McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after both their cars were found not to comply with the technical regulations.
Post-race, the rearmost skid wear on both Mclaren MCL39 machines was found to be below the minimum 9mm thickness by technical delegates on inspection.
The matter was referred to the stewards, who subsequently disqualified both cars from the official result, with Norris having finished second and Piastri fourth.
As a result, race winner Max Verstappen has made a significant gain with regards to the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, as the Red Bull man now sits level on points with Oscar Piastri on 336. Lando Norris is 24 points ahead on 390 at the top of the standings with just two rounds of the season to go.
McLaren are not the first team to fall foul of skid block infringements this season, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg also disqualified from the Chinese and Bahrain Grand Prix respectively for similar transgressions.
With two Grand Prix and one Sprint remaining, there are 58 points on offer over the next two weekends to determine the outcome of the 2025 title.
Confirming the disqualifications of the McLaren pair, the stewards’ document stated that the skid blocks on both cars were “measured and found to be below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations. The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the Stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those measured originally by the Technical Delegate. It was also confirmed that McLaren had argued “mitigating circumstances existed in that there was additional and unexpected porpoising at this event, limited opportunity to test due to the weather on Day 1, and shortened practice sessions. While the stewards dismissed this, they added “the FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations”. The Stewards’ document.
Max Verstappen claimed an impressive victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, denying Lando Norris and reducing the McLaren driver’s lead in the standings to 42 points as Oscar Piastri finished fourth.
Verstappen was left in control of the 50 lap race on the streets of Las Vegas after the opening corners, passing poleman Norris when the Drivers’ Championship leader ran wide through Turn 1 having initially chopped across his title rival off the line.
Norris also slipped behind George Russell and only re-passed the Mercedes driver in the latter stages but was unable to mount a challenge on Verstappen, eventually limping home nearly 21 seconds adrift after nursing a late problem.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Piastri, P5: Antonelli, P6: Leclerc, P7: Sainz, P8: Hadjar, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Hamilton.
What a result for Verstappen, this is what he would’ve wanted going into the race today! The minute he took the opportunity to lead he was gone and didn’t look back.
P2 for Norris and P4 for Piastri, a decent result for McLaren. Unfortunate for Lando to loose out on a couple of positions at the start of the race, but he did well to keep the momentum going and grab another position back. As for Piastri, a decent race, nothing amazing, he gained an extra place as Antonelli had a penalty which pushed him down to 5th and Piastri up to 4th.
For the Mercedes duo, a really good result for Russell, P3 for the Brit, which is needed in the fight in the constructors. As for Antonelli, what a drive by the Italian! Starting 17th to finish 5th! Honestly a really good drive, unfortunate for the penalty but one of the best drives his done so far.
P6 for Leclerc, a decent result but wasn’t anything wow, main thing was he kept out of trouble and still scored points. As for his teammate, Hamilton had a good drive to get into the points from starting 19th.
P7 for Sainz, a lovely result for him especially after starting third. A good result for the team especially as they fight it out for P5, which they have now built a 31 point gap between themselves and Racing Bulls in 6th.
We had 3 retirees, Alex Albon having collided with the back of Hamilton which required a new front wing, while Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll retired with damage after contact at Turn 1 on the opening lap.
In the race I think everyone was just trying to find a rhythm and see how much you could push, especially in the first stint because being on the more fragile tyre. It worked really well, normally the race is always a tough one for us – we are normally not that great on tyres, but today it seemed like we had that a little bit more under control and I could push a little bit more and that unlocked a bit more pace. I could stay out a bit longer and split basically the race in half. It definitely helped a lot and the car was working pretty well, much more to my liking and it was at the end quite a decent gap. It was just every lap feeling comfortable and not taking too much out of the tyre. Verstappen on the win and race.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the last of three rounds of this year’s world championship to be held in the United States, before the season comes to a close with the final two races in the Middle East.
The race is run over 50 laps of the Las Vegas circuit, which has 17 corners and is unique because of the speeds attained and its technical layout. At 6.201 kilometres, it is the second longest on the calendar after Spa and one of the fastest in terms of average lap speed.
In 2024, Alex Albon in his Williams hit the highest top speed of the season (368 km/h) on the straight between turns 12 and 14. At the latter corner, drivers experience very strong deceleration when braking and it is one of the best overtaking opportunities.
Almost 80% of the lap is spent at full throttle, the cars passing famous landmarks such as the Venetian and Casears Palace, which hosted the first two Las Vegas GPs.
For the third consecutive year, the compounds chosen for the Las Vegas street circuit are the C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft). One of the main challenges will be tyre temperature management especially during qualifying.
The fact the sessions are running earlier this year will help the drivers, as conditions won’t be quite as cold, thus helping tyre warm-up. However, the preparation lap prior to the flying lap will still be crucial to get the tyres up into the right temperature window. Furthermore, this year’s tyres have improved mechanical properties, which should see a reduction in degradation, which was particularly noticeable on the medium compound last year.
All but four drivers chose to start on the medium, Fernando Alonso went for the soft, while Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and starting from pitlane Franco Colapinto, preferred the hard. The two-stop was the preferred strategy, drivers pushing tyres to the limit rather than having to manage them carefully.
Max Verstappen became a four-time world champion with an assured drive to fifth place during Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, while pole sitter, George Russell and the charging Lewis Hamilton earned a one-two finish for Mercedes!
Verstappen entered the 50 lap encounter knowing that all he needed to do was keep title rival Lando Norris behind him to secure another title, which the Dutchman achieved by holding position into the first corner and gradually pulled away from the British driver.
Having held a podium spot after the second round of pit stops, Verstappen opted against a fight when the Ferrari’s arrived at the rear of his Red Bull in the closing laps – both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finding a way past before the chequered flag.
At the front, Russell expertly managed a tricky race in cool, slippery conditions, keeping a fast-starting Leclerc at bay in the early laps – the latter running into tyre troubles as a result of that aggression – and controlling proceedings thereafter.
The full top 10 are – P1: Russell, P2: Hamilton, P3: Sainz, P4: Leclerc, P5: Verstappen, P6: Norris, P7: Piastri, P8: Hulkenberg, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Perez.
What a result for Mercedes, 1-2 for the team!! Coming into the weekend I would’ve been surprised however because they’ve had a very strong weekend it wasn’t too much of a shock. George kept his cool and grabbed the win from pole position and Lewis just had a superb drive from P10 to P2, it does make you think if he had qualified well, could he of got this win? An overall note though from the race is that the Mercs were just flying and no-one could really challenge them so it will be interesting to see if this happens again in the final two races…
A very good result for Ferrari especially with the battle of the Constructors’ Championship still to win. Sainz finished 3rd and Leclerc 4th! There was a few words said after the race from Leclerc with the radio message. It will be interesting to see how the team goes forward with two races left.
P5 for Verstappen, I think in an ideal world he would’ve loved to win the race and claim his fourth Championship. However, he got it done with two races left! A big congratulations to Max and Red Bull for a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship it’s not an easy task! His teammate had made some good overtakes in the race to finish 10th so his managed to score a point, but it’s still very dissapointing.
A not so good weekend for McLaren, they were kind of nowhere, didn’t really do anything amazing as the pace just wasn’t there. Norris finished 6th and Piastri in 7th, so still a decent haul of points but still not good enough.
A very good result for both Hulkenberg who finished in P8 and Tsunoda who finished P9, it will help the teams massively in the Constructors’ and with two races left they will be trying to grab as many points as they can.
A disappointing race for Pierre Gasly, as he DNF’ed from starting P3. He had smoke exiting the rear of his pink Alpine, he was forced to pit lane and retire from the race.
We don’t have too long to wait till the next race as its this week! And it is the return of the Sprint in Qatar…
Mercedes driver George Russell, stormed to pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari rival Carlos Sainz and the flying Alpine of Pierre Gasly in Friday night’s pulsating qualifying session.
Having topped final practice and led the way after the first Q3 runs, Russell posted a time of 1m 32.312s on his final lap to secure the top spot and end a run of Ferrari and McLaren poles stretching back to his P1 at Silverstone in July.
Sainz was a tenth of a second back, while Pierre Gasly and Alpine built on their sensational double podium finish last time out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to deliver another eye-catching result in third place.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Russell, P2: Sainz, P3: Gasly, P4: Leclerc, P5: Verstappen, P6: Norris, P7: Tsunoda, P8: Piastri, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Hamilton.
A lovely little result for Russell and Mercedes, especially as they have been having good results all weekend so far in the practice sessions. It’s a shame for Lewis to have a lap time deleted as it looked like he would of been top 3 if he carried on the way the practice sessions went.
What a result for Mr Pierre Gasly!! They have clearly brought upgrades before Brazil and they clearly work or it’s just their car suiting these last few tracks. Who knows but they may aswell keep enjoying it!
A good qualifying for Ferrari! P2 for Sainz and P4 for Leclerc. They will be hoping for a good result for both drivers as they have got the Constructors’ fight to think about..
A not so good result for both Verstappen and Norris, P5 and P6 respectively. It will be an interesting race, as Verstappen can win his fourth world championship this weekend! Norris will need to pull something special out the bag in the race to keep the fight going for another week!
A good result for Tsunoda! P7, what a lovely result! As well as Hulkenberg who qualified P9 too, they will both be wanting to grab some points this weekend!
A disappointing result for Perez who has qualified in P16, this isn’t what the team needs unfortunately, they are going to be losing so much ground in the Constructors’ with these awful results… He needs to get in the points this weekend to make it a better weekend.
Awful qualifying for Aston Martin, P20 for Stroll and P17 for Alonso, I still don’t understand to this day how they done so well last year compared to how bad they’ve done this year, it’s just so strange.
It feels incredible to be back on pole. We’ve been so quick all weekend and I just knew coming into that last Q3 lap… that’s going to be the one that counts. It doesn’t matter what’s happened before then. I had a bit of a moment on my first run and we had to change the front wing, so there was a moment when I thought we weren’t going to make the flag. I’m just so happy. We’ve got to do some deep diving to understand why we’ve been so quick so far this weekend because it was a real surprise. Russell on pole.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the third round this year to be held in the United States, following on from Miami and Austin.
After the 7.004 kilometre-long Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Nevadan track is the second longest on the calendar at 6.201 kilometres. It features 17 corners, tackled over 50 times in the race. It is a high speed venue, with three straights and top speeds that hit 350 km/h last year.
Once again this year, track action begins with two free practice sessions getting underway on Thursday, leading up to the race on Saturday night, run entirely under the floodlights.
As has become the normal for street circuits, Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds in the race – C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft).
The main challenge on the tyre front will be the warm up, especially during qualifying and for the front axle in particular. Drivers will have to be careful to bring the tyres up to temperature without overworking them, avoiding any lock-ups at the heaviest braking points.
Furthermore, low temperatures lead to reduction in grips and that can cause increased graining. These factors could lead to a speeding up of the wear process, which suggests a two-stop strategy, which was in fact the most popular choice last year. However a one-stop can still be quite competitive, especially if the driver gradually brings the tyres up to temperature, prolonging its life over a long stint.
As always on a street circuit, red flags and Safety Cars are a strong probability with all the unknowns that can bring, including a restart in terms of tyre temperature management.
This weekend sees F1 racing in Las Vegas for a fourth time. After two events in 1981 and 1982, last year the race found a new home in the city, with the track using part of the famous Strip from which it takes its name. Read our preview here 👇https://t.co/H9ESzpvK1Ipic.twitter.com/9yTfrAHnLl
Round 22 is officially over and what a thrilling Las Vegas Grand Prix we had! From VSC to full Safety Car’s and penalties, it was all going on…
But, Max Verstappen took the win in Sin City, with Charles Leclerc finishing second for Ferrari and Sergio Perez rounded out the top three.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Ocon, P5: Stroll, P6: Sainz, P7: Hamilton, P8: Russell, P9: Alonso and P10: Piastri.
A brilliant result from Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, seeing the Mexican come through the field and be fighting for podiums was nice to see and the battle with Charles towards the end of the race.
Leclerc had a great race, I definitely think he could’ve won it if the second Safety Car didn’t come out. He will be hoping that he can hopefully get an even better result next week! His teammate had an okay race, obviously he had a bit of a tangle on lap 1 with Lewis Hamilton with a bit of under-steer, but he still managed to grab P6 after his penalty this weekend.
Alpine have had a good weekend but it seems like their driver’s swapped places? Gasly started the race fourth but finished 11th just outside the points. And Ocon started 16th but finished fourth? In the end it’s a good haul of points for the team.
Stroll has another good result! Two P5 finishes in two weeks, just what him and the team needs for their fight in the Constructors battle. As they look to fight for P4 against McLaren.
Talking of McLaren a mixed day for them, Lando Norris crashed on lap 3 just after the VSC ended due to loosing control of his car through turn 11, he slammed into the barriers and was very close to taking his teammate out. Thankfully he is all okay and went to the hospital for extra precaution but the team has since confirmed his okay.
With Perez finishing third and Lewis 7th this means Perez has claimed P2 in the standings and Hamilton third, as Sainz cannot score more than 32 points next weekend. However, there is a four way battle for P4, Sainz currently sits fourth on 200 points, Alonso in 5th on 200 points aswell, Norris on 195 points and Leclerc 188 points.
Looking at the Constructors, Mercedes are still ahead of Ferrari and are on 392 whereas Ferrari is on 288 just 4 points between the teams. McLaren are still fourth on 284 points, and Aston Martin is on 273 points, just 11 points between the teams.
But we don’t have too long to wait, as the season finale is next week and we close the season out in Abu Dhabi!
Qualifying is done for the day, so let’s take a look at how it went in Sin City!
Charles Leclerc stormed to pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix around the all new Strip Circuit, Carlos Sainz finished second and Max Verstappen third. However, Carlos Sainz has a 10 place grid penalty for the chaos from FP1, which forced Ferrari to change parts on his car so he will start 12th…
The full top 10 after penalties are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Russell, P4: Gasly, P5: Albon, P6: Sargeant, P7: Bottas, P8: Magnussen, P9: Alonso and P10: Hamilton.
Well, Charles and Ferrari had a feeling they were going to be okay here, so for them to get pole position I think they will be happy with that! Hopefully they can turn it into a win for Charles!
George had a good result for Mercedes, however Lewis had a bit of a rough time he originally qualified 11th, due to not being able to go any faster and improve on his lap time, so he will have some work to do in the race!
Gasly had a really good result! P4 and he will be hoping for points tomorrow and to keep out of trouble. Unfortunately his teammate, Esteban Ocon starts 16th which is a bit rough compared to Gasly.
Now onto Williams! Albon P5 and Logan Sargeant in P6!! Wow, that is the teams best qualifying result in 7 years! Logan will be hoping to score points again this weekend so he can secure his seat for next season, could the points come again?
A bit of a shocker for McLaren, P15 for Norris and P18 for Piastri, they both seemed to really struggle, i’m not sure whether it’s the track which doesn’t suit them or not being able to heat up tyres who knows? But the team will want to score points this weekend.
But, we do have some drivers coming through the field including Hamilton 10th, Perez 11th and Sainz 12th and the McLaren’s, so we could have some drama…
The tyres have been chosen for the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend!
The tyres chosen are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), and C5 (Soft), this is the softest selection of tyres in the range.
For the first time in F1 history the sessions will overlap more than one day, with a different schedule for the night race weekend.
The new Las Vegas street circuit consists of 17 corners and three straights, with two DRS zones. The lap is 6.12 kilometres long, with an estimated top speed of 342kph. The finish line is on the corner of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane, with the layout stretching from Las Vegas Boulevard to Sands Avenue and a race distance of 50 laps.
More than 30 different variants of the street track were designed before the final layout was selected. The main infrastructure, including the pit building in the shape of the F1 logo.
Formula 1 previously raced at Las Vegas as the last round of the 1981 and 1982 seasons, with both events called the Caesars Palace Grand Prix. On each occasion the race decided the championship: Alan Jones won the Grand Prix for Williams in 1981 but the title went to Brabham driver Nelson Piquet.
The podium finishers will wear a special edition Pirelli podium cap with gold braiding. The Stars and Stripes flag as well as “Las Vegas 2023” scrip will also appear on the cap.
Formula 1 returns to the United States for the third time this year, following Miami and Austin. And it’s with one of the most-eagerly grands prix of the year, in Las Vegas, where the pinnacle of motorsport hasn’t been seen since 1982. This will be an incredible race, as every day is showtime in Las Vegas, and all of us working in Formula 1 want to put on the sort of spectacle that is worthy of this amazing city.
It will also be a major technical challenge for both the teams and us, as we head into this race with no real references apart from simulation. Nobody has ever actually driven the 6.12-kilometre Las Vegas Strip circuit before, which is second only to Spa in terms of overall length this year, characterised by three straights and 17 corners. The surface will be a mix of the usual street asphalt, especially on the actual Strip, as well as other parts that have been completely re-asphalted for the occasion; adding another unknown element. There won’t be any support races and the track will be opened again to normal traffic for long chunks of the day, which means that the surface won’t rubber in as usual and deliver improved grip.
We’re expecting the cars to run quite low levels of downforce, similar to Baku or indeed Monza: hitting a high top speed will be key to being competitive. All the sessions will take place at night, with unusual ambient and track temperatures for a race weekend; more similar to those found back when pre-season testing used to take place in Europe. Those long straights also make it harder to warm up tyres in qualifying, as well as keep them in the right window: the same challenge as seen in Baku, which will probably be more pronounced in Las Vegas.
Bearing all this in mind, we’ve selected the trio of softest compounds for this weekend: C3, C4, and C5, which should guarantee good grip. Minimum tyre pressures should be 27 psi at the front and 24.5 psi at the back, due to the expected low temperatures as well as the track layout. In cold conditions, the gap between cold tyre pressures and normal running pressures is greatly reduced – so when the car is moving, tyre pressure will increase a lot less than on other circuits due to the low asphalt temperatures. As a result, we think that running pressures will still be lower than on other circuits that are tough on tyres, such as Baku for example.
So all the elements are in place for an extraordinary race, packed with surprises and unpredictability. As the title of Elvis Presley’s famous racing film goes…Viva Las Vegas!
What a season, but more importantly the final race weekend of the 2022 season is complete which means it was Sebastian Vettel’s last race as well.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the race where it decides the runner-up this season, as well as the closeness in the Constructors too.
But it was Max Verstappen who wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix making it 15 wins in a season for the Dutchman, Charles Leclerc comes home to make it 2nd, and also second in the drivers championship too. Sergio Perez rounds out the podium, after falling short not being able to overtake the Monegasque driver.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz, P5: Russell, P6: Norris, P7: Ocon, P8: Stroll, P9: Ricciardo and P10: Vettel.
First and foremost it was wonderful to see Seb get points in his last race, as well as Daniel too. Two out of four drivers leaving the sport this weekend, but managing to hold on and get points is probably more than what they could wish for!
Not the best race for Mercedes, they had their first mechanical retirement of the season, as Lewis had to pit due to loosing power because of an hydraulic issue. Their fight for P2 in the constructors was then over.
A good finish for Ferrari, after an up and down season I think they will be pretty pleased with 2nd in the drivers and constructors, there is definitely some things they need to work on if they want to be in the title fight again, but its all apart of learning.
The Championship-
Firstly looking at the Drivers championship, Leclerc finishes his highest in the championship, as well George Russell in his first year as a Mercedes driver. But one person I have to mention, Mr Lando Norris (Mr P7…) being best of the rest and beating out both Alpines.
Now taking a look at the Constructors, Alpine beat McLaren to that all important P4. Alfa Romeo manage to stay ahead of Aston Martin due to Valtteri Bottas’s 5th place in Imola. Haas finish 8th ahead of Alpha Tauri and Williams in P10.
Now, we have 105 days until the next race at the beginning of March and we obviously have testing aswell! It’s been a mad season, keep your eyes peeled for the latest news and some articles coming out soon on the 2022 season!
The final race weekend is here, and its set to be an emotional one as it will be 4 time World Champion’s Sebastian Vettel’s last race as well as saying goodbye to Daniel Ricciardo, Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher…
But, there is still so much up for grabs! The fight for P2 in the Driver standings is still available, as well as the teams getting as many points as possible to see if they can move any further up!
Who needs a good weekend?
McLaren will be hoping for a good weekend as last weekend saw them have a double DNF, not only this they are in the fight with Alpine for fourth in the constructors and will be hoping for a double points finish, which would be a great way to send of the Honey Badger.
Perez will be hoping for a good weekend as Red Bull seeks 1-2 in the Constructors and will be hoping that his teammate will be helping him this time round…
The battle for 6th in the Constructors is heating up as Alfa Romeo sits in 6th on 55 points and Aston Martin in 7th on 50 points, and with Aston Martin having scored quite a few points recently so Alfa Romeo will be hoping to score big.
Predictions-
My top five predictions for qualifying are: P1: Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Russell and P5: Leclerc.
I think we will see all top 3 teams in the top 10, maybe a bit mixed up. As well as Lando, Fernando and Ocon mixed up in the top 10 and possibly a Haas or an Aston Martin joining them in the top 10.
McLaren will be saying farewell to their MCL36 car with a special one-off livery for this weekend’s 2022 season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Having run a special paint scheme in Singapore and Japan, McLaren have taken a different route for the season-ending race at Yas Marina, the team having collaborated with Lebanese artist Anna Tangles for the Abu Dhabi livery.
Produced for the Driven by Change programme which was an initiative launched last year to give underrepresented creatives the platform to showcase their work to a global audience through motorsport.
Last season, the team collaborated with Emirati artist Rabab Tantawy for their one-off Abu Dhabi look.
As a lifelong F1 fan, I never believed that I would one day have my artwork showcased at a Grand Prix – and it’s all thanks to Driven by Change. I dedicate my spare time to training and encouraging other artists, particularly other Middle Eastern female creatives, to embrace their passion and skills, and so it’s a privilege to be a part of a community that supports the same ambition of empowering underrepresented artists in this way
Anna Tangles.
We are delighted to represent an emerging artist’s design on our race cars once again, championing creativity together with Vuse. Anna Tangles produces stunning artwork and has a powerful story which perfectly embodies the spirit and values of the Driven by Change campaign. The initiative is building a legacy which we are excited to continue driving, using our global platform to amplify the talent of emerging creatives.
Louise McEwen, executive director of brand and marketing at McLaren.
The last race of the season is here and the tyres have been chosen for this weekend’s Grand Prix. Pirelli have nominated the three softest compounds in the range those being: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft).
The circuit characteristics aren’t particularly demanding for the tyres, as well as the asphalt not being as abrasive, which allows the use of the softer compounds. It’s important to consider the falling track temperature during the race as the chequered flag falls late into the evening.
The Yas Marina circuit is made up of 16 corners as well as some fast sections, where aerodynamics are an important aspect to guarantee a strong performance.
The teams used a number of different strategies at last years Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen won the race after being on a 3 stop, as he put the soft tyres on 5 laps from the end due to a safety car appearing.
At Abu Dhabi, a truly thrilling season comes to an end. Last year’s modifications to some of the straights and corners on the Yas Marina track have made the circuit faster, balancing the longitudinal and lateral demands on the tyres – whereas previously it was more about traction and braking. Despite these changes to the layout, there is still going to be a lot of attention paid to the rear tyres in order to guarantee the best traction over long stints. On the Tuesday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 2023 slick tyres will be tried out during a full day of testing, where the teams will be able to decide their run plans as well as which drivers to use: race drivers or young drivers..
Mario Isla, Motorsport Director.
Formula 2-
Abu Dhabi hosts the final round of this year’s Formula 2 season, two months after the penultimate round in Italy. Whilst the Driver’s title is claimed, the teams title is still up for grabs. The medium compound and soft compounds have been chosen for this weekend. The Sprint race will last 23 laps, whilst the feature race will last 33 laps.
To start firstly I just want to say what an amazing season we have had from all 20 drivers, lots of drama in all 22 races, and its been amazing to see! It’s truly one of the best seasons I have witnessed and I hope we can have more like this soon.
We do however have some drivers leaving F1 today, Kimi retiring and Antonio Giovinazzi going to Formula E. We also have some driver changes, Bottas to Alfa Romeo, George to Mercedes. We also have the returning Alex Albon who will be joining Williams and we also have Guaynu Zhou who will be making a step up from Formula 2 to join Alfa Romeo.
Wow, I have no clue what to say in the race we just watched… Just a note before hand I try and keep my blog neutral, so that I don’t favour a driver or a team and just go off pure predictions and how I feel at that time and whenever I state my opinion I make it clear, so thats what I am going to do now.
MY OPINION-
I don’t get how the FIA can make their own rules up during the race. Going against their own rule book is insane it doesn’t present itself well to Formula One fans in general. I think this is what Mercedes fans are most upset about, which I do get. The FIA states in the sporting regulations that:
48.12 If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message “LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE” has been sent to all Competitors via the official messaging system, any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car. This will only apply to cars that were lapped at the time they crossed the Line at the end of the lap during which they crossed the first Safety Car line for the second time after the safety car was deployed. Having overtaken the cars on the lead lap and the safety car these cars should then proceed around the track at an appropriate speed, without overtaking, and make every effort to take up position at the back of the line of cars behind the safety car. Whilst they are overtaking, and in order to ensure this may be carried out safely, the cars on the lead lap must always stay on the racing line unless deviating from it is unavoidable. Unless the clerk of the course considers the presence of the safety car is still necessary, once the last lapped car has passed the leader the safety car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap. If the clerk of the course considers track conditions are unsuitable for overtaking the message “OVERTAKING WILL NOT BE PERMITTED” will be sent to all Competitors via the official messaging system.
In my opinion when cars are allowed to un-lap themselves its normally all the cars which are lapped and not the four in-between the two championship contenders. And I get why Mercedes are appealing it, because it clearly states above that lapped cars can overtake- but to make it even more confusing Masi decided that the lap cars would not over-take on the safety car and then decided a little while later they can!
No-one wanted the championship to go this way, with it being taken to get looked at by the FIA, but rules are rules at the end of the day and I feel like Lewis should’ve won this race.
The Race-
Congratulations to Max Verstappen for being Champion, a hard season for both contenders but neither gave up, it saw Lewis coming home in 2nd and Carlos Sainz grabbing one more podium to end the year, he finished P3.
The full top 10 are as follows: P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Sainz, P4: Tsunoda, P5: Gasly, P6: Bottas, P7: Norris, P8: Alonso, P9: Ocon and P10: Leclerc.
We had 5 DNF’s, first one being Kimi we didn’t want to see him retire on his last race but some things are just out of his control, the next being Russell with a gearbox issue which isn’t the way he wanted his final race with Williams to go.
Giovinazzi was the next to DNF as he had a problem with his car too, Perez had to retire too due to a problem with his car. Then Latifi, crashed which caused the safety car to come out, thankfully Latifi was okay after the his crash.
Lewis Hamilton got off the line just superbly starting P2 on the mediums made it think that Mercedes picked wrong as everyone else around Lewis was on softs, but he took the lead on the first lap! And led the majority of the race, with having stopped quite early on people started to doubt the 7 time world champ with tyres and him struggling towards the end.
WOW, Yuki Tsunoda finishing P4! Making that his best ever finish!! What a way to finish his first year in F1, I cant wait to see how he does next year.
The Championship-
Sainz managed to grab P5 of both Norris and Leclerc, with him finishing on the podium which saw Ferrari clinch 3rd in the Constructors! Norris finished 6th ahead of Leclerc by ONE point.
Mercedes won the constructors by 28 points, it helped having both Mercedes finish and Red Bull only having one car finish the race. Ferrari obviously clinched P3 with McLaren in P4 and Alpine coming home in 5th.
It has been confirmed that Nikita Mazepin will not take part in the race today, as he has tested positive for Covid-19
Mazepin returned the result to an on-site test centre at Yas Marina, he then done a re-test which came back positive too.
Haas will not be putting Pietro Fittipaldi in the car as he has not took part in any practice sessions this weekend, so he is not eligible.
This means that they will only run Mick Schumacher today, who is starting P19.
A joint statement on Mazepin’s positive test said: “The FIA, Formula 1 and Haas F1 Team can today confirm that during onsite PCR testing for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Nikita Mazepin has tested positive for COVID-19. In accordance with COVID-19 protocols he will take no further part in this Event. All contacts have been declared.
“There will be no replacement driver in accordance with article 31.1 of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, which prohibits any driver from starting the race who has not taken part in at least one practice session. The procedures set out by the FIA and Formula 1 will ensure no wider impact on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.”
Well! I don’t think anyone expected that result from qualifying…
We have Max Verstappen on pole here in Abu Dhabi for the second year running, with Lewis Hamilton joining him on the front row and Mr Lando Norris starting P3!
What a way to close off the final qualifying of 2021, the top 6 are just wow!
Lando Norris WHAT A LAP! I don’t think nobody expected him to put it on the 2nd row but clearly him having his family and friends with him in Abu Dhabi helps!
Brilliant lap from Max too, they used the tow brilliantly and it shows as his on pole. But the thing which gets me is why choose the Softs to start the race on for both drivers… was they forced into the decision? Will it work in their favour tomorrow, it’s all to play for.
The top 10 are as follows: P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Norris, P4: Perez, P5: Sainz, P6: Bottas, P7: Leclerc, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Ocon and P19: Ricciardo.
Tomorrow is going to be absolutely insane, Max on softs, Lewis on mediums, throw Lando into the mix who is also on softs, we will definitely have an interesting opening lap tomorrow.
This is one of Lewis’ strongest circuits everybody knows that so Mercedes need to get there strategy absolutely perfect and they may even try and go for a one-stop as the medium goes longer than the soft.
Predictions-
Oh this is so tough, as whoever wins out of Lewis and Max tomorrow is going to be champion and either way they both deserve it, they both have had really good races but I will do my top 5…
I’m going to say P1 will go to Hamilton, P2: Verstappen , P3: Norris, P4: Bottas and P5: Perez. I think Verstappen will get fastest lap too!
Race week once again and the final one of the year, so lets take a look at everything you need to know, what I think will happen this weekend, and who needs a good weekend to finish this year on a high!
Both Lewis and Max are on equal points going into this weekend? But who will be victorious come Sunday night? Well its all to play for…
I think whatever happens this weekend, we are extremely grateful for the championship battle we have witnessed this year and not just Lewis/Max. Looking further into it, the battle between Perez/Bottas which one would qualify higher up would it be a Red Bull sandwich or a Mercedes?
But going a little bit further down the grid, the battle between McLaren and Ferrari, two great teams and all very good drivers, all in which have been on the podium this year!
Who needs a good weekend?
I feel both Red Bulls need a good weekend, Max has lost the lead in the championship to now be on equal points with Lewis, if he wants to win this on Sunday he will need to have a brilliant Saturday and then again a brilliant Sunday too as the Mercedes engine is very powerful and they have dominated Abu Dhabi a lot (apart from last year). Perez needs a good weekend, obviously he had a DNF last week in which made Mercedes have a bigger gap in the Constructors, so he will be hoping to get a good amount of points this weekend.
Lando needs a good weekend, he lost P5 to Charles last weekend so he will be hoping to be able to get that back, if that wasn’t the only thing he has his ex-team-mate just behind him by 4.5 points as i’m sure he wouldn’t want to loose out on another place in the constructors.
Predictions for Qualifying-
My top five are: Pole- Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Bottas, P4: Perez and P5: Leclerc. Both Mercedes and Red Bulls will be wanting to get the most out of their car this weekend and get the best position they can!
Gasly could possibly be up in the top 5, like I said last week you can’t count him out of a qualifying session, so it will be either him or Leclerc in top 5, or maybe both of them if a Merc or Bull has a bad qualifying?
Well for the final time for the 2021 season we take a look at which tyres have been picked!
Our selection is: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft), even though the track has been modified quite a bit this year, we have the same compound as we did in 2020.
The changes to the track were brought in to provide more overtaking opportunities, this will then increase speeds and loads through some corners.
The track itself-
We will now take a look at the said changes, the first being the chicane that formed Turn 5 and 6 will be bypassed with a straight. The following hairpin has been brought forward slightly and widened, which increases the speed carried into it.
A long and slightly banked turn has now been created to replace the technical complex of corners which were previously Turns 11 to 14. Towards the end of the lap, the four tight corners that route the track around the Yas Marina hotel Turns 17 to 20 have all opened up in which makes it faster.
The changes above have made the circuit shorter by 273 metres, which the race distance has been increased from 55 to 58 laps, and lap times are estimated to fall by 14 seconds.
Last years winning strategy with the same tyre nomination, was medium to hard one stopper, the same used for the top three finishers.
We also have Formula 2 with us this weekend, for the final round of the 2021 Championship, this will be our first time back here since 2019, and its the first time the 18-inch tyres will be used. The tyre nomination will be the same as it was in Jeddah which was the Medium and the Supersoft.
Jordan's Track Talk 