2021 Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

2021 Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.jpg

Who will win the 2021 World Championship?

  • Max Verstappen

    Votes: 1,428 62.8%

  • Lewis Hamilton

    Votes: 845 37.2%
  • Total voters
    2,273
  • Poll closed .
Formula 1 enters the season finale of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with the driver’s championship leaders tied on points.

After a roller coaster ride of a season in F1, the final event of 2021 will be held in Abu Dhabi and will decide the championship battle between Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton. The two drivers are even on points entering the race.

Verstappen has won more races this year than Hamilton, so if the two end up finishing even after this race due to neither scoring points, the championship would go to Verstappen. Momentum seems to be with Hamilton after back-to-back-to-back race wins in Brazil, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, though points momentum has never lasted long this season.

The Yas Marina circuit is a location where both drivers have won in the past, with Hamilton having won numerous times at the track, and Verstappen being the most recent winner. The layout has been altered for 2021 to encourage more overtaking.

Looking away from the feature act of this race weekend, the constructor’s battle between Mercedes and Red Bull seems to be all but decided, with Mercedes holding a 28-point advantage. With Hamilton and Verstappen cancelling each other out on points, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas have been involved in a lower profile battle than their teammates, but one full of surprises just the same.

This will also be the last time we see certain drivers in F1, or the last time we see them with their current teams. Perhaps the biggest departure is Kimi Räikkönen, who will retire from driving after Abu Dhabi. Kimi’s teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi, will also vacate his F1 seat after this season and will race in Formula E next year instead. One of the Alfa Romeo team seats will be filled by Bottas, who will finish this year third in the driver’s standings. His current seat at Mercedes will be filled by George Russell.

This looks to be an exciting finish to a season filled with drama and shocking moments. Let’s hope that we see the best from each of the championship contenders this weekend.

Qualification Results​

1Max VERSTAPPENRed Bull1:22.109
2Lewis HAMILTONMercedes1:22.480
3Lando NORRISMcLaren1:22.931
4Sergio PÉREZRed Bull1:22.947
5Carlos SAINZFerrari1:22.992
6Valtteri BOTTASMercedes1:23.036
7Charles LECLERCFerrari1:23.122
8Yuki TSUNODAAlpha Tauri1:23.220
9Esteban OCONAlpine1:23.389
10Daniel RICCIARDOMcLaren1:23.409
11Fernando ALONSOAlpine1:23.460
12Pierre GASLYAlpha Tauri1:24.043
13Lance STROLLAston Martin1:24.066
14Antonio GIOVINAZZIAlfa Romeo1:24.251
15Sebastian VETTELAston Martin1:24.305
16Nicholas LATIFIWilliams1:24.338
17George RUSSELLWilliams1:24.423
18Kimi RÄIKKÖNENAlfa Romeo1:24.779
19Mick SCHUMACHERHaas1:24.906
20Nikita MAZEPINHaas1:25.685

Race Results​

1Max VERSTAPPENRed BullLAP 58
2Lewis HAMILTONMercedes2.256
3Carlos SAINZFerrari5.173
4Yuki TSUNODAAlpha Tauri5.692
5Pierre GASLYAlpha Tauri6.531
6Valtteri BOTTASMercedes7.463
7Lando NORRISMcLaren59.2
8Fernando ALONSOAlpine61.708
9Esteban OCONAlpine64.026
10Charles LECLERCFerrari66.057
11Sebastian VETTELAston Martin67.527
12Daniel RICCIARDOMcLaren+1L
13Lance STROLLAston Martin+1L
14Mick SCHUMACHERHaas+1L
15Sergio PÉREZRed BullDNF
16Nicholas LATIFIWilliamsDNF
17Antonio GIOVINAZZIAlfa RomeoDNF
18George RUSSELLWilliamsDNF
19Kimi RÄIKKÖNENAlfa RomeoDNF

What are your thoughts on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? Let us know on Twitter at @RaceDepartment or in the comments section below!

Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool
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About author
Mike Smith
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

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Comments

paracletus
paracletus said:
One thing -- certainly the race director should not be taking calls from the team principals during the race.
We said this before, and some commentators repeated it on Sunday; both of the team whiners were at it this time and they have to stop. It's corrupt when the race director starts pandering to the guy on the phone.
Massy is obviously easily influenced - not the boss that the great Whiting was.
Click to expand...
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ross-brawn-stop-mid-race-contact/

Now that's sensible, and long overdue.
 
Badwheels
Damage Inc said:
I don't see what is wrong with tieing for Schumacher on most wins, I think that would do a LOT more for racial harmony. I've had enough of "racial superiority" nonsense online from BOTH sides.
Click to expand...
You have just labeled yourself as a racist. I said noting about race. I am talking about elite athletes wanting to be the best of all time. Top athletes don't give a sh!t about racial harmony. When all is said and done, they want to walk into a room and not have one person, no matter what color, ever say, "I used to kick his ass".
I going to guess also you never played sports competitively. No one wants to go out, "tied": when they can win. Tiger Woods had a dream career, but do you honestly think he is "satisfied" being behind Jack Nicklaus? He doesn't care if Jack is white, he wants Jack's crown.
 
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Damage Inc
Badwheels said:
You have just labeled yourself as a racist. I said noting about race. I am talking about elite athletes wanting to be the best of all time. Top athletes don't give a sh!t about racial harmony. When all is said and done, they want to walk into a room and not have one person, no matter what color, ever say, "I used to kick his ass".
I going to guess also you never played sports competitively. No one wants to go out, "tied": when they can win. Tiger Woods had a dream career, but do you honestly think he is "satisfied" being behind Jack Nicklaus? He doesn't care if Jack is white, he wants Jack's crown.

People like you suck. This ain't race. It's excellence and legacy.
Click to expand...
Ok so someone wanting racial harmony is a racist now? This world is so bad...so so sooooooooooo bad!!
 
D
WiisardNic said:
My comprehension is fine, I'm just pretty sure we are speaking two separate issues now. If we are talking the same issue, then I take it your answer to this following question should be "no."

Race Control originally passed the message "No lapped cars may overtake" at Lap 56. This is where Masi's errors all began. Hypothetical sake, at that point he instead had allowed ALL lapped cars to overtake, in preparation for a restart the following lap. Does that change mean Merc would have pitted Lewis? 'Yes' or 'no'
Click to expand...
The last safety car period doesn't matter other than it occurred. Mercedes had already hung themselves by NOT pitting during the VSC.
 
Jean-Pierre Sarti
WiisardNic said:
I've been separating the issue of "how the restart went down", and Mercedes tyre choice. They are two separate issues.
The offset in tyre-choice between Max and Lewis was baked in from the moment Mercedes told Lewis not to pit when the safety car was initially deployed. Masi's original decision to not let lapped cars pass was made 2 laps later.

All I've been saying is that people who are saying "Oh, but the tyres, that's SO UNFAIR", etc etc, don't get that Mercedes put themselves in that situation. Sure, the restart process became a shemozzle, and that's something that should, and hopefully will, be be addressed and clarified by the FIA. But at Lap 54, there was still always a chance that the race would restart correctly. To blame Masi for Mercedes not pitting (Which is what is initially being suggested) for new tyres is just simply incorrect. I can accept that you didn't make that direct claim, and while tyre choice did AFFECT the outcome, it wasn't the CAUSE. This is what I've been trying to say. I can 100% imagine that if it was the other way around, or with different drivers, the same decision would have been made by Masi. Doesn't make it 100% right, but I'm quite certain there was no intent to favour one specific team/driver over another. Otherwise there'd have been a safety car period when Giovinazzi stopped on track.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. The admittedly poor (poorly communicated, at the very least) race direction obscures the fact that Mercedes got beat. Like in poker, there was an element of luck, they had to play the hand they were dealt and they made a reasonable but ultimately wrong decision. Maybe if Wolff wouldn‘t have wasted decision time by futile pleas to Race Control…
 
Damage Inc
JayOTT said:
Your argument was made in bad faith, injecting race politics into a situation where it didn't make sense to bring it up.
Click to expand...
I agree and apologise I just read so much negativity (on social Media) from both sides of that argument and honestly stated my opinion on what would IMO be better. It also showed the subject cannot be rationally talked about before hysterics kick in.
 
Badwheels
Damage Inc said:
Ok so someone wanting racial harmony is a racist now? This world is so bad...so so sooooooooooo bad!!
Click to expand...
This person doesn't want racial harmony. This person is devolving a comment about an athlete wanting to be the best into, " I am tired of racial superiority". WTF is that ? We are talking racing, not race.

When Lewis says, " I want to beat that white, Dutch, historically colonist MF", I will then talk about it being racial.
 
Last edited:
Damage Inc
Badwheels said:
This person doesn't want racial harmony. This person is devolving a comment about an athlete wanting to be the best into, " I am tired of racial superiority". WTF is that ? We are talking racing, not race.

When Lewis says, " I want to beat that white, Dutch, historically colonist MF", I will then talk about it being racial.
Click to expand...
So you know what I'm thinking better than me, that's so ****ED up. I wasn't referring to what Lewis wants, but rather what I read online and I DO read comments like the one you made.
 
Badwheels
Damage Inc said:
So you know what I'm thinking better than me, that's so ****ED up. I wasn't referring to what Lewis wants, but rather what I read online and I DO read comments like the one you made.
Click to expand...
The person I am referring to is the one who responded to me with a racial innuendo. I have no idea what you are thinking. You need to read more carefully..
 

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