Lando Norris finished his best F1 season to date with a victory at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP. This year, McLaren managed to genuinely challenge Red Bull, even taking the top spot in the Constructors’ Championship. Until the final race, however, Ferrari was still in the running for the title, but Norris denied them the opportunity.
The papaya team returned to championship glory after 26 years, last winning in 1998, thanks to its two drivers and the much-improved MCL38 over the season.
Abu Dhabi marked the end of a bittersweet season for Lando Norris. While it was undoubtedly his most successful season in F1, with a Constructors’ Championship win and second place in the Drivers’ standings, mistakes and disappointing results cost him the chance to win his first Drivers’ title.
This season, Norris’s greatest rivals were Max Verstappen and the two Ferrari cars. From the second half of 2024, McLaren’s MCL38 became the car to beat as it improved significantly. Meanwhile, Red Bull began to struggle, losing ground in the Constructors’ standings, while Ferrari recovered well after earlier missteps with updates, closing the gap to McLaren.
The First Half of Lando Norris’s Season
Before 2024, Lando Norris had yet to claim an F1 victory. However, this year, McLaren developed an extremely competitive car, and Lando Norris capitalized on the opportunity, securing his maiden win at the Miami Grand Prix. He followed it up with three more victories: at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort, the Singapore GP, and Abu Dhabi, with the latter sealing McLaren’s Constructors’ Championship.
Nevertheless, Norris missed many opportunities. Mistakes by both the team and the driver, such as failing to maintain his lead after starting on pole, cost him potential wins in races like Imola, Canada, and Spain. These lost points could have significantly altered the title fight.
Lando Norris ultimately missed out on his first Drivers’ title, as Max Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive championship. Despite Red Bull’s struggles, Verstappen demonstrated greater consistency throughout the season compared to Norris.
The first two rounds of 2024 were not ideal for the Briton, with a sixth-place finish in Bahrain and an eighth-place finish in Saudi Arabia. Australia, Japan, and China saw mixed results—a third, fifth, and second place, respectively. In Miami, Lando Norris claimed his first career victory but missed out on a second win at Imola, finishing second.
The Monaco, Canadian, and Spanish GPs were steady performances, with a fourth and two second-place finishes. In Austria, Lando Norris collided with Max Verstappen, forcing him to retire, while Verstappen finished fifth.
At Silverstone, Lando Norris finished third, and in Hungary, he came second behind his teammate, who claimed his first F1 victory. Controversy surrounded the Hungarian GP, as Norris was asked to cede the lead to his teammate, costing him vital points.
In Belgium, Norris made a mistake in Turn 1, ending up in the gravel. Max Verstappen, despite starting 11th after a penalty, won the race, while Norris finished sixth.
The Second Half of the Season
After the summer break, Lando Norris started strong with a win at Zandvoort, his second career victory.
At Monza, McLaren’s controversial “Papaya Rules” stirred debate. Instead of supporting Norris, the team allowed on-track battles, provided the cars weren’t damaged. Lando Norris finished third behind Oscar Piastri. In Baku, a qualifying issue saw Norris eliminated in Q1, but he climbed from 17th to finish fourth. In Singapore, Lando Norris returned to the top step of the podium. At Austin, he finished fourth but was penalized for overtaking Max Verstappen off-track, sparking further controversy. In Mexico, Brazil, and Las Vegas, Lando Norris secured a second place and two sixth-place finishes, with the latter handing Verstappen his fourth Drivers’ title.
In Qatar, Lando Norris finished 10th after being penalized for not slowing under yellow flags. Reflecting on the incident, he stated: “If they say I made a mistake, then the penalty is fair. I made an error, even though I don’t know what I missed. I didn’t see the yellow flag—I’m not stupid, but I missed it. That’s how it went, and all I can do is apologize to the team.”
He bounced back in Abu Dhabi with a race win, securing McLaren’s first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years. He declared his intent to fight for both titles next year.
Lando Norris’s Words After Abu Dhabi
After the race, Norris commented: “Honestly, the toughest moments are probably when you learn the most, so that saying is true. The hard moments, my battles with Max, these kinds of things, and other situations throughout the season.”
“Looking back at Austria and Silverstone, I wouldn’t say those GPs made me doubt myself. This season has been my best in terms of performance,” he added. “Was it personally good enough? Probably not. But if you look at my performances and qualifying results, they were nearly double those of last year. So I definitely raised my level this season.”
“Of course, I lost some opportunities, and there were maybe three starts this year where I lost one or two positions. But very often, those positions were close to Max [Verstappen] or one spot behind Oscar, and small things like that. But none of these, when I look back, made me think, ‘Well, I don’t have what it takes to win.’ Those moments only came when facing Max, and that’s Max,” he explained.
Finally, he concluded: “Facing Max [Verstappen] on any track is always tough, and no one enjoys racing against Max. I think Mexico was a bit of a turning point, showing that not everything he does is perfect. If you look back at Austin, at Turn 12, most—almost all—the drivers on the grid and even outsiders don’t agree with the penalty I received, or believe we both should have been penalized or neither of us should have been.”
“These small situations happen along the way. But certainly, in terms of pace, I haven’t doubted myself this year, and I believe I’ve gained more confidence,” Lando Norris concluded.
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