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!

 

[Il_leone]

Trust Hamilton to fluff him quali but that does sum up his season I would consider if Mercedes will make him start in the pitlane because he can avoid the first corner carnage.

 

[P1]

Hamilton for the win

 

[Il_leone]

Hamilton for the win

I hope he does to bury AD2021

 

[F1Brits_90]

Trust Hamilton to fluff him quali but that does sum up his season I would consider if Mercedes will make him start in the pitlane because he can avoid the first corner carnage.

its just more bad luck. as bollard apparently ruined the diffuser under the car & Mercedes as russell was saying was just slow

 

[F1Brits_90]

 

[cider_and_toast]

Breaking

"Hulkenberg changes his name to Verstappen by deed poll, the penalty is rescinded and he gets promoted two grid spots and a letter of apology from the FIA for all the trouble"

 

[F1Brits_90]

it looks as if this is the guilty verdict. which is a shame as that was an incredible lap to out qualify Verstappen was 1 of the laps of the season

https://twitter.com/x/status/1865421253395239136

 

[Il_leone]

Did not Verstappen do that last year?

 

[Il_leone]

its just more bad luck. as bollard apparently ruined the diffuser under the car & Mercedes as russell was saying was just slow

I meant to be eliminated like that just sums up his quali form in 2024

 

[Splash]

Did not Verstappen do that last year?

 

[F1Brits_90]

apparently it was legal in until verstappen did it 2023 FP2. but since then its been outlawed

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fia-bans-f1-pit-exit-overtakes-after-verstappen-incident-in-abu-dhabi/10551317/

 

[Speshal]

They've made a dispensation for Lewis to celebrate with the team should he not be in the top 3

 

[cider_and_toast]

Well isn't that jolly nice of them.

 

[Speshal]

 

[cider_and_toast]

All I want to say is thank Christ it's all over.

 

[Il_leone]

All I want to say is thank Christ it's all over.

well it gave us a possibility of a championship battle but agree the calendar is too long

 

[Speshal]

Well isn't that jolly nice of them.

It was so he could do spinny spinnies....

 

[cider_and_toast]

Surprised they haven't already given him a 10 place grid drop for the first race of next season for exceeding track limits.

 

[F1Brits_90]

im so impressed by McLaren to think of where they were at the start of 2023. i cant think of any team that has gone from back to front without the aid of a rule change. its just incredible. couple of stats on that i believe thats the 1st constructors won by a team since Adrian Newey has left a team & incredibly in the last 40 years. this is only the 5th time (1986 1994 1999 & 2008) that drivers & constructors have been won by 2 different teams

all those that writing lewis hamilton off including eddie jordan whose normally pretty on it, looks very silly now. after coming from 18th to 4th & beating his teammate. what a move that was on the final lap around russell

Verstappen has a problem with authority. it was a very late lunge, had desperation . then mocking the stewards, "shouldve given me 20 seconds". as if He wouldn't been furious at Piastri if roles are reversed

 

[cider_and_toast]

Can't help but think if LeClerc had been in that McLaren he'd be the new World Champion.

Norris hasn't got "It" unfortunately.