2024 Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen, Abu Dhabi 2023. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images

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For the final time in 2024, Formula One hits your screens for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It's McLaren vs Ferrari for the Constructors Championship, but Max Verstappen and George Russell have been stealing the headlines. Rivalries and tempers flare as Formula One makes its final 2024 stop at Abu Dhabi.

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VCARB pitstop in Qatar. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images

Abu Dhabi is the final stop in this year's blockbuster calendar. Whilst the track is not everyone's favourite, it certainly has produced some incredible races over the last few years.

With Verstappen already crowned drivers champion this year, watch out for some of Formula One's exiting drivers, such as Kevin Magnussen, who is off to the BMW IMSA/WEC program, or Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas. That said, keep reading for some potentially good news, Bottas fans!

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With just this weekend left in the championship, it is still all to play for! @Pete Conway may still be in the lead, but the difference is not impossible to overcome. If you are new to the Podium Prediction game, don't be afraid to get your predictions in using the link below.

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Max Verstappen vs George Russell ​

Stealing the headlines this week, Russell and Verstappen have had a very public falling out. The Mercedes driver stated he has 'lost a lot of respect' for Verstappen, a friend and driver he had respected throughout their 12-year working relationship.

Verstappen and Russell were summoned to the steward's office after the sprint race in Qatar. Verstappen believes that Russell let an injustice occur so that he would be handed the sprint victory. Russell, of course, disagrees, and the argument turned personal shortly after. This is where the Mercedes driver took offence, and the argument eventually spilt into the media pen after the big race on Sunday.


Russell clarified that 'somebody had to stand up to this bully'. While these are strong words, Russell is ignoring the PR route and showing the world of Formula One what he thinks of the four-time champion.

McLaren vs Ferrari​

With the Constructors Championship coming down to the final race, McLaren and Ferrari are due to duel in the desert. Ferrari is trailing by just 21 points behind McLaren's papaya squad, both the retained Charles Leclerc and the exiting Carlos Sainz have to put in stellar performances to match Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri if the Constructors crown is to come back to Maranello.


Whilst Verstappen and Russell's current feud is stealing the headlines coming into the 2024 finale, this dogfight for the championship at Abu Dhabi is undoubtedly the most crucial race weekend for both teams. McLaren have been the team on form, but Ferrari want this even more after their defeat to Mercedes last year.

For a second year in a row, Ferrari faces a fight in the final round to seal the constructors title. Last year saw the Scarlet Squad lose out to Red Bull.

Bottas to Red Bull?​

Perhaps one of the more unexpected rumours around the paddock is that Finland's Valtteri Bottas has been linked to a move to Red Bull. When quizzed on the potential catapult up the pecking order, Bottas denied any conversations had taken place with Red Bull. However, some leaks and website issues on the official Formula One merchandise website appeared to have Bottas as Max Verstappen's teammate for 2025.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1863706788840812551

This, of course, could be a genuine mistake on behalf of Formula One, but it could be hard to believe that they would make such a significant error accidentally. Time will tell, but that second Red Bull seat is by far the hottest topic in the driver market for 2025 as it currently stands.

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Haas vs VCARB. Image: Red Bull Content Pool / Getty Images

When to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix​

SessionDateTime (UTC)
Free Practice 1Friday, December 6th09:30 - 10:30
Free Practice 2Friday, December 6th13:00 - 14:00
Free Practice 3Saturday, December 7th10:30 - 11:30
QualifyingSaturday, December 7th14:00 - 15:00
Qatar Grand PrixSunday, December 8th13:00

What do you think about the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? Let us know in the comments below!
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About author
Connor Minniss
Connor Minniss
Website Content Editor & Motorsport Photographer aiming to bring you the best of the best within the world of sim racing.

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Comments

Zolazem
Premium
Pete Conway said:
It was a great race behind the winner, the 10 second penalties handed out I feel were covered in other races by 5 seconds, and or not even punished at all.
As for the Championship's McLaren, well done, Ferrari, you needed to work harder earlier, Haas and Renau Alpin...e, Haas deserved it through being there consistantly, Gasly (not one of my favourite divers) got the championship for Alpine by using what he had to the best of his abillity, and credit to him :thumbsup:

Again though tracks are being changed to allow the cars to drive faster through the corners and create more records, if it continues that way the speeds will be too high for the safety and the tracks will again be widened and run off areas taken further back to make it safer, then the tyres will be made faster and the cars faster and the tracks tampered with further.
I'm not sure how long we can unneccessarily keep going faster, I feel that F1 needs to take a step back for smaller more raceable cars on tracks with heaps of character, because to be honest the high speed records are only for the books not the viewers.
Click to expand...
Yes unwritten rule that first lap first corner is a racing incident only not when your name is Verstappen. But after all it was his fault and fortunately it didn’t influenced the fight for the constructors championships.
 
markg88
Premium
Seems to me the FIA, via the Stewards, are intent on having a go at Max at every opportunity.
 
B
Premium
The issue is the FIA needs to stop interpenetrating and make up rules such as make exceptions like 1st corner of the race doesn't count... same for driver cutting corners or going off track... regardless who's at fault it is every driver that cuts corners or goes off track needs should be penalized... but what we have today is the FIA making assumptions they know whats going on inside drivers heads at the time of the incidents... There is no question they treated Max differently than the other drivers this year. And Yes some members of the British Media showed extreme bias this year you cant deny that.
 
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markg88
Premium
boxer said:
The issue is the FIA needs to stop interpenetrating and make up rules such as make exceptions like 1st corner of the race doesn't count... same for driver cutting corners or going off track... regardless who's at fault it is every driver that cuts corners or goes off track needs should be penalized... but what we have today is the FIA making assumptions they know whats going on inside drivers heads at the incidents... There is no question they treated Max differently than the other drivers this year. And Yes some members of the British Media showed extreme bias this year you cant deny that.
Click to expand...
True, but the usual response is some sticking fingers in ears and singing "la la la la la" :)
 
Peter Conway
Premium
boxer said:
The issue is the FIA needs to stop interpenetrating and make up rules such as make exceptions like 1st corner of the race doesn't count... same for driver cutting corners or going off track... regardless who's at fault it is every driver that cuts corners or goes off track needs should be penalized... but what we have today is the FIA making assumptions they know whats going on inside drivers heads at the time of the incidents... There is no question they treated Max differently than the other drivers this year. And Yes some members of the British Media showed extreme bias this year you cant deny that.
Click to expand...
Oh, I absolutely agree that the british media stand with heavy bias against Max Varstappen, though I don't count British media as people, as such, they're not, they are self serving and self important, 'self serving' because they wish to drum up conflict to generate interest numbers thus generating a few more viewers/readers, self important because they feel that being ex drivers or just in the know makes them somehow better than the fans.
They certainly do not represent the British Motor Racing fans, the ones that watch racing for the racing not for the tribalism that the media seems to generate.
 
D
boxer said:
The issue is the FIA needs to stop interpenetrating and make up rules such as make exceptions like 1st corner of the race doesn't count... same for driver cutting corners or going off track... regardless who's at fault it is every driver that cuts corners or goes off track needs should be penalized... but what we have today is the FIA making assumptions they know whats going on inside drivers heads at the time of the incidents... There is no question they treated Max differently than the other drivers this year. And Yes some members of the British Media showed extreme bias this year you cant deny that.
Click to expand...
I could see going wide in the first corner..especially to avoid contact. But BANZAIING inside of someone resullting in contact at T1 should always incur some sort of penalty. ESPECIALLY since Eddie Jordan(or someone I can't remember) predicted Max would send it on either Mclaren because they would be too worried about surviving the race to secure the constructor championship, that neither one would defend.
 
markg88
Premium
davehenrie said:
I could see going wide in the first corner..especially to avoid contact. But BANZAIING inside of someone resullting in contact at T1 should always incur some sort of penalty. ESPECIALLY since Eddie Jordan(or someone I can't remember) predicted Max would send it on either Mclaren because they would be too worried about surviving the race to secure the constructor championship, that neither one would defend.
Click to expand...
Going for a gap that suddenly appeared (which it did) but then suddenly closed (which it did) is not BANZAIING. With current rules as they are Max got the penalty. He messed up Oscar's race, he knows it, and he apologised. I do think Oscar could have avoided it but maybe peripheral vision was a factor, but it does seem a bit naive to me that a driver, especially a F1 driver, would not use the track margins available (as is the case here) at the first corner after the start.
Excepting Leclerc and Alonso, a few drivers on the current grid have bruised egos because of Max. They deep down know they have an alien amongst them. Drivers with bruised egos are quite likely to 'make a point' rather than drive wisely, just as lesser footballers foul those great players like Messi and Ronaldo so many times. 'Making a point' can also be used in current F1 as a tactic because it is obvious stewarding is very inconsistent in F1 and there could be a decision that benefits using such a tactic.
By the way I am impartial when judging what I see on track, I am not clouded by any driver preference or dislike of a driver.
 
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B
Premium
davehenrie said:
I could see going wide in the first corner..especially to avoid contact. But BANZAIING inside of someone resullting in contact at T1 should always incur some sort of penalty. ESPECIALLY since Eddie Jordan(or someone I can't remember) predicted Max would send it on either Mclaren because they would be too worried about surviving the race to secure the constructor championship, that neither one would defend.
Click to expand...
The issue I see with that is way too often the guy on the outside can force the move as if he has no choice but to go off track and cut the corner in order to stay ahead...that's no fair to the other 20 drivers either... Fact is the guy making the pass also has this thing called break they should learn to use them.
 
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Durge Driven
RedLMR56 said:
Bro I'm not the one pushing that bogus. Just mocking those who are
Click to expand...

Oh yeah of course and they never had it against Michael either.

We are making a distinction like the types of fans that watch a football match and go home content and happy either way it ends.

Then you have those other "fans", yeah ............ :rolleyes:
 
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Interslice
Club Staff
Premium
Max was halfway alongside at the apex. Piastri squeezed him into the sausage kerb area. Its a racing incident really. Both could have done more.
Bottas on the other hand didn't even manage to turn and got the same 10s pen.
 
markg88
Premium
Interslice said:
Max was halfway alongside at the apex. Piastri squeezed him into the sausage kerb area. Its a racing incident really. Both could have done more.
Bottas on the other hand didn't even manage to turn and got the same 10s pen.
Click to expand...
Re Bottas. A very Hungary21-esque collision with Magnusson. If a safety car was needed (luckily not) then everyone's hero would have had a free pit-stop and won the race.
 
Durge Driven
Three cheers for Checo who single handedly gave away the Constructors.

I still think there was something deeper going on, he has know for quite sometime he was not going to be considered. That is what the 2 years pay was about, non refundable.

Just RB did not expect him to drive like a slug.
You will never convince me it was not on purpose.

Anyone picks him up after that dismal display deserves him.
 
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