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
  • Like
Reactions: FS4A and Kimirai
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

More in F1 & Motorsport

Comments

Damage Inc
Sasha Jednak said:
None of them would do what? They wouldn't overtake main opponent on last lap of deciding race? They wouldn't attack, with 0.1% chance of passing, opponent on lap 1? Or they would all decline to continue race because they don't feel it is fair that red flag saves them 1 lap and broken car?
Click to expand...
I think he means none would be voicing concerns if they had won the WDC that way.
 
Damage Inc
LeSunTzu said:
Agreed, but had Masi followed the rulebook nobody would complain against FIA/race direction.
Click to expand...
What cracks me up though is people using the words "fair and just" etc....presuming all the rules themselves to be fair and just when clearly they are not. Like I said earlier there's a LOT wrong with the rules and regs in F1 and Lewis has benifitted from those rules and regs the most over the last 8 years. IMO an unfair rule is worse then interpretting a rule differently to give a fair ending, because no way in hell should it have been that close at the end to begin with.

Oh and yes Masi should have released ALL lapped cars in time for a last lap shootout, same result. Masi's mistake WASN'T that the race didn't finish behind the SC for Lewis to win.
 
Last edited:
Fat-Alfie
I just think it's a complete farce. A decision was made during the race, Horner says RB need one more lap, and then Masi manufactures a situation to facilitate it.

It smacks of corruption.
 
Gevatter
Premium
Fat-Alfie said:
I just think it's a complete farce. A decision was made during the race, Horner says RB need one more lap, and then Masi manufactures a situation to facilitate it.

It smacks of corruption.
Click to expand...
Talking of farces, do you remember the shortcut Hamilton took in the first lap thorugh the escape path, where he gained around a second on Verstappen without punishment or need to reduce the advantage he gained when Verstappen even had to give the position back in Jeddah in the same situation?

What's your opinion on that?
 
D

  • Deleted member 379375

tr1v1um said:
You Sir, have a very wierd approach to motorsport and you forget a very important aspect to the matter. Nobody bent the rules and faked the outcome of the race. I have still no idea from where some people are pulling this. The rules are written black and white and easy to understand. And as allready mentioned a couple of times - all teams including Mercedes agreed to finnish races under green whenever possible in favor of the racing fans so that F1 races get more exciting for the spectators. That's what we are there for. I don't spend a couple of hundred dollars for a ticket to see the cars finish behind the safety car when there isn't any need for the safety car.

And indeed, the big picture is what counts in motorracing. It's the same in the Indy 500 and any other race. You can lead 199 laps, but if you f*ck up the last turn you've still lost. That's a very basic principle in motorsport and it still makes me wonder how this is up for debate, as if Hamilton was entitled to win the race due to leading 57,5 of 58 laps. I got to dissapoint you, but that's not how it works. Mercedes made quite a few strategic mistakes throughout the race, including the timing of their first pitstop, wich shortened Lewis stint length for no valid reason and put him behind Perez, making the second critical stint on hard tires longer and putting more stress on them due to being stuck behind Perez in dirty air. That's easy to understand aswell and doesn't require an engineering degree. When the VSC came Mercedes gambled again hoping that there wouldn't be another SC, yet still being just lucky. Lewis even asked if this wasn't dangerous. It's pretty clear that Lewis had much more pace throughout the race, so they could have risked the stop. And then the one thing happened, that Mercedes hoped that it wouldn't happen.

To some it up: that Mercedes is trying to put their responsibility for their loss on someone else shoulders shows two things: first of all it's very bad sportsmanship and second it's very unprofessional and damaging the image of a brand like Mercedes Benz. Just imagine if Latiffi or anyone else would have crashed five laps earlier. What would be the excuse of Mercedes in that case?
Click to expand...
Keep typing, you might eventually convince yourself reality can be substituted for your Max tinted version.
 
D

  • Deleted member 379375

Gevatter said:
Talking of farces, do you remember the shortcut Hamilton took in the first lap thorugh the escape path, where he gained around a second on Verstappen without punishment or need to reduce the advantage he gained when Verstappen even had to give the position back in Jeddah in the same situation?

What's your opinion on that?
Click to expand...
Yeah Hamilton should have taken the hit and hoped the damage wasn't too bad!!!
 
D

  • Deleted member 379375

paracletus said:
Hamilton is over it, next year is just weeks away.

1000+ posts here; that's incredible :confused:
Imagine what the backlash would've been if MV was in front before the last lap and LH won the same way :D
Click to expand...
I hope it would be the same, wrong is wrong and not just when it happens to the driver you support.
 
W
Fat-Alfie said:
I just think it's a complete farce. A decision was made during the race, Horner says RB need one more lap, and then Masi manufactures a situation to facilitate it.

It smacks of corruption.
Click to expand...
By that same instance the , we were robbed of a race when Toto said “no safety car. It interferes with the race,” to Masi, and Masi didn’t deploy the safety car
 
D

  • Deleted member 379375

Richard Wilks said:
Mercedes confirms it won't appeal.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1471419870680125441

It's finally over this whole sad soap opera. Max is champion and that's it.

Now the supreme irony would be if next time this happens, it's Max who is in front, and he wins the race behind a safety car.
Click to expand...
Well it will never really be over as the reputation of the sport has been damaged and for many fans Max is not (yet) a legitimate champion although it won't be long, he has the speed.
 
jonelsorel
WiisardNic said:
Seriously, anyone who says "But the tyres" really doesn't get Formula 1. As established earlier, the tyres were set in stone by the teams themselves, before any of these controversial decisions by Masi.

I understand the argument about not following the correct procedure, etc, I really do. But that, and the difference between the tyres has absolutely no bearing on that.
Click to expand...

Are you joking, or simply not thinking? What part of "Masi simply overrode all regulations / used dictatorial power to eliminate just the 5 cars that were in between Lewis and Max AND retired the safety car 1 lap early knowing Max just got fresh softs, and Lewis was on worn hards" do you not register?

We've seen it throughout the last few races, the cars are on the same step performance wise. How exactly do you expect a fair one lap shootout between 2 otherwise equal cars, one with worn hards, one with brand new softs?

Do you actually watch single seater racing, or was this the first race?
 
Last edited:
Richard Wilks
winston malcolm said:
Well it will never really be over as the reputation of the sport has been damaged and for many fans Max is not (yet) a legitimate champion although it won't be long, he has the speed.
Click to expand...
He won more races, got more poles, and led more laps.

He was only equal in points due to more unfortunate situations beyond his control.

So for me, he is a legitimate champion, regardless. It's not like he got the title by fluke. That Lewis led the last race until (almost) the end doesn't change anything. Max also led Baku all the way until the tire went, for example.
 

Latest News

Article information

Author
Mike Smith
Article read time
3 min read
Views
88,633
Comments
1,280
Last update

Share this article

Back
Top