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

LeSunTzu
Masi probably did not allow the backmarkers to unlap because it was not safe. They were men on track.

Also tthe SC decisions should not be made considering only a couple of cars. There were other drivers than Hamilton and Verstappen who equally deserved a race, if it was possible, but were denied that by Masi's decision.
 
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D

  • Deleted member 379375

Richard Wilks said:
I think even with a restart, Max would have taken it. What made the difference wasn't as much the tires, rather Max's relentless ability to brake late and still lunge on the inside, just like he did on lap 1 of the race. To me, thats what won him the race and the title, the guy is a demon on the brakes.
Click to expand...
Any half decent (or crap for that matter) driver can out-brake himself , not stay on his side and run into the driver on the outside. It really isn't that difficult honestly.
 
Enthilzha
Bram Hengeveld said:
This is a serious question for all max, lewis and fia fans: isn't that all what we wanted? Or are there people out there who prefered this insane season to be decided under a yellow caution?
Click to expand...
Genuine reply: No, this isn't what I wanted to see.

Whilst I don't buy any argument that Masi or the FIA were actively biased to one team or the other, I think it's clear that Masi took the decisions he did to produce the most exciting/dramatic finish possible, rather than allow a natural course of events.

The joy of any sport is having those moments of incredible drama and tension happen naturally and not being forced. I vividly remember England's victories at the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the last Cricket World Cup because those amazing finishes happened completely organically - that's what made them special, historic events.

What I don't want is to have those kind of moments to happen all the time,as they would become routine, dull and lose what makes them so special. If I wanted to see exciting finishes and events 'engineered' then I would be watching WWE instead and I really don't think that F1 fans want the sport to become like that.

Sure, an engineered, exciting finish like we just saw may benefit F1 in the short term, increasing publicity and interest. But if F1 were to continue in this vein they would simply be bringing the sport into disrepute and quickly gain a reputation as 'fake' sport, leading, I am sure, to a mass exit of viewers.
 
A
LeSunTzu said:
Masi probably did not allow the backmarkers to unlap because it was not safe. They were men on track.

Also tthe SC decisions should not be made considering only a couple of cars. There were other drivers than Hamilton and Verstappen who equally deserved a race, if it was possible, but were denied that by Masi's decision.
Click to expand...

I don't think we have any factual evidence on whether it was safe or not, though Alonso (who was actually on track) seemed to think it was fine to unlap earlier.

Agreed on the bolded part, but that has nothing to do with the outcome of the WDC though. And let's be fair, we're not having this discussion on behalf of Bottas or Sainz.
 
P
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.
 
Enthilzha
A couple of thoughts:

-To those fans of either (or any driver) citing past potentially unfair/poor judgements (such as Spa or Silverstone), these are entirely irrelevant here. Every event must always be adjudicated entirely seperately and on it's own merits and without reference to any past incidents that have been poorly handled. Those in the past should have been dealt with correctly at the time (and if not, investigated and remedied) - two wrongs don't make a right.

-There is clearly a regulation to dictate what should happen in this specific situation. ie; all lapped cars are to be allowed through and the Safety Car brought in on the following lap. This would have, of course, led to a finish under yellow flag and Hamilton winning. The stewards have pointed to a further regulation which they say states that they can overrule this specific regulation and, essentially, do whatever they wish. Whether this is technically true or not, this sets an extremely dangerous precedent and is grossly unfair on EVERY team. Each F1 team and driver competes as best they can under the regulations as understood by all. To have the rug pulled from them every time the FIA decides on the spur of the moment, to rewrite it's own rules would mean that no team could really know where they stand at any time and could not trust any given rule.

-Ultimately, I hope that Mercedes do proceed with an appeal and take it as far as possible, though not necessarily in order to get the result changed, which I think is incredibly unlikely. But I think it is vital that the FIA are held to account for this and the other clearly bad decisions made during the season - there must be consequences to prevent such things from happening in future and bringing the sport further into disrepute.

In the circumstances I don't think either driver deserves to lose the championship (Lewis was in the dominant position in the race and what happened was not Max's fault in any way) and I would be happy, I think, if there was a resolution to this mess that invloved Max and Lewis sharing the championship victory.
 
T
The breaking of normal regulations was of benefit to just one team and one driver(as masi clearly knew) .And it was made at the request of the team principal of that one team that was going to benefit.that is not just unfair it is a blatantly corrupt descision.
As for the max fans who are saying any does not mean all they are clearly morons.If you have been lapped you are very clearly included in the any which in effect means all..
I have been watching and loving F1 for over 35 years but I will never ever watch it again
 
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Damage Inc
Enthilzha said:
Masi at the Eiffel Grand Prix last year (the race in which Hulkenberg played supersub) responding to questions regarding Safety Car usage:

"There's a requirement in the sporting regulations to wave all the lapped cars past."

Personally I believe that 'Any' cars in the regulations is clearly meant to mean 'All' cars. But, whatever my opinion, it is apparent that this was Masi's view also which begs the question, why has Masi behaved inconsistently with his own interpretation of the rules?
Click to expand...
Because this year the teams agreed for as many races as possible to finish with a race and not finish behind a safety car.
 
Damage Inc
LeSunTzu said:
Who cares if they are elegant. They just need to be equitable.
Click to expand...
It was equitable, the agreement was for races to finish with racing and not behind the safety car. Merc was aware of this agreement as they must have agreed to it. Masi did what he had to do to get a last lap shootout in. In all scenarios of starting the last lap after a SC Max is the winner. Lewis could only really win if it stayed behind the SC (unlikley due to the agreement) or if red flagged. Finishing that season behind the SC would have been the biggest damp squid ending of all time, unless you are a Lewis Merc fan or a neutral who is a stickler for rules...which considering F1 is all about the teams bending the rules for an advantage is a bit funny IMO.
 
LeSunTzu
Tommeee said:
I have been watching and loving F1 for over 35 years but I will never ever watch it again
Click to expand...
You are the kind of guy who can actually stop eating peanuts once you've opened the bag, I wish I could :D
 
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muzikant
the British F1 press writes that 24 hours runs over time. i would say stop writing and just accept it!!! your own karma is there it's starting to get annoying now listen to Bernie Mercedes , lose like a man Toto.... that rocketship

Merry Christmas skysport
 
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Damage Inc
nospam99 said:
Should have been red flagged with 5 laps to go. Masi should have recognized the amount of junk on the track after the Williams crash warranted a red flag. All parties can change tires and a standing restart would have made the outcome at least fair. Max and Lewis fighting on the same tires for the last five laps would have been epic.
Click to expand...
ah the good old Merc engine "fair" is it? ;) Lewis had already been jammy with 2 reds this year.
 
Damage Inc
Tommeee said:
The breaking of normal regulations was of benefit to just one team and one driver(as masi clearly knew) .And it was made at the request of the team principal of that one team that was going to benefit.that is not just unfair it is a blatantly corrupt descision.
As for the max fans who are saying any does not mean all they are clearly morons.If you have been lapped you are very clearly included in the any which in effect means all..
I have been watching and loving F1 for over 35 years but I will never ever watch it again
Click to expand...
I'd say anyone saying the rules were "broken" is a moron but hey ho.
 
Enthilzha
Damage Inc said:
Because this year the teams agreed for as many races as possible to finish with a race and not finish behind a safety car.
Click to expand...
Yes, true, but that is always of course understood with the proviso that the rules are adhered to at the same time. According to Masi's own understanding of the rules, this did not happen.
 
Damage Inc
Enthilzha said:
A couple of thoughts:

-To those fans of either (or any driver) citing past potentially unfair/poor judgements (such as Spa or Silverstone), these are entirely irrelevant here. Every event must always be adjudicated entirely seperately and on it's own merits and without reference to any past incidents that have been poorly handled. Those in the past should have been dealt with correctly at the time (and if not, investigated and remedied) - two wrongs don't make a right.

-There is clearly a regulation to dictate what should happen in this specific situation. ie; all lapped cars are to be allowed through and the Safety Car brought in on the following lap. This would have, of course, led to a finish under yellow flag and Hamilton winning. The stewards have pointed to a further regulation which they say states that they can overrule this specific regulation and, essentially, do whatever they wish. Whether this is technically true or not, this sets an extremely dangerous precedent and is grossly unfair on EVERY team. Each F1 team and driver competes as best they can under the regulations as understood by all. To have the rug pulled from them every time the FIA decides on the spur of the moment, to rewrite it's own rules would mean that no team could really know where they stand at any time and could not trust any given rule.

-Ultimately, I hope that Mercedes do proceed with an appeal and take it as far as possible, though not necessarily in order to get the result changed, which I think is incredibly unlikely. But I think it is vital that the FIA are held to account for this and the other clearly bad decisions made during the season - there must be consequences to prevent such things from happening in future and bringing the sport further into disrepute.

In the circumstances I don't think either driver deserves to lose the championship (Lewis was in the dominant position in the race and what happened was not Max's fault in any way) and I would be happy, I think, if there was a resolution to this mess that invloved Max and Lewis sharing the championship victory.
Click to expand...
No rules were rewritten....Masi is allowed some discretion. I mean honestly some of the rhetoric is getting a bit tiresome now. I understand how upset people are but it was a slight bending of the rules to fit in a last lap shootout. Which the teams agreed was the best ending to a race. There's a LOT wrong with F1s rules and Lewis has benfitted from them a LOT this year IMO.
 
Colt459
Enthilzha said:
Yes, true, but that is always of course understood with the proviso that the rules are adhered to at the same time. According to Masi's own understanding of the rules, this did not happen.
Click to expand...
Those two statements contradict themselves. Either you emphasize ending on green or follow the letter of the rules.
All teams decided to favor ending on green, which meant it became subjective to the RD, as is given in 15.3
 
Damage Inc
Enthilzha said:
Yes, true, but that is always of course understood with the proviso that the rules are adhered to at the same time. According to Masi's own understanding of the rules, this did not happen.
Click to expand...
His understanding for the rules in 2020. Before the agreement races would be finished with an actual race and not behind the SC. That agreement is clearly integral to Masi's reasoning, it's not as if he's favoured Max all year is it? So it's clear Masi is not biased towards Max.
 

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