The Belgian Grand Prix has been announced to have had a multi-year contract extension with Formula 1, which will see the sport race at Spa Francorchamps for four of the next six years - as announced on Wednesday.

The Circuit Spa Francorchamps is set to be raced at in 2025, and will hold a Belgian Grand Prix in four of the six following years from 2025. 

Spa Francorchamps will hold the Belgian Grand Prix in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031. This will mean there is no Belgian Grand Prix contracted for 2028 and 2030, implying a potential rotation to be happening with a circuit to fill the missing gap. 

This was announced by Formula 1 media on Wednesday which caused quite the surprise to many but it was confirmed with a statement to F1 media given by Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali who gave a positive outlook on the new deal.

"The Belgian Grand Prix was one of the races that made up our maiden championship in 1950, so as we kick off our 75th anniversary year it is fitting that we can share the news of this important extension

"Spa-Francorchamps is rightly lauded by drivers and fans alike as one of the finest racetracks in the world and it has played host to some incredible moments over its many seasons in Formula 1.

"In recent years it has undergone significant work to improve the facility and overall fan experience, and I would like to pay tribute to the promoter and the Government of Wallonia for their dedication and passionate support for people in Belgium."

The longest circuit on the Formula 1 calendar is one of the oldest venues to have hosted a Grand Prix, and has hosted 57 over the 74 seasons of the world championship's existence has agreed a new extension that will please fans, but the new contract will see it miss two seasons of the next six - in 2028 and 2030.

This leaves a vacant gap to be filled, with many thinking that the venue will be rotated with another venue with not many having any idea of which circuit and no rumours of what is set to happen that far in the future.

As Domenicali mentioned, the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps will be held in 2025, in the 75th season of the world championship. It will play host to one of the six sprint weekends of the season after first hosting its first sprint event in 2023.

Brandon Whiteside 
​Writer & X contributor - F1 Journal

Red Bull Academy driver and FIA Formula 2 runner up Isack Hadjar has signed to drive for Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) - the team confirmed on Friday morning.

Hadjar will fill the last vacant space on the 2025 Formula One grid and will partner Yuki Tsunoda after an entire whirlwind of news surrounding Red Bull and VCARB over the past few days, which was all kick-started by Sergio Perez and Red Bull Racing parting ways.

The French racing driver will make the step up to Formula One and will graduate from FIA Formula 2 to become the sixth rookie to be in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship to make it an entirely new-looking grid. Hadjar will be one of many new faces looking to make an impression and show the skills he has been crafting in feeder series racing.

It was announced on Friday morning by Formula One and VCARB media on Friday morning following news on Thursday that former VCARB driver Liam Lawson would make the step up to Red Bull to replace Perez instead of Hadjar's now teammate Tsunoda.

Speaking to VCARB and Formula One media, Hadjar said: "I'm very excited to step into my new role at VCARB, this is huge for myself, my family, and all thw people who have believed in me from the beginning.

"The journey from karting through the ranks in single-seaters, to now being in Formula One is the moment I've been working towards my whole life it is the dream."

Hadjar concluded his comments by saying: "I look forward to working with and learning from Yuki [Tsunoda], I've always looked up to him, he went through the Red Bull Junior Program, like myself, and we've shared a similar path to F1, 

"He's very experienced and will be good to learn from."

Hadjar comes into Formula One after going through feeder series championships and competing for both the FIA Formula 3 title in 2022 and the FIA Formula 2 title in 2024. 

VCARB Team Principal Laurent Mekies believes that Hadjar has the "talent and drive necessary to compete at the highest level."

Hadjar finished runner up to Gabriel Bortoleto in the championship and now both will make the step up to Formula One together after putting on an incredible title fight that both entered the final round being separated by half a point in Bortoleto's favour. 

His race craft and raw speed is something that has definitely helped him on his way to securing his Formula One seat for 2025 and will make it three French drivers set to be on the grid for the upcoming season. Hadjar will join both French drivers who have won a Grand Prix in Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.

Hadjar will make his Formula One debut where he won his first Formula 2 race - in Albert Park which is in Melbourne, Australia. The venue that will play host to the opening round of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer & X Contributor - F1 Journal

Multiple Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas has moved onto his next adventure as he has signed with Mercedes to become their reserve driver for 2025 - the team confirmed on Thursday morning.

Bottas will be without a seat on the Formula One grid for the first time since his rookie season in 2013, and has departed Kick Sauber after three seasons with the team as they look to transition to become Audi fully from 2026 onwards. 

The 35-year old will be the reserve driver for Mercedes for the 2025 campaign, and will return to the Brackley-based outfit since leaving the Mercedes team at the end of the 2021 season.

Bottas had a very successful stint as Mercedes won five Constructors Championships in five seasons, and he was teammate to Sir Lewis Hamilton, who won four out of the five drivers' championships that Bottas was at the team for.

It was announced on Thursday morning that indeed Bottas would not be out of the Formula One paddock for 2025 and would instead take up the reserve driver role with the team that will see a new lineup of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli take centre stage.

The signing was announced by Mercedes and Formula 1 media and following which Bottas put out a statement on his social media about him signing for Mercedes and returning to the team to become their reserve driver for 2025.

This comes after a month-long question that Bottas has had been parading on his social media and has even had the question on merchandise, which is "What's next?"

Bottas said: "I'm finally happy to answer the question I've posed over the past month. Returning home to Mercedes as Third Driver for 2025 is what's next and I couldn't be more pleased. I want to thank Toto, the team at Brackley, and everyone at the three-point star for welcoming me back with open arms."

The driver from Finland concluded by saying: "I've been fortunate to have enjoyed many incredible moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 so far.

"As I return to the place where so many of these moments were achieved, I'm looking forward to using all the knowledge I have gained to help the team to perform and progress towards our goal of fighting for world championships."

Toto Wolff, Mercedes CEO and Team Principal published a statement with Mercedes that concluded by saying: "Welcome home Valtteri! It's great to have you back."

Bottas will be hoping to be an important member of Mercedes' progression back towards the top of Formula One ahead of the new regulations to come in for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Brandon Whiteside
​Writer - F1 Journal 

New Zealand racing driver Liam Lawson has been signed by Red Bull Racing to replace Sergio Perez, the team announced on Thursday morning.

Lawson who has risen through the junior ranks in the Red Bull driver Academy and has already raced in Formula 1 numerous times, participating in multiple Grand Prix in the 2023 and 2024 FIA Formula One World Championships.

The 22-year old will come into the Red Bull Racing team to partner Max Verstappen after spending his previous races at Visa Cash App RB, the same team that re-branded from AlphaTauri, which was the team's name in 2023. It's a team that Red bull have quite the affiliation with and it is often referred to as Red Bull's sister team.

Lawson was announced to replace veteran Sergio Perez after the Mexican had spent four years with the team and his contract was terminated with both agreeing to part ways on Wednesday evening.

It would be the following morning when Formula One and Red Bull media would announce the signing of Lawson to partner Max Verstappen, with a contract that has him pencilled in that seat for the 2025 season as he looks to establish himself in one of the championship's biggest teams.

Speaking to Red Bull media on signing with the team, Lawson said: "To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I've wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old.

"I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB [Visa RB] for their support, the last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step. I also want to thank Christian [Horner], Helmut [Marko], and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity."

Lawson concluded by saying: "I am super excited to be working alongside Max [Verstappen] and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can't wait to get going."

Team Principal of Red Bull Racing Christian Horner said that he was "delighted" to announce his signing and that his performances have "demonstrated that he's not only capable of delivering strong results but also he's a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top."

Lawson will become the first driver from Zealand to have a full time seat on the Formula One grid since 2018 when Brendan Hartley raced for Toro Rosso, which is now the Visa RB team.

Many have been wondering though out of Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, the two main contenders to replace Perez, was he the right choice? Red Bull certainly think so and that's whose decision matters the most. Tsunoda has far more experience but ultimately Red Bull seem to see more in Lawson and see him as their pick for 2025.

This still leaves a seat at Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) and Red Bull Academy driver Isack Hadjar looks favourite for that seat after the Frenchman finished runner up in the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship behind Gabriel Bortoleto, who has a seat at Kick Sauber.

Lawson will make his Red Bull racing debut at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia for the opening round of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer & X Contributor - F1 Journal

British superstar Lando Norris won the season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for his fourth career victory, as McLaren won their first Constructors Championship since 1998 - 26 years ago. 

Norris led from pole to flag and dominated at the Yas Marina Circuit and won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the first time in his career for his fourth of the season and only his fourth in his career. He led every single lap in what can be seen as a perfect Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver was left to fend for his own after Oscar Piastri was tagged round by Max Verstappen at the very start of the Grand Prix, an incident that would result in the 2024 champion being penalised. Norris and Piastri were not even born in 1998 which was the last time that McLaren won the Constructors Championship.

Norris took the victory ahead of both Ferrari drivers with Carlos Sainz in second and Charles Leclerc completing the podium from 19th on the grid finished in third in a stellar drive. Leclerc would be deserving of his driver of the day award.

Lewis Hamilton would finish fourth in an emotional last Grand Prix for Mercedes ahead of his teammate George Russell. Some donuts post-race rounded off a truly sensational tenure with the silver arrows.

After 23 rounds circling the globe and visiting 21 different countries in the process, it was time to visit the 22nd country of the season for the 24th and final round of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship - the longest season in history.

Arriving at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, there would be 58 more laps of the season remaining with the 20 drivers looking to end on a high what had been a long and enthralling season. There would also be seven drivers departing their teams at the end of the race, so emotions were bound to be apparent.

Haas and Kick Sauber would be saying goodbye to their drivers. Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen would end their two-year partnership together with Hulkenberg going to Sauber-Audi and Magnussen going to BMW for next year's World Endurance Championship (WEC).

As for Sauber, both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu would be leaving the team without a seat for 2025. Both drivers have been rumoured and linked with reserve driver roles somewhere in Formula 1.

Carlos Sainz would be bowing out of Ferrari following four seasons partnering Charles Leclerc. He would end up being replaced by Lewis Hamilton, who would be leaving Mercedes after over a decade and six drivers' championships with the team. A true end of an era.

Franco Colapinto would also be ending his short stint at Williams with no seat on the grid for 2025.

It would also be a race with a lot of pressure riding on it in terms of the Constructors Championship, which had to be settled under the night skies and track lights of the Yas Marina Circuit. 

McLaren would go into the event with a 21-point lead over Ferrari at the top of the championship and with the qualifying McLaren could be set to take their first Constructors Championship title since 1998. 

The Papaya liveried McLaren team would be on the front row as they locked it out on qualifying on Saturday. Lando Norris would be on pole ahead of Oscar Piastri. As for Ferrari, Carlos Sainz would qualify third whereas Charles Leclerc would start 19th after taking a 10-place penalty for an energy store change as well as being knocked out in Q2.

Max Verstappen would start on the second row after being promoted due to a three-place penalty coming in for Nico Hulkenberg.

There would be drama before the race as Liam Lawson reported Kevin Magnussen for a potential practice start in the pit lane and he would be investigated after the Grand Prix had concluded.

The formation lap would begin and the drivers would parade round the circuit to warm up tyres and brakes ahead of the final Grand Prix of the season. It would be set to be an emotional Grand Prix for many but for the final time in 2024 it was time to go racing.

Five lights would go out and the race would be underway as there would be drama from the very start of the race. Oscar Piastri would be tagged around by Max Verstappen and both would suffer from it. Piastri would drop down to the back of the order.

Lando Norris would lead from Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly while drama further back would see Sergio Perez tagged round by Valtteri Bottas. Perez would have extensive damage and he would come to a stop in sector 3.

The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) would be deployed following on from this. The penalty for the collisions at the start would be a 10-second time penalty each for Verstappen and Bottas as they were deemed to be at fault for the collisions.

Piastri would also receive a penalty for causing his own collision with Franco Colapinto that would give Colapinto a puncture and he would be forced to stop.

Lap three and the VSC would be withdrawn and the race would be back underway as third place Pierre Gasly would have to do some defending from George Russell and he would do just that.

Starting from 19th on the grid Charles Leclerc would have a fantastic start and by the end of the first lap he would be up to eighth. At the restart of the VSC, he would be soon ahead of Kevin Magnussen  and up into seventh place.

This progress would continue onto lap 10 as Leclerc would then get ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso for sixth place. His Ferrari on the medium compound of tyres was showing electrifying pace.

Zhou Guanyu and Alex Albon would be noted for false starts on the grid. Albon would be cleared of any wrongdoing while Zhou would be handed a five-second time penalty for his infringement.

Track limits had been an issue for drivers all weekend and Lance Stroll in the first quarter of the race would receive a black and white flag. if he was to exceed the track limits once more.

Many battles would be happening throughout the field with Leclerc continuing his progress but would be struggling to make further overtakes as he was stuck behind the Mercedes of George Russell.

Leclerc would be the first driver of the front runners to come into the pit lane and that would be on lap 21 in a truly fantastic stint from the Monegasque. He would be on fresher tyres and so would the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and almost immediately the two would be on the gearbox of Liam Lawson. 

​Leclerc would then pass Gasly a few laps later and would progress back up to sixth place. His pace was fast in this Grand Prix. If his qualifying would have been better, who knows what it might have been for Ferrari. Leclerc would have had to take a 10-place penalty anyway for an energy store change.

Sainz pitted on lap 26 in an attempt to undercut Norris in the other Ferrari car, as Ferrari were trying everything they could to take the title in the most unlikely of circumstances. However, McLaren would cover it on the following lap and Norris would rejoin in the lead, which showed how quick his race pace was.

Following contact earlier in the race with Piastri and a few mechanical problems, Williams' Franco Colapinto would pull into the pit lane to retire the car in his last race in Formula 1 in the near future and James Vowles would be appreciative of the Argentine's efforts in the second half of the campaign.

Liam Lawson would have a pit stop prior to the retirement of Colapinto but one of the tyres would not be attached properly and therefore he would have to stop again. On lap 30, the Stewards took a dim view of Visa RB releasing him in that condition and gave Lawson a 10-second stop/go penalty. 

A nightmare at the end of the season for Lawson, with his 2025 destination unconfirmed in Formula 1. He had impressed in large areas so he would have reason to be hopeful but his final race in Abu Dhabi would end his chances of points in the season finale.

Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen would be participating in their final Formula 1 races for the near future as both would be off the grid for 2025. However, the pair would collide into turn six in a disaster for the pair of them, which would ruin both of their races.

Bottas would pick up front wing damage, a puncture and suspension damage. He would make it back to the pit lane but would be out of his final Grand Prix with Sauber. A disappointing end for such a well-respected guy in the paddock.

Magnussen would pit for repairs and would put on fresh soft tyres and would be showing phenomenal pace to be setting fastest laps of the race in repeated fashion. Incredible pace from a Haas that looked so speedy over one lap throughout the weekend.

Hamilton would soon be in for his pit stop and upon exit and after defending from Fernando Alonso and Verstappen he would set his sights on progressing through the field.

The seven-time world champion's pace soon became apparent and before long he was passing Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly and he would be up to fifth and now had a 16-second gap to bring down to teammate George Russell who was fourth.

Verstappen would also be on reasonably fresh tyres as he made his way up to sixth after getting ahead of Alonso, Hulkenberg and Gasly. Norris, Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton and Verstappen would be the top six heading into the final 10 laps of  the Grand Prix.

Hamilton would catch Russell by the last lap and would make the move around the outside of turn nine and the Mercedes drivers would swap positions with Hamilton in fourth and Russell down to fifth.

Out front though, history was about to be made as Lando Norris who was not born when McLaren last won a Constructors Championship in 1998, but now he was dominating the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a race that would see the Papaya team take the crown.

It would be present no more as he would take the chequered flag first and Norris would take victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to seal the 2024 Constructors Championship for McLaren. Carlos Sainz would finish second for Ferrari in a double podium for the Scuderia. Charles Leclerc would complete an incredible drive to finish third from 19th on the grid.

Behind them would be Lewis Hamilton in fourth. Car number 44th would finish fourth in his final race for Mercedes, a team that he has won so much with and a manufacturer of engine that has seen him win seven world titles and 105 Formula 1 Grand Prix. Russell would complete the top five.

Verstappen would recover to sixth after the collision at the start that he was penalised for. Pierre Gasly would be seventh for Alpine to secure sixth place in the Constructors Championship ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in eighth. Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri would complete the top 10.

After 24 Grand Prix, six sprint races and 22 countries visited, the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship will go down in history as one that produced so much when so little was expected heading int the first round in Bahrain.

There have been so many news stories in a giant whirlwind of conversation that has produced so much gossip, controversy and fantasy-like headlines. The origin of all the whirlwind was the news that Ferrari had signed Lewis Hamilton and that statistically the greatest driver of all time in terms of race victories would leave Mercedes - a team he would have spent 12 years with as the season concluded in Abu Dhabi.

This would leave Carlos Sainz without a seat and a whole five-month saga evolved with many debating could he join the Audi project but no he chose Williams.

Daniel Ricciardo, Logan Sargeant and Esteban Ocon would be three drivers who would not see out the full season out of those who started in the opening round in Bahrain, back in February. Only Ocon has a full-time seat in 2025.

On track, at the top, Max Verstappen was not advocated from his throne by the challenges of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc - those who got closest but ultimately unsuccessful. His start of the season form, when he had the car, made sure he made it count when he had clearly the best car.

While questions will be asked at Red Bull about how their performance just evaporated, almost in sequence with Adrian Newey's departure around the Miami Grand Prix in May, Ma Verstappen showed his talent with some key moments and key high-placed finishes while Sergio Perez, his teammate drowned.

For a championship fight that was closing between he and Norris, Verstappen shone with a delightful drive in Brazil. A drive that was arguably his best ever and also one of the best wet drives in Formula One history as he won from 17th on the grid.

With how close the season was, no one could have imagined certainly prior to Brazil taht the title would be wrapped up with two rounds to go but sure enough in Las Vegas, he would clinch his fourth world championship. Only three drivers in Formula One history have achieved more titles - Juan Manuel Fangio (five), Michael Schumacher & Lewis Hamilton (seven).

However, while Verstappen was able to take the drivers, his team Red Bull were engulfed in the Constructors Championship and the reigning champions would slump to third - making Verstappen the first driver in over 40 years to win the championship with a team that finished third or lower in the Constructors Championship.

Instead the battle would be between McLaren and Ferrari heading into a final round showdown that would be considered retro and back to the 1990s - a reminiscing of the Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost and the James Hunt vs Nikki Lauda battles. A battle that was more focused on the teams than the drivers.

Mutual respect by pit crews after the chequered flag showed that this rivalry will remain classy into the future and that as two of the most iconic teams in the history of Formula One they have great respect for one another even whilst competing.

McLaren though have achieved something that the last time they did, neither Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were born. It would seem something really peculiar to have neither driver been born for the last time their achievement had been reached but in fact it wasn't all that peculiar at all, it's winning the Constructors title.

1998 was the last time McLaren won a Constructors title which seems a quite unbelievable drought for a team like this but it is a drought no more and both drivers played their part in what was a phenomenal Papaya campaign and Zak Brown and Andrea Stella have changed the shape of McLaren and now they look like a challenger for titles once again.

Their two drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both working together as a team and winning Grand Prix for the first time in their careers.

It has been a season of history with so many records and memorable moments. Seven different drivers have taken victory throughout the course of 2024 and all have won multiple Grand Prix in the same season. This would be the first time ever in the history of the Formula One World Championship this would occur. Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri all being part of history.

Charles Leclerc became the first ever Monegasque to win the infamous Monaco Grand Prix in 93 years. Lewis Hamilton won his final British Grand Prix with Mercedes as he bids farewell after an unforgettable period in a truly iconic set of pictures.

Oliver Bearman, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto will all become full time Formula 1 drivers with Bearman, Antonelli and Bortoleto all graduating out of the Formula 2 class of 2024 with Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar potentially to race next year too with the uncertain future of Sergio Perez.

Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton will all move teams while Kevin Magnussen, Franco Colapinto, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas will all move on to new adventures and all the best wishes are fully deserved upon them.

In a season full of unexpected drama, wholesome moments, maiden wins and so much entertainment, 2025 promises to be a fantastic season of action. From everyone at F1 Journal, thank you for following our racing action in 2024. Pre-season testing will take place in Bahrain, in late February, before Australia returns as the season opener at Albert Park in March 2025.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer & X Contributor - F1 Journal

McLaren are in a fantastic position to win their first Constructors Championship since 1998 as they will lock out the front row for the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Lando Norris taking pole position.

It was the final qualifying session of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit that produced shocks throughout. Charles Leclerc being eliminated in Q2 caught so many by surprise but Lewis Hamilton picking up a bollard under his car cost him so much time and in his final qualifying with Mercedes ended up 18th.

Norris took pole from teammate Piastri who still awaits his first Grand Prix pole position. Carlos Sainz in his final qualifying for Ferrari would complete the top three.

McLaren are in the perfect position to clinch their first Constructors Championship since 1998 as with a front row lockout they need to be outscored by 22 points to lose their championship lead.

Saturday at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi would signify qualifying for the final time in the 2024 Formula One World Championship and it would set to be a fantastic session of lap times with the top four teams having been super competitive throughout 2024.

Earlier in the day for the final free practice session of the weekend and the season, it was Oscar Piastri who was fastest in a McLaren 1-2. Would that be the theme of the day?

Max Verstappen and George Russell had been on pole for the previous two Grand Prix in Qatar and Las Vegas, would one of them take pole once again or would it be someone else?

The start of qualifying would begin with all 20 drivers competing for the top 15 places. The green light would be on at the end of the pit lane which would signify the start of the session.

It would be a fairly slow start to the session with no direct on track action, with just Lance Stroll setting a lap in the very early stages of the session. He would be the first driver to set a flying lap and he would go fastest because of this.

It took a while for the majority of the field to come out onto the track but with 13 minutes to go in the session, they did just that. Fast laps would eventually be set by the vast majority and it would be Ferrari's Carlos Sainz who would go provisionally top of the time sheets.

Sainz's time would be good enough to be top as Max Verstappen was sitting second with Kevin Magnussen in third for Haas. The drivers at risk with five minutes remaining would be Jack Doohan, Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez who would have his lap time deleted after an impressive first run.

However, this would be reinstated by the FIA as after review it was found to have not fully exceeded track limits and therefore it was a fully legitimate lap time. With the lap reinstated he would be bumped up into third after being in 19th when the lap time was deleted!

Soon enough the chequered flag would be out with a vast amount of improvement from many drivers and it was quite close between the entire pack as the final Q1 of the season concluded. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc would end the session fastest overall.

However, his future teammate Lewis Hamilton would get a bollard caught underneath his car that appeared to have been knocked onto the circuit by Kevin Magnussen. The last few corners were a disaster and he lost so much time because of the lack of aerodynamics.

In his final qualifying session for Mercedes, he would be knocked out in the first part of qualifying along with Colapinto, Albon, Doohan and Zhou Guanyu.

Time for the second part of qualifying in Abu Dhabi as 15 drivers remained in the final qualifying session of the 2024 season. This time around, the drivers would be competing for a space in the top 10 to make it through to Q3 and to be in the fight for pole position.

The green light would come on at the end of the pit lane and Max Verstappen would be the first out of the 15 to enter the track in the session.

Verstappen would go fastest in the first set of lap times to be set and the four-time champion would be finding it in a comfy position in the session. His lap would be around a tenth faster than Lando Norris who was positioned in second.

Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri would go third fastest demonstrating the great speed of the McLaren with both drivers looking like they had the pace to compete for pole position.

The cars would head back to the pit lane for a change of tyres ahead of the final lap in Q2 with Max Verstappen opting to get out of his car as he felt that he would be comfortable and would make it through to Q3 with ease.

Soon enough, the chequered flag would be out and that would signify the end of the session and only drivers on their current flying laps would be able to complete them. Registering the fastest lap of the session and going quickest would be Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc who would be taking a 10-place grid penalty for an energy store change. However, he would be set to go through to Q3 until his lap was deleted for a track limits violation and instead he would be eliminated in Q2!

A big surprise at the end of the session would be, in his final qualifying session for now, Valtteri Bottas who would put himself through to Q3 with a stunning effort and someone who is known for a quick qualifying would make it through to the top 10 shootout!

Eliminated at the end of the session would be both Visa RB drivers in Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, as well as Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, Haas' Kevin Magnussen and Leclerc of Ferrari!

With just 10 drivers remaining following Q2, the qualifying session would prepare for Q3 which would bring about the top 10 shootout and the fight for pole position.

​ Eight teams would have ended up getting a car into the top 10 shootout just proving how competitive the field was and how unpredictable Q3 was expected to be. The green light would be on at the end of the pit lane to signal the start of the session and that the hunt for pole position was on.

On the first laps it would be Max Verstappen who would go to provisional pole as he was top by just 0.004 as he narrowly had a time better than McLaren's Lando Norris.Oscar Piastri, Norris' teammate would go to third but would have his time instantly deleted for track limits which ended up promoting Carlos Sainz to third.

However, after a review, in a similar fashion to Sergio Perez the Australian would have his lap reinstated ahead of the final runs - knocking Carlos Sainz back down to fourth!

Soon enough, after a quick tyre change the drivers would be heading out onto the circuit for their final flying laps in Q3 with the aim of pole position very much in the forefront of the drivers' minds. All 10 drivers would be out on track at the same time.

In the final laps, it would be a staggering end to the qualifying action for the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship. The two McLaren drivers would shine as Lando Norris would take pole position in a McLaren 1-2. Therefore it would be a McLaren front row lockout for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz would go third fastest by the end but the surprise of Q3 without a doubt would be Nico Hulkenberg who would put his Haas car fourth for Sunday's season finale in a fantastic effort from the driver. Max Verstappen would have to settle for fifth after a tricky final lap.

Pierre Gasly would end up sixth in another fantastic session for the Alpine driver. George Russell would end up seventh for Mercedes. His first non-front row start since Mexico!  Fernando Alonso would be eighth ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

That would be the top 10 for the final Grand Prix of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit to get underway on Sunday December 8.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer & X Contributor - F1 Journal

As free practice concludes for the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Constructors Championship leaders with McLaren having the pace as Oscar Piastri was fastest in a 1-2 for the team.

Piastri was fastest ahead of his teammate Lando Norris on a weekend where McLaren can become Constructors Champions for the first time since 1998. Two tenths were between the two drivers who have five wins between them in 2024.

There is a 21-point lead that McLaren has in the championship over challengers Ferrari, who will have to do something magical to take the title this season but in motorsport you can never rule anything out until it is officially and mathematically impossible!

Lewis Hamilton would finish the final practice session of his Mercedes career in third with MAx Verstappen in fourth and Carlos Sainz completing the top five

Saturday arrived at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi which would be the day of the final qualifying session of the season set to take place in 2024 for round 24 of the longest season in Formula One history.

​ However, first the final free practice session of the season was to be completed and that would be free practice 3, in the daylight of the United Arab Emirates. In FP1 and FP2 on Friday, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris were fastest in those sessions respectively.

It would be a slow start to Free Practice 3 as the session would get underway but there would be little to no action out on track. Two minutes would go by until the first cars were out on track and it would be the two Aston Martin drivers - Fernando Alonso followed by Lance Stroll.

The two Aston Martin cars would be out on circuit for pit stop practice and would return to the pit lane. The first 10 minutes would only see two lap times completed with Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly making use of the quiet circuit and would have it as an Alpine 1-2 with Doohan top ahead of his teammate.

Sure enough, around 15 minutes into the session, there would be cars slowly heading out onto the circuit as Lance Stroll would take top spot as he and his Aston Martin teammate Alonso would have lap times.

As the session approached 20 minutes complete, almost every driver apart from the Williams cars of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto, as well the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton would be out on circuit. 

Kevin Magnussen would go to the top spot with a great lap three tenths quicker than Lando Norris. A 1:24.470 for Magnussen, who is leaving Haas after the season finale. He is top from Norris, Nico Hulkenberg and Oscar Piastri who are the top four.

Lewis Hamilton would knock Piastri down to fifth by going fourth around the halfway point in the session as Magnussen would remain fastest.

An issue would arise for the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz as he was trundling around the circuit after replays showed small puffs of smoke coming from his exhaust. Ferrari have already had problems this weekend as Charles Leclerc is set to take a grid penalty for an extra energy store than the maximum allowed per season for each driver.

It would only be a seemingly minor issue as he would go back out on track,on the medium tyres, and would go second fastest ahead of Max Verstappen who had made improvements. However, with 20 minutes remaining, Magnussen was still fastest.

Alex Albon would go fastest with just over 15 minutes remaining as the end if FP3 qualifying runs were set to happen in the latter stages of the session. A 1:24.378 for Albon, just under a tenth faster than Magnussen's lap time. 

When everyone had an attempt at a practice qualifying lap, it would be a McLaren 1-2 with Oscar Piastri having the fastest time by nearly two tenths to his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Piastri's time was a 1:23.433.

​ Lewis Hamilton would elevate himself to third with a late improvement but as the chequered flag flew from the Race Control tower.

McLaren would be feeling the happiest in a weekend where they could clinch their first Constructors Championship since 1998, the ended the final free practice session 1-2 with Oscar Piastri fastest ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.

Lewis Hamilton in his final practice session for Mercedes ended third with that late improvement and he finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz who completed the top five.

A mighty session for Haas saw them finish seventh and eighth behind George Russell in sixth, Nico Hulkenberg would be one thousandth of a second faster than Kevin Magnussen in seventh and eighth respectively.

Charles Leclerc would finish ninth in the other Ferrari, while the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez would complete the top 10.

With all of free practice of the 2024 Formula One World Championship now completed, all attention now turns to the final qualifying of the year, which will be the next action later on Saturday.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer & X Contributor - F1 Journal

Friday race weekend action has concluded in the Formula One World Championship in 2024, as McLaren showed their dominant hand in free practice 2 as British driver Lando Norris was fastest.

McLaren come into this weekend and the season finale with the Constructors Championship lead and they have a 21-point lead over Ferrari heading into the final Grand Prix of the year, with them setting their sights on their first Constructors Championship triumph since 1998 with Mikka Hakkinen and David Coulthard.

Norris was quickest in a McLaren 1-2 as his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri finished in second place as the Ferrari driver could only manage fourth and sixth with Carlos Sainz ahead of Charles Leclerc.

A great effort from the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg saw him claim a fantastic third place in the session. Haas will be hoping they can continue with that pace to finish sixth in the Constructors Championship.

Following on from a break after free practice 1, it would be time for the Formula 1 cars to return to the track for free practice 2, to complete the Friday track action, which would be the last Friday track action of the 2024 racing season.

Earlier in free practice 1, it would be Charles Leclerc who would set the fastest time for Ferrari by over two tenths of a second to McLaren's Lando Norris, with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in third.

However, for Leclerc and Ferrari the session would not be smooth and easy for them. At the start of the session, a battery pack issue meant that he would be forced into a change, to take on his third energy store of the season with the maximum allowed being two. 

Due to this swap of component, Leclerc will take a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's Grand Prix, which is not the start to the weekend Ferrari would have been needing to overhaul a 21-point gap to McLaren in the hunt for the Constructors Championship.

On the other side of the Ferrari garage, Carlos Sainz missed FP1 to make way for a rookie/young driver, which each driver is required to do by the regulations at least once a season. 

Sainz would be joined by five other drivers in giving up his seat in Abu Dhabi and they were: Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda. This would give the chance for Arthur Leclerc, Isack Hadjar, Ryo Hirakawa, Felipe Drugovich, Luke Browning and Ayumu Iwasa.

All of the current drivers on the grid would be back in the car for FP2. The green light would come on at the end of the pit lane which would signal the start of the second 60-minute session.

The entire grid would be out within the first few minutes as they wanted to make the most of the hour's temperatures and track surface as it would be the most similar conditions to qualifying and the Grand Pirx. Therefore, it would be more accurate data for the Grand Prix, that would be going to the engineers to aiding strategy calls for qualifying and the race.

Lando Norris would go to the top of the times within the very first laps as everyone had set a lap time within the first five minutes of the session. A 1:25.020 would be Norris' time and that would have him fastest by three tenths of a second to Lewis Hamilton in second.

Norris would assert his dominance once again in the first 10 minutes of the 60-minute session as he would remain top after the first 10, with his former teammate Carlos Sainz in second place for Ferrari.

Further time would pass and lap times would continue to be being laid down by drivers with Norris continuing to have himself up at the top of the timing pages with the McLaren and Ferrari cars having the top four under control.

Soon enough, approaching the halfway point, the drivers would find themselves back in the pit lane with the track empty. Tyre changes would be ongoing during this time as when the pack would return to the circuit they would be on fresh soft tyres in an attempt to practice qualifying laps.

On the soft compound, Lando Norris would remain first but Oscar Piastri would end up moving up into second place to make it a McLaren 1-2. Nico Hulkenberg would also put an extremely impressive lap together as the German would go third fastest.

That would be the way the top three ended up as the chequered flag was out and the sun had set on the Yas Marina Circuit as McLaren would be feeling confident as they look to win their first constructors Championship since 1998.

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were fourth and sixth respectively for Ferrari either side of Lewis Hamilton who was fifth. Sauber's Valtteri Bottas finished in a very respectable seventh ahead of Kevin Magnussen in eighth i the second Haas.

Alex Albon of Williams and Yuki Tsunoda of Visa RB completed the top 10.

After a busy day of practice action, Formula 1 will return on Saturday for the final practice session and final qualifying session of the season,

Brandon Whiteside
Writer & X Contributor - F1 Journal

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was the quickest in the opening practice session on Friday at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi but will take a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Leclerc would only get out for the second half of the free practice 1 session due to the battery pack issue that the Ferrari mechanics had to spend fitting a new one. Sadly for Leclerc, this battery pack exceeded the maximum allowed for each individual car per season.

Therefore, Leclerc will have to take a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's Grand Prix which dents any hopes of Ferrari's Constructors Championship with the gap already at 21 points and one of Ferrari's drivers starting out of position.

In relation to the free practice 1 session itself did see Charles Leclerc partnered by is brother Arthur Leclerc at Scuderia Ferrari for FP1, which would be the first ever brother duo to participate in the same Formula 1 session with the same team. A wholesome moment for the Leclerc family and for both Arthur and Charles.

Leclerc was quickest in the session by over two tenths clear of McLaren's Lando Norris who would finish in second position. Lewis Hamilton in his final weekend for Mercedes  would complete the top three and would start the weekend just how he would hope it to finish - on a high result.

Formula 1 is back for one last Grand Prix weekend in 2024 as the world championship heads to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the season's finale.

It would be the final free practice 1 of the season and the final Friday of a Grand Prix weekend in 2024. What would be expected though would be many rookies or young drivers participating in the session due to the mandatory rule of each driver has to vacate their seat for at least one free practice 1 session. 

The six changes for FP1 would be as follows:

• Scuderia Ferrari: Arthur Leclerc REPLACING Carlos Sainz
• Red Bull Racing: Isack Hadjar REPLACING Max Verstappen
• McLaren: Ryo Hirakawa REPLACING Oscar Piastri
• Aston Martin: Felipe Drugovich REPLACING Lance Stroll
• Visa RB: Ayumu Iwasa REPLACING Yuki Tsunoda
• Williams: Luke Browning REPLACING Alex Albon

The session would last 60 minutes and it would be the first of three 60-minute practice sessions across the weekend. Soon enough at 13:30 local time, the green light came on at the end of the pit lane.

In what was going to be a wholesome session for the two Ferrari brothers to spend free practice 1 together, as it would be the first ever time in Formula 1 that two brothers would compete in the same team at the same event and in the same session. This would take a terribly long time and almost the entire first half of FP1 until Charles would emerge from the pit lane and would head out onto the circuit.

He would end up having his battery pack changed. Therefore, as this was an additional one to the maximum allowed in a season, he would be made to take a 10-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix on Sunday.

Another rookie having a tough early stage of the session would be Hadjar who had a spin down at turn six. Thankfully this would not be the end of his session and he was able to carry on.

In the first quarter of the session, not many of the grid had set lap times but it was George Russell who was leading the way with his effort ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes were looking strong in the early stages of practice. 

Mercedes would want to be delivering a strong performance this coming weekend to give a decent farewell result to their long-serving legend Lewis Hamilton, who had part of all of the teams' eight Constructors Championship success.

Lap times would continue to be pumped in with the Mercedes drivers showing pace and times from Isack Hadjar were showing improvement as he was getting to grips with Max Verstappen's Red Bull car.

Hadjar would be struggling with traffic in the session when he was on quick laps with fellow Formula 2 driver Luke Browning being the main culprit in affecting Hadjar's lap times.

At the halfway point the order would have changed but Mercedes were still shining up at the top of the time sheets. Lewis Hamilton would be the driver on top ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris. An all-British top three it would be on the time sheets as the session would head into the final half an hour.

Earlier on in the session, there would be a potential incident of impeding by Lewis Hamilton on Lando Norris. It would be noted and then would be followed up by an investigation after free practice 1 had concluded.

Heading into the last quarter of the session, it would still be an all-British top three but the order of the drivers had slightly changed. Norris would leap above both Mercedes to go quickest overall, with Hamilton in second ahead of Russell.

It would remain that way until Charles Leclerc's first lap on the soft tyres would see him go quickest with a 1:24.321 - a lap that would be two tenths faster than Norris' personal best.

Leclerc would hang onto the top spot but would have the penalty hanging over him for later on in the weekend. However, he would end the session fastest which would give Ferrari some consolation that Leclerc has pace in the car underneath him.

At the end of FP1, it would be Leclerc fastest ahead of Lando Norris who would be two tenths back in second. Lewis Hamilton would end the session in third ahead of his teammate George Russell in fourth. Alpine's Pierre Gasly completed the top five.

Both Haas drivers were sixth and eighth in their final FP1 sessions with the team with Hulkenberg in sixth and Magnussen in eighth. Franco Colapinto of Williams split the pair and ended up finishing second.

The higher placed Aston Martin driver Felipe Drugovich was ninth with the Red Bull of Sergio Perez completing the top 10.

Brandon Whiteside
Writer & X Contributor - F1 Journal