Five Formula 1 Winners: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Photo from Planet F1

The Formula 1 season has come to an end, and like in years past, I’d like to ignore the losers and give some love to the winners of the season, including others who may be done in Formula 1.

So here we go!

5. Franco Colapinto

Colapinto came in to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams, in a move that I simply thought was due to Sargeant’s crashing and Williams lack of money.

Instead, Colapinto showed a lot of pace and showed he belongs in the sport, and may have put himself in line for a future seat.

He was a great surprise this year.

4. Kevin Magnussen

The epitome of what we love about Formula 1.

Kevin Magnussen was going to race you hard. He was going to take big risks. He was never going to care about it.

Sometimes, it pissed people off.

Sometimes, it led to some of the best overtakes the sport has ever seen.

His Formula 1 career is almost surely over, and what a ride it was.

Good luck in endurance racing, Kevin.

3. Valtteri Bottas

Bottas is another driver who may be done in Formula 1, and he is a driver that may have never gotten the respect he deserves.

His time at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s second driver was often criticized, but Bottas did enough every single year to ensure Mercedes won the constructors championship.

He was a fun personality on the grid, and an underappreciated driver.

I hope he returns someday.

2. McLaren

For the first time since 1998, McLaren won the constructors championship as Formula 1’s best ever team.

To put that into perspective, this is unlike anything for the past 10 years.

In 2014, Mercedes went from a midfield team that wasn’t anything special, to constructors champions.

But even that was due to them absolutely nailing the beginning of the turbo-hybrid era.

This is year 3 of the new aero era in Formula 1, and McLaren went from absolutely horrible in Bahrain 2022, to champions of the world in 2024.

That’s an insane turnaround.

I can’t wait to see what the fight is like next year.

1. Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

When Lewis Hamilton announced his move to Mercedes in 2013, everyone thought it was an insane move.

He was a great driver, and Mercedes was not a great team.

He took an insane risk with that move.

To say it paid off would be understatement of the century.

6 world championships later, and his time at Mercedes has come to an end, as the 7 time champ will head to Ferrari next year.

But when you think of Michael Schumacher, you think of him in Ferrari red.

No matter what Lewis Hamilton does at Ferrari, he will be the pinnacle Silver Arrow.