For the first time in three years the world championship will be decided in the final round at Abu Dhabi.
Not the drivers’ title, of course, but a fight for the constructors’ crown between a pair of teams who haven’t won it for a long time. Ferrari’s 16-year title drought is their longest ever, while McLaren has gone 26 years without a championship – no team has ever gone that long between crowns.After 282 days and 23 rounds, Formula 1’s longest ever season finally comes to an end on Sunday with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It will see many ‘lasts’ plus one notable ‘first’.
Lewis Hamilton’s record-breaking tenure at Mercedes will come to an end after 12 seasons. Other drivers are changing teams and a few more are saying goodbye to F1. But for one racer, the final race of the season promises to be the first of their career.
Here are the talking points for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
McLaren or Ferrari?
The drivers’ title fight may be over, but one championship remains to be decided on Sunday at Yas Marina.
McLaren and Ferrari are two of the biggest names in Formula 1, yet neither has won either of F1’s titles for over 15 years. That will change on Sunday, with Red Bull now eliminated from contention.
McLaren lost their chance to clinch the championship last weekend in Qatar, with Lando Norris’s penalty proving costly. With a 21-point advantage over Ferrari, McLaren look far more likely to succeed, but Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr will be ready to punish any error or setback for their team’s rivals on Sunday for their last grand prix as team mates.
Hamilton’s Mercedes farewell
Officially the longest and most successful tenure for a driver at any team in Formula 1 history, it’s fair to say Hamilton has proven those who criticised his move from McLaren to Mercedes for 2013 comprehensively wrong.
The last three seasons of the ground effect era have been the most challenging and unsuccessful of Hamilton’s time at Mercedes. But this year’s British Grand Prix victory will forever stand out as one of the most memorable moments in their shared history. Hamilton also added a second win at the Belgian Grand Prix following the disqualification of team mate George Russell.
After a dismal Qatar Grand Prix, both Hamilton and Mercedes will be desperate to make this final race together a positive one.
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Perez finished at Red Bull?
Yas Marina was the scene of one of his finest moments in a Red Bull back in 2021, when he played a crucial role in helping Max Verstappen clinch the championship. He has also taken five victories for the team, the most recent in Azerbaijan last year.
Can he finally deliver a performance he can be proud of to cap off a terrible season? And if this is the end, will he get a proper sign-off, or will this be a repeat of Daniel Ricciardo’s awkward farewell from Red Bull’s second team in Singapore?
More drivers moving on
At the end of his fourth season at Maranello, Sainz will leave Ferrari after this weekend and join Williams. Sainz has won four grands prix in his time with the Prancing Horse, including two victories this season in Melbourne and Mexico City.
Nico Hulkenberg marks the end of his second and last season as a Haas driver before his move back to Sauber next year ahead of their transition into Audi. His team mate Kevin Magnussen will likely compete in a grand prix for the final time this weekend, his 185th start.
Both Sauber drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, will race together for the final time and possibly for the last time as F1 drivers. Neither has secured a race seat for 2025 but both have been linked to reserve driver roles for 2025 with Mercedes and Ferrari, respectively. Franco Colapinto is also making his final start for Williams, but his performances since taking over from Logan Sargeant have marked him out as a candidate for a return at some point in the future.
And as for Esteban Ocon…
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Doohan’s debut
The son of multiple Moto GP 500cc champion Mick Doohan, the 21-year-old will line up on the grid for the first time ahead of his first full season with Alpine in 2025. Doohan’s opportunity comes after Alpine agreed an early release of Ocon to allow next year’s Haas driver to drive this year’s VF-24 in next week’s post-season test.
While Doohan may have driven this year’s Alpine already in Friday practices in Montreal and Silverstone, he has not raced competitively since last year’s Formula 2 round at the Yas Marina circuit. But the championship situation will add extra pressure on the debutant.
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Settling sixth place
Doohan’s debut comes on a critical race weekend for Alpine who, along with Haas and RB, are fighting over sixth place in the constructors’ championship.
After Alpine jumped up into sixth with a double podium in Brazil, Haas took it back the next round in Las Vegas. But last weekend, Pierre Gasly’s fifth place moved Alpine back into sixth again.
With just five points separating Alpine and Haas, every position gained on Sunday will be crucial. RB will require a major haul of points to snatch sixth at the last moment, but how competitive they are could also determine whether the order changes on the final Sunday of the season.
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Friday practice cameo extravaganza
Like last year, expect to see different faces in the opening session of the weekend. McLaren development driver and Toyota WEC racer Ryo Hirawaka makes his debut in a grand prix weekend for the team, with F2 title contender Isack Hadjar driving Verstappen’s RB20 in the opening session. At Aston Martin, Felipe Drugovich will also replace Lance Stroll in the first Friday session.
Race controlled?
The stewards’ decisions last weekend in Qatar made many headlines. But so did another by new race director Rui Marques, who chose not to intervene when Alex Albon’s wing mirror came off during the grand prix. This was criticised by some.
Marques is at the end of a run of four consecutive race weekends in four different time zones, starting with the Macau Grand Prix, then his first Formula 1 grand prix in Las Vegas a week later. That was followed by F1 and F2 the next week in Qatar before the same again this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
F1 and F2 drivers spoke positively of Marques prior to last weekend, but relations between the competitors and the FIA are not good, and a string of sackings at the governing body has provoked questions about Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s administration. On the third anniversary of the notorious controversy involving race control, will the weekend go by without any further dramas?
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Are you going to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
If you’re heading to Abu Dhabi for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you:
Who do you think will be the team to beat in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? Have your say below.
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PacificPR (@streydt)
4th December 2024, 12:33
Kevin Magnussen to replace Perez at RBR next year? Is it true?
Stephen Taylor
4th December 2024, 12:39
No.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th December 2024, 17:42
Would seem very strange to me, he’s been driving so badly any driver is an upgrade IF said driver keeps driving at the same level as they have so far, but at their respective bests magnussen isn’t better than perez.
SPArtacus
4th December 2024, 22:28
His current form is way better than Perez. At their best, they were roughly equal.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th December 2024, 23:30
Yes, that’s what I said: anyone would be better than perez on current form, but I guess you also remember that several decent midfield drivers, like gasly and albon were suddenly nowhere at red bull, so if I were the red bull team principal I wouldn’t trust someone like magnussen to perform at red bull.
And by the roughly equal that’s what I mean: if you want to replace perez, get a driver who’s generally better: sainz would’ve made sense to me. Bottas also performed better than perez when both were at top teams.
SPAartacus
5th December 2024, 3:40
Agreed. Me either. I’d go with Tsunoda first actually and then I’d try Bottas or FC if Yuki fails..
I’d only try KM if they don’t want to ruin LL’d career and for some reason they refuse to try both Yuki & Bottas.
SPArtacus
5th December 2024, 5:17
LL’s*
Janith
5th December 2024, 6:21
Perez was 100% better than Magnussen at their peaks. I think Di Resta is someone who was comparable to Perez, not Magnussen who is weaker.
An Sionnach
4th December 2024, 22:41
I think he would be the best pick from the current grid. Will take it for the team, can qualify and defend like a dog with a bone!
Jere (@jerejj)
4th December 2024, 12:42
McLaren or Ferrari? – Clearly McLaren’s to lose, so I’m positive they’ll remain ahead unless something drastic happens to them.
Hamilton’s Mercedes farewell – His farewell won’t necessarily happen in the best possible way performance-wise, but at least he gets to finish normally, unlike Ocon.
Perez finished at Red Bull? – In all likelihood.
More drivers moving on – More or less as stated regarding likelihoods.
Doohan’s debut – Even though he’s driven the A524 to some extent & has done lots of testing in the A522, I don’t expect much from him with such a short lead time, so he should be happy if he progresses to Q2.
Settling sixth place – Alpine has a clear advantage, which may well be enough, given how limited the points opportunities are for the midfield teams, especially on a circuit with high likelihood of a neutralization-free race.
Friday practice cameo extravaganza – Additionally, Iwasa will replace Tsunoda for FP1 as VCARB is yet to fill his garage side in any practice session thus far.
Race controlled? – I certainly hope this weekend proceeds without any questionable or slow decisions, especially if a given situation is clear-cut for quick deployment (which is debatable regarding a small mirror piece).
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th December 2024, 18:00
As for mclaren vs ferrari, there are a few possible scenarios to consider: if ferraris end up having the best car and run off into the distance for a 1-2, mclarens are ok as long as they come home in 3rd and 5th place or better (in case of 4th and 5th, if ferraris get fastest lap, which is likely in such a scenario, they’d be even points and I wouldn’t know who would win the title).
If mclarens by any chance are ahead, battle each other and take each other out, ferraris are fine with a 4th and 5th place!
If a ferrari driver (maybe sainz?) plays bowling and takes himself and both mclaren out (much like bottas did with red bulls in hungary 2021) and leclerc manages to win, it’s enough to steal the title from mclaren!
If mclarens by any chance are very slow and only end up in 6th and 7th place (doubt 8th is realistic with perez around), ferraris still need to win the race, minimum of a 1st and 4th to gain enough points to overcome mclaren in this case.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
4th December 2024, 20:03
@esploratore1 yeah, I didn’t think about the point scenarios for McLaren and Ferrari. Are they both bringing upgrades at all?
I’m sure Sainz would LOVE to win this race but so would Hamilton, although unlikely unless he’s back to his old self. I suspect there’s a lot of emotion there, 10 years is a long time and he’s had a lot of incredible moments with them.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th December 2024, 23:26
Not sure about upgrades, but I know that, since this is a constructor’s championship fight, there’s an incredible amount of possibilities it can go, since you have to keep 4 drivers in mind.
Yes, sainz at least won a race very recently, so that’s gonna be satisfying if he never gets in a top team again (much like raikkonen, who won austin 2018, one of the last races at ferrari, and it was very clear it would be his last win), and indeed, while I’d like to see a good result for hamilton before leaving mercedes, he seems very demotivated and he very rarely beat russell in quali this year, which was usually one of his specialties, and I’d have never expected a performance by him like the one he had in the rain in brazil, if you compare it with the 2016 race, so I doubt he’ll leave on a high.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
4th December 2024, 13:52
Race controlled by design. The tracks aren’t that long. Plans should be in place before the race starts. If a car is disabled in this area, this is what’s required to remove it. When in Italy, add on an additional 15 minutes. Have a plan. VSC will give time for more complicated decisions and keep the intervals.
Jere (@jerejj)
4th December 2024, 17:37
What’s with Italy?
Neither Monza nor Imola have anything that would require 15 more minutes versus all other current circuits.
Imre (@f1mre)
4th December 2024, 21:18
European stewards are the best. In fact Asia and the Middle East are the places where you need to add 5+ minutes to a normal car/debris recovery time.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
4th December 2024, 17:37
McLaren or Ferrari?
Oscar is – in my opinion – consistently average if not worse.
Lando is a broken torch. It’s either on full beam and blindingly bright, or it’s an intermittent flicker.
Both the Ferrari guys however are solid drivers and up for a fight.
I think McLaren will take it, but it could be close.
Hamilton’s Mercedes farewell
I’m glad Lewis hasn’t simply decided to quit F1.
It would be nothing short of awesome to see him on the podium for Merc in his last drive with them.
Perez finished at Red Bull?
I used to like Perez.
I hope he is finished with F1 to be honest, never mind Red Bull.
More drivers moving on
It is about time to be honest. I’m looking forwards to the new kids on the grid.
Doohan’s debut
Do Who?
Settling sixth place
This could be the most exciting part of Sundays race other than McLaren Vs Ferrari.
Friday practice cameo extravaganza
My Hovercraft is full of eels.
Race controlled?
If Rui ruins this one he will be ruined.
Are you going to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
No, I will be sat at hom …. oh sorry …. this isn’t one of the points is it…..
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th December 2024, 18:09
If perez goes to another team, he could be back to being a good midfield driver, just no longer worthy of being in a top team tbh, and he’s not been that since 2022 basically.
Edvaldo
4th December 2024, 19:14
In another forum, i read some guy saying that Bottas wouldn’t be an improvement over 2023 Perez, as Perez wasn’t already a huge letdown last year. Anyone not beaching and crashing the car as much would be an improvement.
In fact, this whole stint was a huge letdown after he finished 2020 on a high, the first season it was like, ok, he’s driving an already very developed car for Max’s liking, let’s cut him some slack. The second season was better, with an all-new car, but he made some silly mistakes and couldn’t finish 2nd despite the team trying to help him and even Max sending him some tips. Third season he made it to 2nd place by the absolute lack of anyone remotely close to Red Bull while scoring fewer points than the previous year.
And now this disaster of a season he’s been having in his fourth year. The team gave him all the time in the world to fit in and develop, but it’s obvious, and it’s been for quite a while, he’s not getting anywhere. Time to go.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
4th December 2024, 23:21
Yes, tbh 2023 and 2024 as far as I saw are equally a disaster, perez is just looking worse because he went from having one of the most dominant cars to marginally the 2nd best car, but his performance was already rock bottom last year.
Janith
5th December 2024, 6:29
I don’t agree. Because of Perez’s highs in the early parts of 2023.
anon
5th December 2024, 8:52
Janith, which were also the races where Red Bull had the greatest advantage with their car, effectively reinforcing the point that Esploratore made that Perez looked at his best when he also had a particularly large performance advantage.
Jonathan Parkin
4th December 2024, 20:22
Lewis’s last GP not only for Mercedes as a team, but his last using a Mercedes engine which he has used since his debut in 2007
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
4th December 2024, 22:03
He might go to Alpine.
An Sionnach
4th December 2024, 22:44
Would be nice to see Ferrari snatch it. After the first rule of Papaya Club (which is to talk incessantly about Papaya Club), the third one is that you may never win anything. Ever. They’re above such things. Come on, Ferrari!
An Sionnach
4th December 2024, 22:51
I hate the colour, too. Can’t they paint the car red and white? That didn’t look amazing, but wasn’t an eyesore, either.
SPArtacus
5th December 2024, 3:51
Agreed with all of that:
-would like to see SF win
-the absurdity of labeling standard team rules “Papaya rules” and how pathetic their execution was, esp. in Hungary (instead of issuing a clear, concise order they waffled between begging pathetically and rationalizing). Norris’ engineer is the worst. He was awful in Qatar too.
-the awful color and livery (just threw away the refined and exclusive image that Dennis’ liveries and overall company aesthetics had cultivated. It’d be possible to make the color look ok, but not with black and 4 other colors mixed in.
J.R. Love (@dermechaniker)
5th December 2024, 5:31
“…26 years without a championship – no team has ever gone that long between crowns.”
Hasn’t Williams, at 27 years and counting, gone longer?
SPArtacus
5th December 2024, 9:12
It will have done if it wins a title, but this is about the longest between titles and therefore not just a negative statistic. I find this oft quoted fact/stat to be a bit deceiving as well since it seemingly implies a long period without competitiveness. McLaren is for all and intents and purposes, the 2007 WCC by a mile (the DSQ from the WCC means they didn’t get it, but in terms of performance they did) and, in 2008, if Hamilton isn’t paired with one of the most inferior drivers to pilot a title winning car since 2000, they could have won that title.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
5th December 2024, 10:46
You forgot a 9th talking point.
Will anyone bother going or watching the borefest that is the final race after an overloaded season of races. It’s not as if it’ll be interesting to watch. I’ll just monitor this site for results.