Grand Prix 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

So here it is, the last race of the longest F1 season in the history of the sport (?). We are off to yet another faceless, racing "installation" in the middle of bloody nowhere, but hey, they are paying lots of money for the joy staging the event. And it's not like the old days, where there were races in countries with poor human rights records, run by military dictatorships, like Argentina, Spain, or South Africa. Oh....

Back to 2024. There a few other lasts in this last race of the season:

• Lewis Hamilton will have his last race for Mercedes
• Carlos Sainz will take part in his last race for Ferrari
• Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen will have their last race for Haas. Hulkenberg will continue at Sauber/Audi in 2025, but I suspect we have seen the end of Magnussen.
• Bottas and Zhou will have their last race for Sauber, and will join KMag in the queue at the F1 unemployment office
• Ocon will have his final race at Alpine. Hang on, that was Qatar. Extraordinarily, he has managed to get a seat at Haas for next year.
• Franco Colapinto will likely have his last race at Williams, but where might he be in 2025?

Who have I missed? Ah, Sergio Perez, although you would probably not have noticed him being at Red Bull for most of this season.

Have I missed anything? Is this the last race for a Renault engine or do Alpine switch in 2026?

Let's hope it is less of a farce than Qatar, from a stewarding perspective. Although it did actually generate some interest when watching it on the TV.

And, of course, we have the BIG question, which team will win the Constructors Championship. I suspect that only Ferrari fans really care about their team winning this, what the other teams are worried about is the huge cash pot associated with their final position in this league table. These were the estimates in 2023

Odd to think that the team in 10th couldn't even pay the salaries of Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen with their share.

No sprint race this weekend. Here are the timings if you are lucky enough to be able to watch it on Sky. Enjoy!

 

[F1Brits_90]

And, of course, we have the BIG question, which team will win the Constructors Championship. I suspect that only Ferrari fans really care about their team winning this, what the other teams are worried about is the huge cash pot associated with their final position in this league table. These were the estimates in 2023

here is he interesting thing if mclaren win the constructors. which is mad to think the last time was 1998. when jos Verstappen finished last in drivers championship. it would be the 1st time a team has won the constructors championship after adrian newey has left the team

but it should be mclarens to lose because they are 21pts clear which means that unless ferrari win the race. it should be straight forward with mclaren only needing 1 of them to finish 3rd (4th + fastest lap). or both finishing 6th & 7th. but if Ferrari somehow ended up as 1-2. mclaren only need 23pts. which would be 3rd & 6th

 

[Brogan]

If the second Red Bull driver wasn't anything more than a potato, neither team would be anywhere near the WCC.

 

[FB]

Sergio Perez gets ready for his chance at Red Bull Racing

 

[Brogan]

He couldn't do much worse.

 

[Christoon]

The main focus will be on the WCC with McLaren currently in pole position with a 21-point lead over Ferrari but there will be a lot to look forward to for the fans during the weekend as a list of events and activities happening in a round the Yas Marina Circuit. There will be driver appearances, F1 race simulator, pitstop challenge, and music performances by some of the biggest names including Maroon 5, Eminem, and Muse. Check out this guide to learn more about all that is taking place during this racing weekend.