As the cars race into the sunset this weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the sun will also set on the 2021 Formula 1 season, and and we couldn’t have asked for a better championship battle with the two contenders entering the weekend even on points. Built on a man-made island and with a hotel straddling the track, Yas Marina is said to be the costliest circuit to construct on the Formula 1 calendar. Despite its cost, Yas Marina has not been known for the best racing so this year it has been modified to remedy that. The chicane that formed turns 5-6 will now be a straight, a long banked turn has been created to replace turns 11-14, and turns 17-20 have been re-profiled to allow more speed. The result is a track that is shorter by 273 meters which is predicted to result in a 14s drop in lap times!
It all comes down to this. For Max Verstappen to win the championship he needs to beat Lewis Hamilton outright or both cars have to DNF with Max not receiving a post-race points deduction. We can rest assured that Red Bull and Honda will be bringing all the performance they can muster as Max wants to win, Red Bull wants to win, and Honda wants to end their public participation in F1 on a high. One thing we can say with high confidence (pending a shunt) is Max will be on the podium and a candidate for the win. Look for Perez to play a role in Sunday’s race. On the AlphaTauri side of the garage we can expect Gasly to finish in the points and with a little luck or attrition up front, Tsunoda, too.
Elsewhere on the grid, it’s hard to argue momentum is on Mercedes’ side with Lewis Hamilton. Lewis is certainly a candidate for the win but he has never faced an opponent as determined as Max Verstappen. Following Red Bull and Mercedes we can first expect to see one or both of Maranello’s drivers. Hot on their tales will be at least one of McLaren’s papaya orange cars. After that look for an Alpine as the drivers seems to have learned how to extract everything from that package in recent races. Next up look for an Alfa Romeo sneaking up the order as they continue to enjoy the benefits of Ferrari’s updated engine; however, that position won’t go without a strong challenge from Aston Martin. At this point we may see some team cars if circumstances in the race separate them. Right in that mix will be Williams who have reason to be optimistic heading into 2022. Finally, the season will come to a merciful end for Haas who have foregone two years of development and no points in 2021 to focus on their 2022 car.
Abu Dhabi marks the end of our 2021 Formula 1 Grand Prix coverage. On behalf of TOV/ TOV Motorsports I would like to sincerely express thanks and gratitude to everyone who reads these posts and participates in the discussions; we’ve had another great year of conversation and debates. We look forward to 2022 as the partnership between Honda and Red Bull comes to a public end but Honda’s technology continues to power these two great teams. Again, thank you all.
US TV SCHEDULE
Practice 1 – Friday, December 10 – 4.25AM –
ESPNU
Practice 2 – Friday, December 10 – 7.55AM –
ESPNU
Practice 3 – Saturday, December 11 – 4.55AM – ESPN2
Qualifying – Saturday, December 11 – 7.55AM – ESPN2
Grand Prix Sunday – Sunday, December 12 – 6.30AM – ESPN2
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Sunday, December 12 – 7.55AM – ESPN2/ESPN+
F1 Checkered Flag – Sunday, December 12 – 10AM – ESPN3
CIRCUIT INFORMATION
Lap data
Lap length: 5.281km (3.451 miles)
Race laps: 58
Race distance: 306.183km (190.253 miles)
Pole position: Right-hand side of the track
Lap record*:
TBC
Fastest lap:
TBC
Maximum speed: 320kph (198.839 mph)
DRS
zone/s (race): Two straights
Distance from grid to turn one: 300m
Car performance
Full throttle: 59%
Longest flat-out section: 1233m
Downforce level: High
Gear changes per lap: 68
Fuel use per lap: 1.8kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel: 0.054s
Strategy
Quickest complete pit stop in 2013: 21.175s by Red Bull
2021 tyres: Hard (C3), Medium (C4), Soft (C5) (2020: Hard (C3), Medium (C4), Soft (C5))
2020 RESULTS
Race Info.
Pole: Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 1:35.246
Race laps: 55
Fast race lap: Daniel Ricciardo, Renault, 1:40.926
Podium
1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
2. Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes
3. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
CURRENT STANDINGS
Drivers:
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 369.5
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 369.5
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 218
4. Sergio Perez, Red Bull, 190
5. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 158
6. Lando Norris, McLaren, 154
7. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, 149.5
8. Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, 115
9. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri, 100
10. Fernando Alonso, Alpine, 77
11. Esteban Ocon, Alpine, 72
12. Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin, 43
13. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, 34
14. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, 20
15. George Russell, Williams, 16
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo, 10
17. Nicholas Latifi, Williams, 7
18. Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo, 3
19. Mick Schumacher, Haas, 0
20. Robert Kubica, Alfa Romeo, 0
21. Nikita Mazepin, Haas, 0
Constructors:
1. Mercedes, 587.5
2. Red Bull, 559.5
3. Ferrari, 307.5
4. McLaren, 269
5. Alpine, 149
6. AlphaTauri, 120
7. Aston Martin, 77
8. Williams, 23
9. Alfa Romeo, 13
10. Haas, 0
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