McLaren won the Formula 1 constructors’ championship on Sunday for the first time in more than a quarter-century, securing it in the final race of the season by keeping chief rival Ferrari at bay.
They won it with a decisive lights-to-flag victory by Lando Norris in Abu Dhabi, marking the storied British team its first championship since 1998, when former McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen won one of his two driver’s championships.
Ferrari finished second and third in the race with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, respectively, but the double-podium wasn’t enough.
Heading into the season finale, Ferrari’s two drivers needed to outscore McLaren’s two drivers by at least 21 points. The Italian team hasn’t won a championship since 2008.
“Congrats everyone! Incredible. Well done everyone. So proud of you all. You all deserve this,” Norris said via team radio after taking the checkered flag. “Next year’s going to be my year, too.”
It was also a triumphant moment for Zak Brown, the jovial and media-friendly American CEO of McLaren, who took the job in 2018 and oversaw McLaren’s rise from a struggling midfield team.
The constructors’ trophy carries more than just bragging rights — it comes with large sums of coveted prize money, too.