The Stakes of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Even though Mercedes leaves this season with both titles in hand, the last race of 2018 is not without purpose.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have won both the Driver and Constructor championships. However, there remain a few question marks that make it worth closely following this final Formula 1 weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Can Bottas finally win?
If it is true that the Finnish driver has been quite unlucky during certain races when victory should have been his, like in Baku with his puncture, in Austria with his mechanical failure, or in Russia with team orders, Valtteri Bottas has never truly been a real adversary for Lewis Hamilton, nor even a leader for Mercedes.
If Bottas has never made it to the top step of the podium this year, it’s primarily due to a much lower pace compared to his eminent teammate. This season, the Finn has been able to show speed but never really over an entire race.
If he were to win no races this season, he would be the first Mercedes driver to never win a race in a season during the hybrid era. A somewhat embarrassing situation given the performance level of Mercedes. Let’s hope that the 2017 Abu Dhabi GP winner can convert the 2018 race into a victory. In any case, Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ Sporting Director, would like to see this scenario: « Our car has won ten races so far this season and we all want to add one more, especially for Valtteri who has lost victories this season due to bad luck and team orders. »
Currently 4th in the Drivers’ Championship, Bottas still holds a slim hope of overtaking Kimi Räikkönen for the final 3rd place. To do so, he will need to score 14 more points than his compatriot.
Race week.
Let’s wrap up the season 🏁#VB77 #F1 #AbuDhabiGP @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/NVtbkrbhmo— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) 19 novembre 2018
Vandoorne faces Alonso!
The disappointment of 2018 is surely Stoffel Vandoorne who, after very promising beginnings in 2017 with a McLaren-Honda at rock bottom, managed to deliver results and sometimes even match Fernando Alonso.
Alas, the Belgian was unable to maintain his momentum and is now 38 points behind his teammate. But more importantly, Vandoorne never managed to beat his garage neighbor in the qualifying exercise. The record is an alarming 20 to 0 in favor of the Spaniard.
It is highly likely that Stoffel’s dismissal by McLaren is due to his severe lack of competitiveness and results. Even though the GP2 champion points to an undrivable car during the European tour, the result is the same for the Belgian driver. If the main party wishes to return to the premier category of motorsport, he will need to demonstrate the full extent of his talent, which does exist considering his results in the lower categories.
Note that McLaren will completely change its driver lineup in 2019 and that this race in Abu Dhabi is likely to be the last Formula 1 participation for the two current holders.
He started P15, was down to P19 by the end of Lap 1, but @svandoorne dug in and clawed his way back to P8 to claim some long-overdue points 👏> https://t.co/8hXSseFZDS #MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #F1 pic.twitter.com/92aUYlBHpQ
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 30, 2018
The duel in the “B championship”
If Renault and Nico Hülkenberg seem to be in a comfortable position to win this virtual championship invented by fans and drivers, nothing is decided until the cars have crossed the last checkered flag of the season.
The consistency of Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz allows Renault to dominate the Haas team of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean by 24 points for the coveted 4th place in the Constructors’ Championship. The errors of the American team and its drivers provide the French manufacturer with the best result since its return to Formula 1. This fourth place in the standings shows how much the diamond brand has progressed, even if its latest races have sometimes been erratic.
Other teams were aiming for this “best of the rest” spot, like Haas, which, with fewer resources and a beneficial partnership with Ferrari, has been fighting for points on a regular basis since its debut in 2016.
McLaren was favored at the start of the season due to its good results, but the British team was unable to maintain the pace, particularly in terms of developing its car and is now in a disappointing 6th place.
The latest contender for this honorary title is Racing Point Force India, which after its purchase scored 48 points in half a season. It is strongly believed that if their points tally had not been reset to zero, they would surely have been the fourth force on the grid for the third consecutive year.
#MondayMotivation: It’s #RACEweek!!
The last stop for this year, the season finale… Of course we’re going to celebrate by unleashing our stunning #AbuDhabiGP poster! We have to! 🤩
#RSspirit pic.twitter.com/lDsq4MhCGs— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 19 novembre 2018
