Abu Dhabi – Race: Lewis Hamilton wins the twilight of the season

While there were a lot of emotions on the grid as 12 drivers experienced their last Grand Prix with their current team, the first corner went very well. However, the braking in the back straight didn’t go well as Nico Hülkenberg and Romain Grosjean arrived with all wheels locked. The Frenchman found himself on the inside for the second corner of the chicane, but the German conceded nothing. The collision was then inevitable: the left front wheel of the Haas clipped the right rear wheel of the Renault, which flipped over. The car then stabilized upside down, necessitating the intervention of the safety car.

A scary start to the final race of the season for @HulkHülkenberg 😱

He walked away unscathed from his big collision with Romain Grosjean#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/bAVm0LRgtQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 25, 2018

During the restart, Charles Leclerc confirmed his excellent start to the race by gaining an advantage over Kimi Räikkönen, whom he will replace at Ferrari next year. However, shortly after, the Finnish driver’s Grand Prix ended earlier than expected when his entire electronic system shut down on the straight.

This triggered a virtual safety car intervention. Mercedes then brought in Lewis Hamilton to take advantage of a free pit stop. Sauber did the same with Charles Leclerc, as did Haas with Romain Grosjean. The resumption of hostilities saw Max Verstappen battle with Esteban Ocon, but this time the exchange went smoothly, despite several overtaking maneuvers.

Lewis Hamilton’s pace was not very impressive as he was unable to challenge the Red Bulls, who stayed on the track much longer. Sebastian Vettel started the wave of pit stops from the 16th lap, followed by Valtteri Bottas in the next lap. In contrast, Daniel Ricciardo decided to go for an alternate strategy by staying on track as long as possible, up to the 33rd lap.

Shortly before mid-race, a surprise guest made an appearance in Abu Dhabi: rain! There were large drops on the track, but it was warm enough to evaporate the drops and therefore not disrupt the drivers.

On the 35th lap, Valtteri Bottas missed the braking point at the chicane, allowing Sebastian Vettel to overtake him on the braking in the second straight. Immediately after, Max Verstappen closed in on the Mercedes driver. Once again, Bottas missed the braking point but simply cut the chicane. However, that was only a temporary reprieve, as he was successively overtaken by both Red Bull drivers. In this situation, he chose to return to the pits 15 laps before the end to fit new tires.

With 10 laps remaining in the season, Esteban Ocon saw his Mercedes engine give up while he was in 9th position. He therefore had to abandon his Force India in the pit lane. Shortly after, another Frenchman was let down by his machinery as the engine of Pierre Gasly’s Toro Rosso spilled all its oil on the track just as he had entered the top 10.

For his last F1 race, Fernando Alonso was allowed to have all the available engine power at the end of the race to reach his 1800th point in the discipline. But it wasn’t enough: the Spaniard concluded his career with an 11th place finish, especially as he received a penalty at the end of the race for cutting the chicane. However, the return lap to the pits was magnificent with a parade featuring Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso. The three world champions then performed a superb display of donuts on the pit straight.

RACE CLASSIFICATION: ABU DHABI 🇦🇪

21 races = DONE

2018 = DONE #AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/XKe4BrEv9Z

— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 novembre 2018