The wait has been long and ­torturous for McLaren but by the close of a victory for Lando Norris at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix it was worth it as the team celebrated their first Formula One constructors’ championship for 26 years – opening perhaps a new era for them, just as another came to an end for Lewis Hamilton.

The emotional import of the moment was writ large at McLaren but no less for a visibly moved ­Hamilton, who finished his career at Mercedes with an exceptional comeback drive from 16th to fourth, bowing out with the same determined panache that has secured him unprecedented success with the team.

Related: Norris wins F1 Abu Dhabi GP as McLaren secure constructors’ title – live reaction

McLaren had not won the constructors’ title since 1998 – which, to put in perspective, was before both their drivers Norris and Oscar ­Piastri were born – and they sank to a nadir of finishing ninth in 2015 and 2017, a return from which was far from guaranteed. Yet as the fireworks lit the sky in Abu Dhabi on Sunday this unlikely resurgence was a ­reality after a gruelling, gripping season in which the team delivered beyond expectations.

The papaya-clad personnel bounced and sang, quaffing champagne with abandon in the garage, gripped by a collective ecstasy they have not had a chance to enjoy since Hamilton won the drivers’ championship for them in 2008, the last title ­silverware they collected. In Abu Dhabi it fell to Norris to stand up when it mattered after what was a tense finale where he had to do the job to beat rivals Ferrari on his own from pole after Piastri was all but removed from the fight on the first lap, hit by Max Verstappen.

Norris held his nerve against a determined effort from the ­Scuderia who did all they could, with Carlos Sainz finishing second and Charles Leclerc third. Yet it was only part of a finale with a rich sense of occasion. Hamilton, who will join Ferrari next season, had already made it clear his Mercedes farewell would be a moving affair and so it proved.

Having driven his heart out to the very end, with a typically bravura move to take fourth place from his teammate George ­Russell on the final lap, he brought his Mercedes to halt after pirouetting with a series of doughnuts on the start‑finish straight.

The crowd knew this was a special moment, chanting his name as he knelt by his car to contemplate bringing the curtain down. His words to long-time race engineer Peter ­Bonnington were, unsurprisingly, a heartfelt appreciation and ­indicative of what it had all meant to him.

“We dreamed alone, but together we believed,” Hamilton said. “Thank you for all the courage, the determination, the passion, and for seeing me and supporting me. What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books. We did everything together and I’m so grateful to everyone. From the bottom of my heart; all the best. I love you.”

It is a long-formed team bond and very much mutual. The 39‑year‑old joined Mercedes in 2013 from McLaren, the leap of faith many considered foolhardy but which proved to have been an inspired decision. Over the following 12 seasons and 246 races he claimed six titles, 84 wins, 153 podiums and 78 pole positions with the team. That it has closed with Mercedes struggling since the regulation changes of 2022 tarnishes neither Hamilton’s nor Mercedes’ reputation.

After Sunday’s race he returned straight to the garage, intent on first thanking everyone he could there before doing his media duties, a decision of ­typical generosity and thought­fulness from the driver who has forged such a close relationship with everyone at ­Mercedes. An affection echoed in the words of the team principal, Toto Wolff.

“That was the drive of a world champion,” he said. “We love you, you are always going to be part of our family and if we can’t win, you should win.”

Hamilton will already be looking forward to continuing his story at Ferrari as he strives for that eighth title, but for McLaren the celebrations continued long into the night. They had held all the cards going in the race at the Yas Marina circuit, with a 21-point lead over Ferrari and the front row of the grid, but closing it out proved a high-pressure task that both team and Norris handled with aplomb when Piastri’s part in the challenge ended within seconds of the off.

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The scale of the achievement must be measured not only against their long drought but also in what they had to do to secure it this season. They beat Red Bull and Ferrari by overturning a 115-point deficit, after the upgrades they brought to the Miami Grand Prix proved hugely effective and propelled them into a successful title fight. They close, then, on a high and rightly so, with expectations only of more to come next season.

Verstappen finished sixth with Piastri, who did his best to fight back, taking 10th. Russell was fifth for Mercedes, Pierre Gasly seventh for Alpine, Nico Hülkenberg eighth for Haas, and Fernando Alonso ninth for Aston Martin.