Behind Verstappen and Hamilton, what needs to be (also) remembered from Abu Dhabi

We had almost forgotten about the other drivers behind the Verstappen-Hamilton duel, but the rest of the field also had an eventful race, as seen in the last lap with the Safety Car. In total, 15 drivers crossed the finish line of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021.

Mercedes clinches the title among constructors.

A nice consolation prize that should not immediately appease the Brackley team: Mercedes earned their 8th title in the constructors’ standings at the finish, thus continuing their streak that began in 2014. 2014-2015-2016-2017-2018-2019-2020-2021: Toto Wolff’s men finish undefeated in the first hybrid era, before transitioning to the new cars in 2022.

Before the Grand Prix, Mercedes was separated from Red Bull by 28 points. The advantage was maintained after the 58 laps of the race, as the German team scored 2 more points than its Austrian rival.

Mercedes especially benefits from Sergio Pérez’s retirement at the end of the race. The Mexican sacrificed himself in the Verstappen-Hamilton battle. Let’s also give an update on Valtteri Bottas, miles away from the top fight. The Finnish driver struggled… for the minor positions. He finished 6th behind Sainz and the AlphaTauri duo, before heading to Alfa Romeo. Average? No big deal, the former Williams driver seemed to have his mind elsewhere at the finish, with a little dive into Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi!

Pendant ce temps, du coté de Valtteri Bottas: #F1 #AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/OrK6ECo5IA

— Off Track (@OffTrack_FR) December 12, 2021

On his side, Sergio Pérez has some small regrets for Red Bull and the constructors’ championship. « I think I could have finished second. In terms of constructors, we wouldn’t have been far from Mercedes. With Lewis already on his old tires, we probably would have overtaken him. »

But not for the driver rankings: the Mexican played his part, holding Hamilton back for a few laps. Beneficial in the end!

“I think I could have finished second. In terms of constructors, we wouldn’t have been far behind Mercedes.” – Sergio Pérez

A new podium for Carlos Sainz.

He will be able to say that he was there! Carlos Sainz secured 3rd place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, behind Verstappen and Hamilton.

Started 5th, 4th after overtaking Valtteri Bottas, the Ferrari driver was far behind Pérez.

But he took the 3rd place after Red Bull’s withdrawal on the 53rd lap during the intervention of the Safety Car. The former Red Bull driver thus brought back an additional 15 points to Maranello.

Ferrari has definitively distanced itself from McLaren for the third place in the constructors’ ranking: 323.50 points for Ferrari.

A good move for Sainz as well, climbing to 5th place in the overall drivers’ standings (164.5 points), surpassing his former teammate Lando Norris and his teammate Charles Leclerc! Carlos Sainz, the “best of the rest”, the best among the others at the end of the 2021 season.

The grand finale of AlphaTauri

Here is the best overall performance of the season for the Italian team: Yuki Tsunoda achieved the best result of his young career, finishing 4th ahead of his teammate Pierre Gasly. Both drivers battled it out with Fernando Alonso during the race, ultimately triumphing over the two-time world champion.

A great collective performance that represents a good overall weekend, also marked by the Japanese driver’s Q3, securing 8th position on the grid. “The car was very solid,” Tsunoda reacted as he got out of the car this Sunday, achieving the best race for a Japanese driver since Kamui Kobayashi’s podium at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2012. “I have really rebuilt my confidence!” exclaimed the driver, who will be staying alongside Gasly next year.

For his part, we will remember from the Frenchman’s last race in 2021 a nice overtaking of Alonso, and then of Valtteri Bottas on the final lap. Gasly even attempted to overtake his teammate in the last corners, without success.

« I have truly rebuilt my confidence! » Yuki Tsunoda”

In the constructors’ standings, AlphaTauri narrowly misses out (142 points) on Alpine (155 points). The Faenza team will settle for 6th place overall among the teams, which is one place better than in 2020.

A premature end for Kimi Räikkönen

Exit through the back door for the Finn, betrayed by his mechanics for his 350th and final Formula 1 race. The brakes of the Alfa Romeo gave up on the 25th lap and Iceman hit the wall, then limping back to his pit. Kimi Räikkönen was sailing at the back of the pack, second to last just like at the start, with only Mick Schumacher’s Haas in front of him.

Kimi Räikkönen has indeed been elected driver of the day, naturally for the entirety of his work left in F1.

Despite his retirement, Kimi Räikkönen was still voted driver of the day!

By the way, let’s acknowledge Honda’s successful exit as an engine supplier at the end of this 2021 season. Red Bull and AlphaTauri will still be using Honda engines next year, but they will be rebranded. They won’t bear the name of the Japanese brand anymore.