Race Week in Abu Dhabi

About the Grand Prix: The inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place on 1 November 2009 and has been on the F1 calendar since. Over its fifteen-season presence, Mercedes leads in constructor wins with six, but since 2020, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have dominated the GP with four consecutive victories. The race is a night race and has hosted the F1 season finale since 2009.

About the Circuit: Yas Marina Circuit is a Permanent racing facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Designed by Hermann Tilkke, construction began in May 2007. The circuit opened in 2009. It is a sixteen-corner permanent motor racing circuit that is 3.281 miles (5.281 km), and the race is 58 laps long.

Weekend Highlights: As we enter round 24 of 24 for the 2024 F1 championship, the season ends in Abu Dhabi. With Max Verstappen clenching the Driver's Title, all the attention will be aimed at the constructor's title, where McLaren leads Ferrari by twenty-one points. The door is still open for Ferrari after a costly pit lane penalty dropped Lando Norris to a tenth-place finish in Qatar. A Ferrari win is almost mathematically needed for Ferrari to overtake McLaren. However, technically, there is still a chance, and I expect Ferrari to do everything possible to win the constructors.

MCLAREN. McLaren can break a twenty-five-year streak for winning its first constructor titles since 1998. After a 1-2 finish in the Qatar Sprint race, the primary race was not quite as lovely to the Mclaren team, with a harsh penalty for Lando Norris, knocking him out of podium contention and a potential lock on the constructors title. McLaren doesn't need to do anything that hasn't been done all year, just a solid race near the podium, and McLaren should walk away from the weekend Constructor's Champions.   

Ferrari. It is a must-win weekend in Abu Dhabi if Ferrari wants any chance of winning their first constructors title since 2008. If they want to make history, everything must go Ferrari's way. There is potential for an epic weekend with Carlos Sainz's last weekend for Scuderia Ferrari. Charles LeClerc could also jump Lando Norris for second in the Drivers title while simultaneously winning his team the constructors title, but a double podium is a must for Ferrari.

Red Bull. With Max Verstappen already clinching the WDC and Red Bull securing third in the constructor's championship, there is no real direct motivation for a strong race from Red Bull. Sergio Perez has secured eighth in the driver's title, and with no possibility of movement in the championships, the finishing position is irrelevant. However, with this being Perez's potentially last race with Red Bull, and maybe even in F1, there is still a need for a strong showing for Perez to prove his value to a team. With some big shakeups coming for next season, this race is a send-off race for the Red Bull dynasty we have all witnessed in the last four seasons. I expect a strong race from Red Bull to end the season.

Mercedes. Mercedes is still flying high off its Vegas win with George Russell, with strong podium races for George in the Qatar sprint and primary races. Lewis seems disengaged these last few races, but in Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton will finish his twelve-season behemoth of a career with the Mercedes team. With no ability to jump in the drivers or constructors title, this last race will strictly be for style points. I would like to see a prosperous and harmonious end to the Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton story, but if not, that's racing, too.

Aston Martin. After a mediocre season following the 2023 season, Aston Martin is looking forward to 2025. The team and Alonso are in no contention for movement in the two championships. Lance Stroll needs a very strong weekend to jump a position in the driver's title, but that is the only thing the team is racing for this weekend.

Alpine. It's a bittersweet weekend for Alpine as we head into the season finale. Pierre Gasly, coming off a remarkable double podium finish in Brazil and a fifth place in Qatar, will be looking to gain some late-season points to surpass Nico Hülkenberg for tenth in the drivers' championship. On the other hand, there is somewhat of a slight to the departing Esteban Ocon, as Jack Doohan is set to replace him for the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi. After five seasons with the Alpine team, Ocon will not receive a public send-off from the team. While it's a good opportunity for the team to give a new driver some seat time, it does show a lack of respect for a driver who has delivered the team's only victory and multiple podium finishes over the years.

Haas. Sixth place is still potential for the team. Nico is fighting to defend tenth in the drivers' title, and a mega weekend would be needed for KMag to jump up after his ninth place in Qatar. It is a send-off race for both Nico and Kevin, with Nico heading to Audi and Kevin potentially racing in his last F1 race. Haas still has a lot to race for.

VCARB. This finale for the Racing Bulls team has multiple undertones; while both Yuki and Liam need mega weekends to move up in the drivers' and constructors' titles, the understory is building to who will get the second Red Bull seat for 2025.

Williams. I would not race in the season finale if I were the Williams team manager. The team's crash costs over the last few weekends have caused major parts and financial strain. All you want is a clean race for the team. The season took a heavier turn after Williams's points run a few races ago. With no potential to jump in the constructors championship, get out of this weekend unscathed and put this season to bed.

Stake-sauber. Hats off to Zhou and the Stake Sauber team for a four-point eighth-place finish in Qatar; it was well-deserved by the team. With this potentially being the last F1 race for Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, there is a lot of pride for this last race with Team Stake.