Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the last race of this year’s Formula 1 season. It will take place at the fabulous Yas Marina Circuit, projected by Hermann Tilke, a famous German engineer. There isn’t any competitive meaning of this event, as everything is already decided before it. Lewis Hamilton is the champion, and Mercedes retained its title in the constructors’ championship. However, prestige is something very important for the F1 teams and drivers, and neither of them will miss a chance to add another triumph to its account or to at least win some points.
Preview
Coming up to this event, Mercedes showed great pace, and on both training sessions before the qualifications, Valtteri Bottas set the fastest time. The Finnish driver was pretty convincing on both occasions and delivered not just the best time, but also the most convincing drives. Yet, he ended the session badly, because hi collided with Romain Grosjean, which caused a red flag. Mercedes’ driver is ok, but his car is not, and at the moment, the stewards are investing in the incident.
The other Silver Arrow was right behind him. Hamilton, who wasn’t happy with the way his vehicle behaved during the first training session, posted the third time then and the second in the latter one. Although having troubles, the Englishman’s results have been quite solid, and he probably aims to have another win here, his fifth.
When speaking about problems, Sebastian Vettel suffered a huge crash in the first session. The German hit the wall and destroyed his vehicle, but luckily, had no injuries. Ferrari’s driver was probably a bit disturbed, because these days, he had a reason to celebrate. Vettel became a father for the third time, and he flew directly to Abu Dhabi after his wife gave birth.
Charles Leclerc was quiet. Ending at No.7 at the FP1 and third in the second is maybe below his standards, but that doesn’t have t mean anything. It is obvious that Ferrari couldn’t follow Mercedes’ pace here, and that Red Bull looked better.
Verstappen and Albon were much faster at the first session, with the Dutchman finishing second and Albon being fourth. The latter is really improving from race to race, and if he continued to develop at this pace we might see him winning a few events already next year.
Previous Races
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was established in 2009. The latest winner is Lewis Hamilton, who has four wins here, Sebastian Vettel has three. Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg, and Bottas all have one apiece. The latest five races were all won by Mercedes, and what is interesting is the fact that Ferrari doesn’t have a single victory here. The sole two constructors who won here were Mercedes with six trophies and Renault who has four.
Prediction
Bottas has been excellent in recent times, and he is our favorite of winning this race. He has two wins over the past four Grand Prix’s, one pole position and is looking quite convincing. It is as if he wants to prove that he can compete with Hamilton, and that the next championship might be his. Because of it, we can’t realize why the bookies doubt Fin’s capabilities in this race. Bottas to finish on the podium is at 2.90, which is pretty crazy, you have to admit. We will go for it, because having in mind his current form and the potential profits, this could be the jackpot of the day. Don’t hesitate, visit BetXChange and try this.
