| Press Information 08 December 2024 |
F1: Session Report
2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Sunday
Strong end for the team as 2024 season comes to a close
- Lewis Hamilton finished fourth with team-mate George Russell fifth in Sunday's 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
- The race marked the 246th and last Grand Prix for the team and Lewis; the most successful driver-team partnership in the sport's history.
- Starting from P16, Lewis used an offset Hard-Medium strategy to cut through the field, taking P4 on the last lap.
- George meanwhile was on the conventional Medium-Hard strategy and made progress from his starting position of P5.
- After the race, co-owner, CEO, and Team Principal Toto Wolff called Lewis's race "the drive of a world champion"
- Congratulations go to McLaren, along with our Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains colleagues at Brixworth, as the Papaya squad claimed this year's Constructors' Championship.
Driver | Grid | Result | Fastest Lap | |
Lewis Hamilton | P16 | P4 | 1:27.278 | |
George Russell | P6 | P5 | 1:28.195 |
Strategy | Start | Stop 1 | ||
No.44 | Hard | Medium (L34) | ||
No.63 | Medium | Hard (L26) |
Lewis Hamilton
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
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, Team Principal & CEO
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.
