN’S FIRST CONSTRUCTORS’ TITLE THIS CENTURY
He’s held off Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to win the #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/iMg66nK5Pf
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 8, 2024
“If you think about Lando’s first win in Miami [which was in May 2024], 12 months earlier in Miami, we were the slowest team,” the American pointed out. “To have that type of turnaround was awesome.”
That’s not something that happens in F1 every day. It truly was something special.
In 2025, however, McLaren will no longer be the underdog. They come into the season as defending champs for the first time since 1999, but unlike that year, will be looking to defend their crown.
