How McLaren can win the F1 constructors' title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with £1.2billion at stake
12/06/2024 03:00 AM
The Formula 1 season finale takes place in Abu Dhabi this weekend where McLaren and Ferrari will battle it out to win the constructors’ championship.
Max Verstappen wrapped up his fourth consecutive drivers’ title last month in Las Vegas but there’s still much to play for at the final race at the Yas Marina circuit.
The constructors’ championship may not be as prestigious as the drivers’ but crucially it dictates how much prize money each team gets, with a share of an estimated £1.2billion up for grabs.
Despite Verstappen’s triumph, Red Bull are out of contention thanks to the dreadful performances of teammate Sergio Perez, with the Lando Norris led McLaren holding a slender lead over Ferrari.
Here are all the title permutations going into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:
What do McLaren need to do to win the F1 constructors' championship?
The maximum a team can score in Abu Dhabi is 44 points and McLaren hold a 21 point lead over Ferrari ahead of the season finale.
There are a number of ways they can finish ahead of their rivals but providing one of their drivers – Norris or Oscar Piastri – wins the race they’ll be nothing Ferrari can do to stop them.
F1 scoring system
- 25 pts
- 18 pts
- 15 pts
- 12 pts
- 10 pts
- 8 pts
- 6 pts
- 4 pts
- 2 pts
- 1 pt
1 point is also awarded to the driver who sets the fastest lap of the face providing they finish in the top 10
The Scuderia are expected to be quick at Yas Marina however and if Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz secure a 1-2, McLaren must finish either third and fourth or third and fifth to hold into their lead.
Should the two teams finish level on points, the first tiebreaker is the number of wins across the season, followed by the number of second-places etc.
As it stands, both teams have five wins, but McLaren have 10 second-places to Ferrari’s four.
2024 F1 constructors' standings
- McLaren – 640 pts
- Ferrari – 619 pts
- Red Bull – 581 pts
- Mercedes – 446 pts
- Aston Martin – 92 pts
- Alpine – 59 pts
- Haas – 54 pts
- RB – 46 pts
- Williams – 17 pts
- Sauber – 4 pts
How does F1 prize money work?
F1 drivers themselves do not win prize money, with the cash coming purely from the constructors’ championship and every penny counting toward development of next year’s car – hence its importance.
There is also no set figure, with the prize pot made up from 50 per cent of F1’s commercial rights revenue for the season.
In 2023, the prize pot was estimated to be £1.2bn, though some deductions are made from that, with the figure then split between all 10 teams.
The winning team receives 14 per cent, with last place – very likely to be Sauber this year – getting six per cent. It is said Red Bull pocketed £106m for winning the 2023 championship.
When did McLaren and Ferrari last win the F1 constructors' championship?
No matter who wins, this will be the first time since 2009 that neither Red Bull nor Mercedes have won the constructors’ championship.
Ferrari last triumphed in 2008, though they were not able to win the drivers title that year, with Sir Lewis Hamilton famously pipping Felipe Massa to the crown on the last corner, of the last lap, of the last race in Brazil.
For McLaren it has been a long time coming. Their last victory came in 1998, the same season Mika Hakkinen won the first of his back-to-back championships.
When is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix takes place from Friday, December 6 to Sunday, December 8.
Sky Sports will have live coverage of every session, with the race getting underway at 1pm UK time.
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