Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: The Hits and Misses according to the editorial team
End of the 2023 Formula 1 season with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix taking place this Sunday. With another domination by the Verstappen/Red Bull duo and lesser stakes, it is difficult to draw any conclusions from this race. Here is the Top/Flop from the editorial team.
The TOP 3:
1. Leclerc at his best
The Monegasque driver will have been generous until the end in this race where he once again had his share of bad luck. Starting second on the grid (his fifth consecutive front row start), only one tenth behind Verstappen on Saturday, Leclerc had a good start by keeping his position and always being ready to strike behind the untouchable Verstappen.
Desperate to secure the position of vice-world champion for his team, the driver with the number 16 tried everything to slow down his counterpart Russell’s progress as much as possible, but in vain. The Ferrari driver finishes this final Grand Prix of 2023 in a very impressive second place, already looking forward to the next season with even higher ambitions.
2. Tsunoda finally has his reference weekend
What a season finale for AlphaTauri! The small team from Faenza has bounced back since the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo mid-season, but in this last Grand Prix, it was indeed his Japanese teammate who stole the show.
Author of the best result of his career in 6th place, Yuki then delivered a solid race and a daring one-stop strategy to collect the final points for his team. The Japanese driver even managed to resist the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to retain his superb 8th place.
3. A solid Russell concludes the mission for Mercedes
It took a brilliant George Russell to resist the sharp-toothed Charles Leclerc. The British driver delivered a solid performance by overtaking both McLaren drivers, allowing him to control the gap with Leclerc and Ferrari.
If Pérez’s comeback may have given the Germans cold sweats, the penalty imposed on the Mexican allowed Russell to secure his second podium of the season and thus deliver his team Mercedes, who finishes as runner-up in the constructors’ world championship, behind their Austrian rival Red Bull. Mission accomplished!
The FLOP 3:
1. Sainz rang the death knell for Ferrari ahead of time
On a circuit where overtaking is not easy (even if the new layout offers more opportunities), Carlos Sainz’s poor qualifying, 16th, did not bode well for the fratricidal battle with Mercedes for second place.
And if the Spanish driver was able to occasionally regain points, the questionable strategy of his team plunged him into the depths of the ranking at the end of the race, definitively sealing the third place for his team. The Spanish driver can console himself by boasting of being the only non-Red Bull driver to have won a Grand Prix this season.
2. A messy Hamilton focused on 2024
If his season concludes in third place in the drivers’ championship and clearly ahead of his teammate, it is still not to be dismissed. However, this is nevertheless the second consecutive season that Sir Lewis completes without winning a single race.
And in Abu Dhabi this Sunday, it was clear that the seven-time world champion may already have his sights set on 2024, boasting about not regretting this car during the Grand Prix. Hamilton was never able to fight for the top 5 in this race and the last lost battle against Tsunoda perfectly sums up the British driver’s season: so close thanks to his panache but ultimately not close enough to materialize.
It is high time for Hamilton and Mercedes to move on to the next exercise where each of them hopes to find the path to victory.
3. Alpine never in the race
The year for our French team ends on a somewhat morose note: no points for the team and an anonymous race from both drivers, where the only visible action from the French was the contact between Hamilton and Pierre Gasly, which caused damage to the rear of the Normandy’s car.
The French team was also never able to fight for the points zone, beaten fair and square by the five teams ahead of them as well as Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri. Ultimately, like Hamilton, this Grand Prix epitomizes Enstone’s team season: rather dull and ending in the midfield. Bring on 2024 and an anticipated comeback for the Blue side!
