McLaren hopeful of Constructor's Championship: "We're in the driving seat"
F1 News
McLaren have the chance in Abu Dhabi to secure their first World Constructor's Championship since 1998. They currently lead Ferrari by 21 points heading into the final weekend of the season. Lando Norris lost out on the Driver's title to Max Verstappen in Las Vegas, meaning the teams full attention is on securing the Constructor's title.
Season Norris won't ever forget
Whilst he may have lost out on the Driver's Championship, Lando Norris will always remember the 2024 season. “We had a quick car in Qatar, so I’m excited to see what we can do this weekend. I’m focused and ready to give it my all one final time this season and bring home the Constructors’ Championship. It’s definitely been a season I’ll never forget, from getting my first win in Miami to being close to winning the Drivers' Championship. The entire team’s done an incredible job of giving us a really fun car to drive this season, and I want to thank everyone for that. Abu Dhabi is always a great place to finish off the season. Now we need to go out there and finish the job."
In the Sprint Race in Qatar, Norris made the risky choice of giving the win to Piastri, who had done the same for him in Brazil. However, the race didn't go the Brit's way, only finishing P10 after picking up a stop/go penalty for not slowing down under yellow flags. Piastri still finished on the podium, and wants to take that momentum into the final race.
"It’s good to go into the last race of the season with momentum off the back of another podium. It’s now full focus on Abu Dhabi and the Constructors’ Championship. We’re in the driving seat but it can all change in an instant, so we need to be at our best and ready for it.” Piastri said.
"Unthinkable 12 months ago"
Andrea Stella is a man who has won World Constructor's titles before, during his time as Performance Engineer for Micheal Schumacher between 2002 and 2006. However, if McLaren were to beat his former team this weekend, it would be his first as team principal. The Italian admitted that McLaren's turnaround in the last 12 months was a surprise to even him.
"After a long but satisfying season, we now head to Abu Dhabi for the final race of 2024. I’m incredibly proud of every single person in the team for their hard work and their commitment to McLaren, which has put the team in the condition to fight for the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, something that was unthinkable just 12 months ago. I know that Lando and Oscar will be giving it their all and they've both driven a fantastic season. We’re determined to finish the job as a team, it won't be easy, but we will give it everything."
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