With the 2024 Drivers' championship already wrapped up at the previous round in Las Vegas, the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi were set to decide the Constructors' championship between McLaren and Ferrari.

George Russell started on pole position, alongside Max Verstappen, after the Dutchman received a one-place grid penalty in Qualifying for driving unnecessarily slowly on his out lap, as Russell, who was also on an out-lap, approached at the flat-out Turn 12.

Verstappen immediately overtook Russell at the start of the race, drawing alongside the Briton into the first corner and diving to the inside to claim the position. Lando Norris, who started from third, watched as the pair went deep into the first corner, as the McLaren driver went underneath Verstappen, almost overtaking the Dutchman into the second corner.

Further behind, Lewis Hamilton jumped the starting lights and picked up a 5-second penalty, whilst an opening lap collision between Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto saw Colapinto and Ocon out of the Grand Prix. Another incident between Lance Stroll and Alex Albon on the opening lap, would see the safety car deployed at the start of the race.

Later in the race, Albon's right wing mirror would fly off the car as the Thai driver was driving down the front straight. With a yellow flag being shown down the back of the front straight, drivers were cautious in their approach to Turn 1. However, crucially, Lando Norris, who was in hot pursuit of Verstappen, did not lift off the throttle down the back straight and received a ten-second stop & go penalty.

The mirror sat in the middle of the straight for a while, before Sauber's Valtteri Bottas hit the debris, sending smaller shards of debris across the front straight. Hamilton and Carlos Sainz would both pick up front left tyre punctures from this debris, as the safety car was eventually deployed in order to clean up the debris.

Under the safety car conditions, Hamilton would also speed in the pit lane, picking up a drive-through penalty, which aggravated the seven-time champion, who was desperate to retire from a disastrous race. Hamilton eventually finished in 12th position.

At the race restart, Verstappen managed to stay ahead of Norris, despite the pair going side-by-side into the first corner. Further behind the leaders, Oscar Piastri was challenging Charles Leclerc for third position, the pair running side-by-side in the opening few corners, before Leclerc edged ahead of the Australian.

With just 10 laps remaining, Norris went into the pits to serve his penalty, and re-joined the race outside of the points. However, the Briton fought back intensely, and managed to secure 10th position, also picking up an additional point for the fastest lap.

This comeback for Norris was crucial, as Ferrari's Leclerc held off McLaren's Piastri for second place, with Sainz finishing in sixth, Ferrari closed to McLaren in the Constructors' standings.

Verstappen ultimately came over the line to take a dominant and well-fought victory against both Lando Norris and George Russell.

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