We have reached the final race of the 2024 season, which for many marked the end, for some the debut, and for others the title of world champion.
The start was interesting, with Max Verstappen overtaking Oscar Piastri with extreme agility, spinning both the Australian and himself in the process. Meanwhile, the other Red Bull, Sergio Perez, suffered a similar fate, losing a duel with Valtteri Bottas and ending up off the track. A VSC period followed, after which Piastri took over for Franco Colapinto, who unfortunately suffered a puncture. Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, and Pierre Gasly were at the front, but that was only until the pit stops.
Due to differing tactics, we saw the order of Norris, Sainz, and Russell, and for long laps, a virtually uneventful "train ride." Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas got a flat tire and also unluckily hit Kevin Magnussen. Paradoxically, Bottas' race, who had performed excellently all weekend, ended in a disgraceful manner... The incidents after the start also did not go unpunished; Verstappen received a ten-second penalty for his "action" against Piastri, while the latter also received the same amount for the mishap against Colapinto.
After Lewis Hamilton was also the last to pit and return to the track, the display showed the order: Norris, Sainz, and Leclerc. The battle lines hardened: Norris, the two Ferraris, and the two Mercedes, with Verstappen behind them. Only in the upper midfield were there minor battles, back-and-forths, and the grand finale offered the performances of Gasly and Hülkenberg as a curiosity. And not to forget the victory of McLaren's Lando Norris, who clinched the Constructors' title at the last moment, the podium finishes for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, and, of course, Lewis Hamilton's beautiful overtake of George Russell on the final lap.
