As is often the case, the Abu Dhabi finale produces a spectacle of style over substance.
Max Verstappen took his second victory of 2020 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, during a weekend where, for the first time this year, Red Bull clearly had the outright fastest car.
Qualifying on Saturday was close – the top three separated by less than a tenth of a second – but surprisingly it was Verstappen who came away with his first pole of the year. And on Sunday, he simply drove away into the setting sun. It was a performance reminiscent of the Red Bull glory days of 2010 – 2013 but now with Verstappen at the wheel rather than Sebastian Vettel. Unfortunately it proved to be yet another sopirific race at the Yas Marina circuit.
The Mercedes behind never looked a threat and it was telling that Alexander Albon was challenging them in the final laps, rather than battling midfield cars. An off-colour Lewis Hamilton – clearly still struggling as he recovers from contracting Covid-19 – meandered round to third before saying, “I’m destroyed – I do not feel good. But I’m happy, I’m grateful. I’m alive, and I live to fight another day.”
Some saw this as promising for a close title battle next year – and Mercedes predictably talked up that prospect – but this dominant win came with some caveats.
In addition to housing a less-than-100% Hamilton, the World Champions had detuned their engines after discovering a reliability concern with their MGU-K. They had also struggled with balance throughout the weekend and were losing three tenths per lap in Turns Five, Six and Seven alone.
Most importantly, though, Mercedes – after seeing the level of their dominance early in the year – abandoned development on the all-conquering W11 to concentrate on next year’s car about halfway through the season. Technical director James Allison has pointed out that 2021’s regulations aren’t quite as copy-paste as many would have you believe.
“Actually, you can design an entire new suspension on next year’s car. You can spend your allowable tokens on quite considerable upgrades. You could be permitted to put a new gearbox on your new car if you use your permitted development tokens for that, or a new chassis.
“These are not small twiddles to an existing package. They are quite large ones. If we showed up with the first iterations of this modified regulation set, we would go from pole position to more or less last on the grid. So, there is a lot of work to do.”
If they are truly to challenge, Red Bull must put to bed their recent habit of starting the season slowly, with a tricky car which they slowly gain an understanding of. And a second driver who can consistently challenge at the front wouldn’t hurt either…
The Battle for the ‘Best of the Rest’
After last weekend’s shock win – and double podium – for Racing Point, third place in the constructors’ standings looked theirs to lose.
But things started to unravel when they discovered an engine issue on Sergio Pérez’s car – one that, in fact, came perilously close to denying him an emotional maiden win. The Mexican would have to start the race from the back of the grid. This problem for the Pink Panthers was then compounded by the McLarens’ excellent performance in qualifying, with Lando Norris starting in fourth and Carlos Sainz in sixth.
On race day, Norris inevitably fell behind the rapid Red Bull of Albon but, from there, those in papaya didn’t put a foot wrong and came home in fifth and sixth for a crucial haul of 18 points.
Pérez’s recovery drive was short-lived; another engine failure cruelly put an end to his final race with the team. After seven years – during which time he has saved the team from bankruptcy and delivered their first win – this will have had absolutely no effect on his hero status though.
The other Racing Point of Lance Stroll could only struggle to a single point for 10th and, with the Renaults in seventh and ninth, the unofficial title of ‘best of the rest’ – and more importantly, the extra prize money – went to McLaren.
Racing Point’s 15-point deduction back in the summer for illegally copying the Mercedes 2019 car proved crucial in the end. But they start afresh next year – rebranded as Aston Martin, with four-time world champion Vettel leading the team – and will look to push on towards the battle at the front.
A Race of Farewells
Abu Dhabi saw the end of many chapters. As mentioned, Pérez leaves Racing Point to be replaced by Vettel; the Ferrari driver was given a guard of honour by his mechanics and honoured via a special helmet design from teammate Charles Leclerc.
It was also Daniil Kvyat’s last race for AlphaTauri. The Russian’s Red Bull rollercoaster ride is finally over, but he is determined to find a spot on the grid elsewhere in 2022 and – after a mediocre start to the season – his performances of late have shown that he still has the potential to shine if given the right car.
The Sainz-Norris bromance at McLaren was heartbreakingly torn apart as the former prepares for his move to Ferrari. They signed off in trademark style though. And a Ricciardo-Norris partnership is unlikely to be dull.
Finally, it was farewell to the Haas drivers. It has been an underwhelming year in terms of performance, but Kevin Magnussen has shown a characteristic fighting spirit throughout. And if we’re talking of fighting spirit… Romain Grosjean was sadly unable to compete in his final race, but the images of him escaping that terrifying fireball in Bahrain will last forever. He may even have bagged himself a drive in the fastest F1 car of all time to see off his career. There are far worse ways to end a career and I’m sure many of them ran through his mind during those excruciating 28 seconds.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 60 Seconds
Answering the Burning Questions
Will Lewis Hamilton experience any knock-on effects from the virus? Apparently so. He certainly didn’t seem his usual self.
How will George Russell readjust to the Williams after a taste at the front? All the usual talk of being happy to be back and he performed at his usual high level.
Who can go into the winter break on a high? Verstappen, Red Bull and McLaren.
Which team will claim third in the standings and which driver will claim fourth? Pérez held on for fourth, despite his retirement contributing to McLaren snatching third from Racing Point.
