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Best driver

Max Verstappen – It’s boring, I know. The world champion gets the top gong. But before November, the answer would have been Lando Norris.

Yet the most impressive drive of Verstappen’s life in Brazil – from 17th on the grid to a win margin of 20 seconds – changed that. It virtually sealed the world title and, in the end, he claimed five more victories over the course of the season than the McLaren driver.

Four on the spin. Five in a row – in a Red Bull which no longer looks consistently quick – would put him among the greats.

Podium places: Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg

That’s a wrap. After a record-breaking 24 races, the 2024 F1 season concluded on Sunday in Abu Dhabi with Lando Norris guiding McLaren to constructors’ glory.

What a topsy-turvy, constantly evolving season it has been. From Red Bull’s dominance on the track and turmoil in the paddock at the start of the season to multiple winners and riveting racing, there has been drama at every turn.

Now, The Independent picks the winners and losers of a 2024 season which has already set the tone perfectly for potentially an all-time 2025 campaign.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown hailed Norris’ performance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which secured them a first Constructors Championship since 1998, and says the team want to win both titles next season.

“That was the worst two hours of my life, by far,” Brown told Sky Sports. “Lando drove brilliantly. Unfortunate what happened to Oscar at the start but the team was flawless.

“They executed the pit stop great. And I think I was the only one who was ready to have a heart attack for about two hours.

“Lando carried us. To not make any mistakes, he drove flawlessly as he has done. Next season let’s try and repeat and also get the drivers’ – I’ll let Lando and Oscar figure that one out!

“With the momentum Lando is on, I wouldn’t bet against him.”

With McLaren fighting for the Constructor’s Championship during Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix they were dealt a blow at the first corner as Max Verstappen collided with Oscar Piastri forcing both cars to spin off the track.

Of the incident Lando Norris said: “I saw in my mirrors what happened in turn one. It definitely made me a bit more nervous than I would have liked.

“The pressure was certainly on from that point but I knew what I was capable of. I’m sure there were a lot of nervous people on the pit wall and back in the factory.

“We have done enough and that is because we have done enough for the rest of the season compared to our competitors. So an amazing win for us.”

Lando Norris believes he can become world champion next season after his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory secured McLaren their first constructors’ championship since 1998.

“I certainly know that I have got a lot of what it takes,” Norris told Sky Sports, “There’s no doubt about that and I am confident in saying that. This year I have proved that not everything is where it needs to be.

“But even since those moments I feel like I have improved a lot in the second half of the year.

“I have confidence in myself which is not a common thing. I’m never going to go around screaming that kind of thing. I have confidence that I can fight against Max and Charles and all of these other drivers.

“I have what it takes. Yes I need to improve in areas. I am going to work hard over the winter to improve on them. I’ll do that and we’ll fight.”

Toto Wolff sent a heartfelt message to Lewis Hamilton after the Brit’s final race for Mercedes, saying ahead of his move to Ferrari: “If we can’t win, you should win.”

Hamilton, who started 16th in his final race for the Silver Arrows in Abu Dhabi, surged through the field and with a last-lap overtake on teammate George Russell, the 39-year-old finished just outside the podium in fourth.

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Fernando Alonso has joked that he deseres a bonus after helping McLaren win the Constructors’ title.

After spending five years of his 21-year career with McLaren, the Spaniard worked alongside CEO Zak Brown in Woking.

Brown is “a very good friend of mine,” said Alonso, with experience alongside Andrea Stella during their time together at McLaren in 2015, meaning the former world champion has influenced both men on their journey to deliver a title for the papaya.

“Yes,” Alonso said when asked if should be included in the bonus scheme. “I should be part of his bonus.”

“Look, I know Fred wanted it to happen. For me, I was in two minds,” said Hamilton. “Driving the red car for the first time in Abu Dhabi does not excite me. In a perfect world, you get to drive it, not be seen, and do the first rollout next year.

“When I did raise it, obviously with Toto [Wolff], they had all these plans that I’ve got to go and see some of the sponsors and say their farewells. So I don’t think it was ever going to actually be allowed, even if I had asked to have done it, because I’m contracted to the team until December 31st and that’s totally fine. But it doesn’t bother me again because I wasn’t going to do the test.

“It’s not what I wanted to do. I told Fred that’s not what I wanted to do. Am I missing out on something? For sure. It definitely delays the process and makes the start of the year harder, but we’ll do our best to recover.”

Yuki Tsunoda spoke to the media about how he has viewed his year, and what he is expecting from testing out the Red Bull RB20.

“As I always said throughout the season, I made a pretty good statement and it started first Bahrain,” he said, “I made a consistency in terms of how I was able to extract the performance from the car every race compared to my teammates.

“So yeah, obviously some tests will be for sure, some maybe details I can give extra on top of what they’re thinking, but it’s up to them in the end what they decide. But it’s pretty clear what I’ve done this year.”

Three years on from the toughest day of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Abu Dhabi, this final lap at the Yas Marina Circuit was altogether sweeter. There was no dodgy interference here; just pure racing.

Sure, it didn’t really matter. Hamilton does not compete in F1, a month before his 40^th birthday, to finish in fourth. Who even knows how bothered his teammate was in defence? But swooping around the outside of George Russell in the Marina section of lap 58 reminded the world – even if television coverage did excruciatingly cut away – why Ferrari pursued the Briton for half a dozen years.

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