How McLaren or Ferrari could end their F1 Constructors’ Championship dry spell

The 2024 F1 Constructors’ Championship has been one of, if not the most exciting the sport has seen for the past 15 years. The back and forth between McLaren and Ferrari has culminated in just a 21-point gap between the teams heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

As such, for the first time since 2009 — when Brawn GP stunned the world — a team not named Mercedes-Benz or Red Bull will see their brand etched onto the trophy come Sunday.

McLaren (who granted are Mercedes-powered) head into the night race at the Yas Marina Circuit with a lead that was significantly eaten into just a week earlier in Qatar. Lando Norris’ last gasp and utterly brutal 10-second stop-and-go penalty cost the Woking-based outfit a likely second-place finish. The controversial call may have cost Norris a 13th podium of the season, but in an attempt to focus on the positives for McLaren, it did at least promote teammate Oscar Piastri to third.

Meanwhile, the penalty will have felt like birthday and Christmas gifts wrapped in one for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz raking in another 26 points for the Scuderia. The Monegasque’s 18 points also narrowed his gap to Norris in the race for runner-up in the driver standings to just eight — not the result either driver will likely be too phased about, but an accomplishment nonetheless.

Unfortunately for Ferrari, history favors the Mercedes-powered McLaren under the bright lights in Abu Dhabi. In 15 races at the circuit, a prancing horse-powered car has yet to finish higher than second — a feat that they have achieved for two years on the trot.

All in all, Red Bull has claimed seven wins at the track powered three times by Renault and four by Honda, while the Silver Arrows have six wins to their name, and both McLaren-Mercedes and Lotus-Renault (now Alpine) have finished on the top spot once.

There are multiple ways in which McLaren could seal the deal in Abu Dhabi — the simplest being winning the race and thus guaranteeing the team 25 points. Ultimately, 24 points or more from Norris and Piastri would be enough to ensure they win regardless of how Leclerc and Sainz perform, as per F1.

Of course, if the…