[Official] Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2016: Grand Prix Weekend Thread

[Born Racer]

The five red lights at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will go out shortly before dusk and as the sun sets over the Yas Marina circuit, so the sun will set on the longest ever season in F1's history, bringing this 21 race adventure to a close and crowning a drivers' world champion, Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg. More or less the second half of the race is played out in darkness, with the floodlights putting illuminating the stage, as we see Formula 1 cars and drivers do battle for the final time in 2016. This will be the fifth occasion in F1's eight visits to Abu Dhabi that it hosts the final Grand Prix.

A purpose-built race circuit designed in conjunction with the surrounding buildings, including the symbolic Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi Hotel, whose diamond-shaped colour-changing LED panes show off the opulence of the emirates and which is built over the track, the Yas Marina circuit is characterised by its billiard table-like smooth surface and contemporary corner design with a few curious and tricky curves.

Drivers can carry quite a lot of speed into the wide Turn 1, but it has to be tempered because it is also quite an angle on the exit. They then vault up towards the apex of the left-hand Turn 2 on the brow of a slight hill before holding on flat through the long right-hand Turn 3. Turn 4 is really just a bit of a curve on the downhill straight. They can brake very late and carry a lot of speed into the left of the chicane at Turn 5 before being more circumspect on the exit at 6. The entry to Turn 7 is long and then comes the apex, so it’s easy to miss it, but whatever they do, drivers need to be carrying plenty of speed onto this straight, as it is by far the longest one on the track; it also has DRS.

After braking shortly after the 100-metre board, a quicker chicane follows before they enter the next straight and another DRS zone. They are now into Sector 2. There is another chicane, but this time it’s left, a tiny bit right and then immediately left again. The 90 left of Turn 14 follows, which takes the drivers into Sector 3. Turn 15 and Turn 16 are both right-handers and the braking for Turn 17 is tricky, as drivers are turning slightly and Turn 17 soon follows. It's quite a tight right and then the drivers go left under the hotel, before going left again as the track begins to open up. The final two corners are in a similar vein to Turns 15 and 16, but with the final corner being much more angled. Drivers carry a lot of speed through the penultimate turn but have to be careful to slow down enough for the final corner, which is a tricky angle to aim at following that braking zone.

In the first year, Brawn driver Jenson Button arrived in Abu Dhabi for the seventeenth and final race fresh off the back of his world championship, having sealed it last time out in Brazil. This was the final race for refuelling. After leading the early laps, Lewis Hamilton was jumped at the stops by Sebastian Vettel, in his first year with Red Bull. Hamilton went out with brake trouble, while the only other retirement was Jaime Alguersuari who retired after stopping in the Red Bull pit by mistake, instead of that of the junior team, Toro Rosso. Red Bull sent him out (it was the lap when Vettel was due in) and he went out of the race with a gearbox problem. Kamui Kobayashi finished sixth for Toyota, impressing the team and scoring points in only his second race; he looked set to stay at the team, but they were to withdraw at the end of the year (it was also BMW’s final race). He went to Sauber, which had got back their old team. Vettel held on for his fifth Grand Prix win and his fourth of the season. Team-mate Mark Webber fought off a hard challenge by the new World Champion on the final lap to hang on to the runner-up spot.

2010 was a championship decider with a result few people saw coming, this lack of foresight contributing to the result itself. Four drivers went into the race with a chance of winning the title, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso leading the championship battle on 246 points, with Mark Webber giving chase on 238, and more remote chances for Sebastian Vettel on 231 points and Lewis Hamilton on 222. It was the first year in which 25 points was awarded for a victory and the first time four drivers had entered the final Grand Prix with a chance of the world title.

On the opening lap, Michael Schumacher tried to pass Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg and spun, leading to a scary moment when Vitantonio Liuzzi put his car atop the Mercedes. Vettel led away from pole and ended up leading most of the race, apart from a period during the pit stops. Mark Webber struggled for grip on the super-soft tyres and pitted early. Ferrari followed suit for Alonso to cover the Red Bull driver, a catastrophic strategic decision as it turned out, which ultimately may have partly led to Aldo Costa’s demotion and perhaps even to his eventual departure from the team. Both drivers struggled to overtake and were well down the order, with Alonso’s race-long frustration behind Renault’s Vitaly Petrov a particularly obvious moment to pick as defining the outcome of the season.

Meanwhile, Vettel, blissfully unaware of being in the pound seats for the championship, romped home to victory. With some slight shades of James Hunt in 1976, he had no idea he was world champion on crossing the line and only learned of his success when told by his engineer. His high-pitched crying and subsequent euphoric scream over the radio shall remain a big memory of the 2010 Grand Prix season. It was also the first time since James Hunt in 1976 that a world champion’s first race as points leader was the one in which he took the title. Anyone who doubted it could have been Vettel should have looked no further back than 2007 when Raikkonen snuck up from behind to take away the championship that McLaren drivers Alonso and Hamilton were seen to have a hand on each. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that many people foresaw that being the first of four world championships on the trot for Vettel. ‘Trot’ doesn’t seem to cover it actually, as Sebastian ended up giving the impression that most of those hard-fought titles were won at a canter.

At Abu Dhabi the following year, Vettel again got into the first corner first, but a puncture led to his retirement and in a reversal of their 2009 fortunes, it was Lewis Hamilton who took the spoils. Alonso in the Ferrari and Button in the McLaren completed the podium.

2012 saw that season’s returnee Kimi Raikkonen return to the top step of the podium for the first time since 2009 in his new Lotus team. He controlled the race well since taking over the lead following Lewis Hamilton’s retirement and told the team and the world just how in control he was with his infamous words “Just leave me alone – I know what I’m doing” and when asked by the team to keep the heat in all four tyres under the safety car, replying “Yes, yes, yes, yes – I’m doing it all the time. You don’t have to remind me every ten seconds”. Kimi was quite big on words that day as both he and Vettel were warned by the stewards about swear words on the podium that day in the new-style more media-friendly podium ceremony. Kimi still had a more typical moment of nonchalance and understatement that day, though, with his placid response to being asked how it felt to be a winner again.

In 2013, there was a partial solar eclipse that could be seen during the race, but Sebastian Vettel totally eclipsed the opposition, as he overtook Mark Webber into Turn 1 and led every lap of the race, winning by 30.8 seconds from his Red Bull team-mate.

2014 saw the first and probably last time that we will see double championship points offered in the last race. We also saw the super-soft and soft tyres being introduced, instead of the soft and the medium of the previous three seasons. Lewis Hamilton ended up taking his second world title and the win, with Felipe Massa just 2.5 seconds behind at the chequered flag. Valtteri Bottas’s third meant that Williams got their first double podium since Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber finished 2nd and 3rd at Monaco in 2005.

Last year, Nico Rosberg completed an end-of-season hat-trick to win ahead of triple world champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton, while Kimi Raikkonen completed the podium. This run of three wins for Nico extended into a run of seven, as he also took the first four victories of 2016, setting himself up for a big shot at the drivers' world title.

As the fireworks explode over the circuit when the chequered flag falls, will they be celebrating Lewis Hamilton as a four-time world champion, equalling Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, or heralding Nico Rosberg as a new world champion and the second son of an F1 world champion to become world champion himself (after Damon and Graham Hill)?

If Hamilton wins, Rosberg needs a podium. If Hamilton is second, Rosberg only needs sixth, if Lewis is third, he only needs eighth. Finally, if Lewis is fourth, come what may, Nico Rosberg is world champion.

This is Felipe Massa's Grand Prix before retirement and probably Jenson Button's too and these two very popular and successful drivers are sure to be seen off well by everyone in the paddock.

The change of ambient temperature here as the race goes on can have its effect on performance. It can also be a little difficult to to avoid wheelspin out of some of the slow corners. The tyres heat up quite a lot in the first sector before then cooling down a bit on the long straight. It is expected to be a two-stop race for most drivers.

Constructors’ championship standings: http://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2016/team.html

Drivers’ championship standings: http://www.formula1.com/en/results.h...6/drivers.html

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tyre selections: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/h...le-showdo.html

Our predictions contest is here: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148854

Our Fantasy F1 contest is here: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146625

Circuit length: 5.554km
Number of laps: 55
Race distance: 305.355km
First Grand Prix: 2009

Dry weather tyre compounds: Ultrasoft, Supersoft and Soft
DRS Detection Zone 1: Between Turns 6 and 7
DRS Activation Zone 1: On straight between Turns 7 and 8
DRS Detection Zone 2: After Turn 9
DRS Activation Zone 2: Between Turns 10 and 11
Speed trap: Near end of straight before Turn 8
Lap Record: 1:40.279 – Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull-Renault (2009)

[stripedcat]

Great intro, BR. I'm not a fan of the circuit - although, I suppose the pitlane exit is interesting - I've always wondered what would happen if someone broke down in there! That would make things interesting.

It's all down to Nico. Looks like the title is nearly his - although, don't count your chickens just yet - there could be a car failure or something nasty coming. Same goes for Lewis. Could be tense at the start of the race - let us just hope that there isn't a repeat of Spain! That wouldn't be good!

[Mike Harte]

Thanks for the intro, BR

My only hope is that other drivers and another team doesn't try to interfere with the race to the title between the two Mercedes' guys. All this nonsense from Horner that Hamilton should back-up Rosberg, assuming that that is the order of the race, into the clutches of his drivers, is, IMHO, none of his business. It is not Horner's concern who should, or should not, win the WDC, and he ought to butt out, and tell his drivers to do so as well.

[sizzle]

If his drivers are fast enough to be in between or in front of either of them they should be.
If that is considered interfering then tough luck, it is a motor race.

Absolutely sick of all the crap about interfering.

[Akrapovic]

Everyone should race to win. You don't back out just because someone else is fighting for the title. Lewis won a title because Glock was too scared to be in the way, whilst Vettel won a title when Petrov refused to roll over for Alonso.

Horner wants Lewis to back up Rosberg so his cars have a shout at the win. They can't beat both Mercedes on pace.

[gert]

I have no problems with them (or the Ferrari drivers or anyone else) fighting with the Mercedes, but keep it clean please.
No desperate launches like Verstappen did on Rosberg (in Mexico IIRC). Luckily he didn't hit him.

If they beat Nico and/or Lewis fair and square, good for them. But no crashes please.

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

As the fireworks explode over the circuit when the chequered flag falls

Top intro!

Personally I'm hoping for fireworks before the chequered flag

[steve_r]

The Red Bulls were very close in FP1, but I suspect that the Mercedes pair will qualify on the front row and drive off into the sunset in P1 and 2, leaving Rosberg the champion no matter what order they are in.

I ain't no Nostradamus though...

[S griffin]

This is an incredibly tense battle, may the best man win. Nico certainly deserves it, while Lewis winning would show his resilience after a tough season with unreliability

[wolfhound]

What is going on with Toro Rosso's tyres it seems like there is an issue between them and Pirelli and there does not seem to be an answer. The first tyre failures seem to have happened at COTA and it has got worse since. I assume it is an issue between tyre and body work flexing, that should have been found by now.

[peebee2]

More like the hub machining through the rim

[JeremySmith]

Lewis once again demonstrates his superiority over his teammate ..

[TrapezeArtist]

Usual comprehensive and erudite intro from Born Racer. OK, you can go away and rest your brain cells for a few months now.

Re "interfering". I'm not interested in Christian Horner's opinion of what Lewis should do, because he's not a part of the Mercedes team. However, getting your car between the two title protagonists is not interfering, if you are capable of doing it. Indeed, backing out of such a situation in order to "not interfere" would be interfering.

I think qually has worked out just about as good as it could have for Rosberg. He was very unlikely to get pole, but being second has achieved what he needed. Added to that the second row is filled by the more sober members of Red Bull and Ferrari, leaving the more pushy drivers back on Row 3. All he has to do is drive around behind Hamilton, which is something he is pretty good at.

Personally, I think Hamilton will try to back Rosberg into the following cars. There's nothing wrong with that; it's what I would do. He'll be spending this evening trying to work out how to do that with minimum risk or loss of time to himself. Meanwhile Rosberg will be trying to work out how to counter that strategy and the Ferrari and Red Bull drivers will be trying to work out the best way to capitalise on it. For sure they will be well aware that they can pull a big move on him and he won't fight it too hard as long as it keeps him in third. Pushing him down to fourth is likely to meet a bit more resistance.

I've been puzzling over the potential benefit to Red Bull of starting on super-softs. OK, they'll go a bit longer in the first stint but they'll be on old tyres while their rivals will be on new during the overlap period, so they're unlikely to gain places or even time. The only benefit I can see will be if it allows them to do the race with one less stop.

[gert]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

I've been puzzling over the potential benefit to Red Bull of starting on super-softs. OK, they'll go a bit longer in the first stint but they'll be on old tyres while their rivals will be on new during the overlap period, so they're unlikely to gain places or even time. The only benefit I can see will be if it allows them to do the race with one less stop.

Maybe the tires are a bit more durable ad the performance doesn't drop at the end of the stint.

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

Personally, I think Hamilton will try to back Rosberg into the following cars. There's nothing wrong with that; it's what I would do.

Backing up Rosberg also means that the Red Bulls and/or Ferraris are not only close to Nico but also close to Lewis.
It only takes a slightly slower pitstop for Lewis, a slightly hesitant backmarker, a superb pitstop by Red Bull/Ferrari to have them not only pass Rosberg but also Hamilton.
With the Red Bulls possibly going longer on their first stint, and Lewis maybe in traffic after his first stop that is an added risk.

If things turn out as Horner plans, the Red Bull drivers can turn from Lewis' best friends to his worst enemies in the blink of an eye.

[mikestow]

It all bodes well for an Excellent Race,especially with Vettel and Vestapen next to each other!!!Light relief seeing it all live on Channel 4 with a much better Team than the old bygones at Sky!!!Hope Channel 4 can do more live next season,but their Highlights are good enough for me!!

[TrapezeArtist]

Originally Posted by gert

If things turn out as Horner plans, the Red Bull drivers can turn from Lewis' best friends to his worst enemies in the blink of an eye.

True, it's a risk. But there's no point in just driving off into the distance and leaving Rosberg in a comfortable second. Whatever the drivers say in interviews, this race is completely secondary to the championship.

[gert]

Another question mark is: what does Mercedes want?

All season long, they have been trying to get the maximum result for the team: i.e. a one-two finish, with very little interest in who finishes first or second.

Do they want to go of the season on a high (with the best possible team result) or have they decided to not care for this race?
Unfortunately for Lewis, the best team result is noncompliant with his ambition.

Generally, Mercedes has stopped the leading car first. There have been a few exceptions where the second car stopped first, to get it back up to 2nd position, but never to get the 2nd car past the leader.

Would they stop Rosberg first if - let's say - he is running 4th to enable him to get (back) up to 3rd or 2nd?


Would Mercedes happily accept a 1-4 or would they try to make it a 1-2 by being clever with strategies?

[TrapezeArtist]

That's a fair point, Gert.

Generally Mercedes have been most interested in the overall team result, and that's the way it should be. The overall team management should be working towards that objective.

That doesn't stop the parts of the team dedicated to each driver (their race engineers in particular) working towards the best result for "their" driver.

So IF Hamilton does succeed in pushing Rosberg back into the following pack, and IF one or two cars get past Rosberg, it would be perfectly reasonable for the overall management to apply a strategy to try to get Rosberg back up to second, IF they could. Lots of "ifs" in there, and as we all know IF is F1 backwards.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Lewis once again demonstrates his superiority over his teammate ..

Let's be honest Lewis is the better driver.

[chillibowl]

But struggles with his starts...given all the talk about F1 not being about driver skill it's fitting that tomorrow may just come down to the one aspect of race craft where the driver is alone in their car.

Good stuff!

[gert]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Let's be honest Lewis is the better driver.

I am more a Rosberg fan than a Hamilton fan, but I think that is true.
Not at all tracks, and not in all circumstances, and not by a big margin; but on average, Hamilton is the better of the 2.

But that makes me even wish more that Rosberg wins the title tomorrow

[bjohnsonsmith]

Excellent intro as ever.

Originally Posted by mikestow

It all bodes well for an Excellent Race,especially with Vettel and Vestapen next to each other!!!Light relief seeing it all live on Channel 4 with a much better Team than the old bygones at Sky!!!Hope Channel 4 can do more live next season,but their Highlights are good enough for me!!

It does bode well for an excellent race but many times the race has become a processional snooze fest.

I would like to see Nico win it. I'm not a Nico or Lewis fan. I outgrew favourite drivers years ago. I just think it would be good for the sport to have a different champion, especially as Lewis won it so convincingly last season and because of the current issues facing F1, F1 needs a pick me up. There's also the added bonus that Nico could be the second WDC to emulate their father, after Damon Hill and Graham Hill.

[bella]

i think i want to see lewis win the race, but for nico to take the championship because he's really earnt it this season. they both have, but nico has been just that bit more... something.

[gert]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I outgrew favourite drivers years ago.

Actually, sometimes I wish I could do that too. I think I would enjoy the races more if I didn't care about any driver/team/car.

Most of the times I just like drivers for some kind of emotional reason:
* I met Damon Hill at the Belgian airport when he was still racing in F3000 (1991 I think), and had a bit of chat with him. Not too difficult to root for him when he later makes it to F1.
* I usually go to the WorldSeries races in Spa with my brother and his 2 sons. We try to get there on Friday because we can hang around in the paddock and see the cars and the people working on them. If we are lucky we can take some nice pictures. Team personnel seems to be pretty relaxed then, and there aren't too many people around.
One year (2014) we were walking around, taking pictures and watching the men at work when Carlos Sainz notices us. He approaches us, and offers us to make some pictures of him and the kids (11 y.o), and the car. When done, he tells us to wait and he goes to fetch them a Red Bull cap.
It's not hard to imagine the kids (and me and my brother) want to see him do well, is it?
We were all happy when Carlos put it on pole twice and won both races that weekend.
* As for Nico Rosberg. Well, his dad was my hero when I was 7 (in 1982). I don't know exactly why anymore, but fact is I had a huge poster of him in my bedroom.
Funnily enough, I think Lewis' style would be much closer to Keke's than Nico, but hey, he's my childhood hero's son

[TrapezeArtist]

Originally Posted by bella

i think i want to see lewis win the race, but for nico to take the championship because he's really earnt it this season. they both have, but nico has been just that bit more... something.

I'll not make myself popular for saying this, but if Nico wins it will be nearly as underwhelming as when his Dad won his championship. In these days of super-reliability, Lewis' engine failure from the lead has boosted Nico to a (possibly) winning score. Back in 1982 Keke only won one race but he had far fewer retirements than the competition. Still he only just beat Didier Pironi who missed the last 5 of 16 races due to injury.