Abu DhabiGP/Fernando Collects £800 & can pass go Thread - Contains Quali & Race spoilers

[Fernando]

First topic message reminder :

Yas Marina wants for nothing in terms of facilities. If only the same could be said of its track.

Track data: Yas Marina

Lap length 5.554km (3.451 miles)
Grand prix distance 305.355km (189.739 miles)
Lap record (race) 1’40.279 (Sebastian Vettel, 2009)
Fastest lap (any session) 1’38.434 (Lewis Hamilton, 2011, qualifying two)
Tyre compounds See drivers’ choices
2015 Rate the Race 5.25 out of 10
2015 Driver of the Weekend Sergio Perez
Yas Marina track data in full

But the circuit which has the honour of holding this year’s title-deciding race leaves everything to be desired when it comes to challenging the world’s best drivers and cars.

It’s wide, smooth, flat and – aside from a pair of lengthy straights – slow. Whatever brief the track designer was given, showcasing F1 at its best was not it.

“It’s not the most thrilling of tracks,” says master of understatement Daniil Kvyat, “as many of the corners are very similar”. Other drivers have been similarly dismissive of its untaxing, stop-start nature.

The track has produced few riveting races since it first appeared on the calendar in 2009. The surprise outcome of the 2010 title-decider and Sebastian Vettel’s race through the field two years later stick in the mind. But last year’s forgettable finale was more typical of what we’ve come to expect from this venue.

Abu Dhabi’s stable climate means we can discount the possibility of surprising weather changes playing a role in Sunday’s championship finale. But Pirelli’s decision to bring its most aggressive tyre selection could offer the drivers new strategic options this year.

A lap of Yas Marina


From the start line the drivers arrive quickly at turn one. This is the first of many 90-degree corners but is quicker than the rest, typically taken in fourth gear. Accelerating out of the left-hander the drivers approach what passes for the most interesting section on the track – the flat-out sweep through turns two, three and four.
The pit lane entrance joins the track at this point and we have seen some near-misses as drivers blend in with traffic. Fernando Alonso took a punishing ride over the kerbs here in 2013.

As the drivers leave turn four at speed they are quickly upon the next sequence of corners: a slow chicane followed by a hairpin. “You go down the hill, braking into six – very tricky braking turning into six, then straight away into seven,” explains Romain Grosjean. “You need to be well positioned for the hairpin going down the back straight. It’s tricky to get the car to turn.”

Two long straights separated by the turn eight/nine chicane follow. “Again you need to be well positioned between the left and right-hand side corners,” says Grosjean. “Then it’s another straight line on to 11, 12 and 13. It’s a triple chicane and as soon as you exit that part you go flat out then brake for turn 14, which is a 90-degree left-hand side corner.”


Following the tricky curved approach to turn 17 the final sector of the lap involves a sequence of slow bends, most of which are right-angles. “As soon as you go out of 17 you have to brake again for 18,” says Grosjean. Two left-handers lead them beneath the Yas Viceroy hotel, with a “tricky exit” as the cars straighten up ahead of the final pair of bends.
“The second to last corner is good,” comments Grosjean. “It’s high speed in fourth or fifth gear.”

After that the run-off area at the final corner invites drivers to run wide. “The last corner is very tricky,” Grosjean explains. “It’s very wide on the entry phase with the pit lane on the right-hand side. It’s not easy to find a line.”

[dyrewolfe]

Stewards okay with Hamilton's defending against Ricciardo.

Would still like to know what the hell happened with his stop and why the crew didn't have his tyres ready...

[GSC]

Suspect they thought he was going another lap.

[GSC]

Saubers hit each other after Nasr told to let Ericsson through

[nathan]

Silly by the sauber drivers.

[nathan]

Will be interesting to see what happens with tyres, if Hamilton can make them last

[dyrewolfe]

Yeah - you have to wonder how those Ultrasofts are coping.

Ricciardo not doing his supersofts any favours with a couple of lockups.

Button's race engineer says a shower may hit the circuit with a few laps to go...could there be one final twist to this race?

[GSC]

Feel for Ricciardo, should've won the last 2 races at a canter but Red Bull cocked it up. Wonder if he'll start looking at Kimis seat

[Guest]

Hulk snatched sixth

[dyrewolfe]

Well, Hamilton enjoyed some luck for once and did what he needed to secure a badly-needed win. You have to feel for Ricciardo - think he will have a few choice words for the team later on.

Fantastic drive by Perez to get on the podium...was quite surprised Vettel couldn't get past him.

Equally great drive by Alonso to bag 5th, keeping the likes of Rosberg, Hulk and Sainz behind him. Still, this is a circuit where outright horsepower isn't so important, so...

[GSC]

Prety much normal Monaco after the rain, everyone one stopped and track position is worth everything. Even if horsepower isn't all important, Red Bull can take heart at Ricciardos pace on a slower tyre. Great strategy to get Perez up to 3rd for Force India

[nathan]

So Ricciardo has the normal f1 driver mood swings then.

[dyrewolfe]

Not everyone 1-stopped. Ricciardo was among those who went to inters before going to slicks.

The Red Bull does seem to be easier on its tyres than the Mercedes and the superior chassis does help close the gap in slower parts of circuits. If they can squeeze a bit more power out of the engine or hybrid system, they could be challenging for wins regularly.

So Ricciardo has the normal f1 driver mood swings then.

Well its the second time he's lost out on wins though no fault of his own. I think he's entitled to feel a bit bitter. He was the same after Spain. Just shows even the most positive / cheerful people can get down...especially if they're ultra-competitive racing drivers.

[Guest]

So Ricciardo has the normal f1 driver mood swings then.

It's called being human. Hamilton gets slated for it, as will any too driver, who makes it to the pinnacle of the sport & things don't go their way.

[Guest]

24 points behind Rosberg is Hamilton. Big momentum shift

[Mad for Chelsea]

Well that couldn't have gone much better for Hamilton, short of Rosberg crashing out... Fine driving from him, Ricciardo so unlucky with the pit stop mess up, but Hamilton will feel he was overdue some good fortune this year. Rosberg was pretty awful, though may have had a break problem. While I appreciate that Monaco is a great test of drivers skill (plenty of DNFs today again), it doesn't make for great entertainment for the spectator. How many passes on track today? Hulkenberg on Rosberg at the end, not many others... Hamilton's game of yo-yo aside - let Ricciardo close and drive defensively to cool down and preserve tyres, pull out the gap when possible - it wasn't exactly exciting.

Still, puts Hamilton right back into the championship, nearly halving Rosberg's lead, and cutting it to less than a a race win, which is good for the rest of the season. Interesting that RB matched the Mercedes for pace over the week-end, Ricciardo not out of it yet! Will also hopefully mean we don't have a season of Mercedes 1-2s like last year.

Read today that this means Hamilton has now won races in ten consecutive seasons, only Schumacher betters that...

[CaledonianCraig]

Hamilton needed that win yesterday to re-engage in the season and renew his title hopes. A very good drive but he got lucky with Ricciardo's pit stop issue. One thing that annoyed me yesterday - the start under the safety car and length of time it stayed out. It seems all risk and excitement that goes with it are being suffocated out of the sport.

[GSC]

If they did a standing start yesterday, T1 would've been a warzone.

[CaledonianCraig]

If they did a standing start yesterday, T1 would've been a warzone.

Well this is F1 with the highest paid drivers in the world. Their predecessors could handle it so I am sure they could. Heck soon F1 will be like cricket - rain stopped play.

[Guest]

More to do with the spray, than the actual track conditions. When Palmer went off, you could barely see down that straight from the replay, so having 20+ F1 cars performing a normal start, would of ended in carnage in turn 1, especially given the fact, the grid is made up of pay drivers & more & more younger, inexperienced drivers, who are prone to causing numerous incidents.

I agree with Brundle, that the throttle pedal goes both ways & they should be able to control themselves, but I think given the nature of the track & the conditions, the sensible decision was made in the end. I actually think it suited Ricciardo, he kept his lead with a SC start & for Hamilton in particular, he was able to keep third & it's no surprise that Hamilton finally wins, when given a strong foundation to build his race from, something which has not happened all season & plagued him.

on a side not - I see Alexander Rossi has won the Indy 500 this past weekend, I expect he will return to F1 next season, no doubt at Haas.

[Fernando]

[dyrewolfe]

More to do with the spray, than the actual track conditions. When Palmer went off, you could barely see down that straight from the replay, so having 20+ F1 cars performing a normal start, would of ended in carnage in turn 1, especially given the fact, the grid is made up of pay drivers & more & more younger, inexperienced drivers, who are prone to causing numerous incidents.

I agree with Brundle, that the throttle pedal goes both ways & they should be able to control themselves, but I think given the nature of the track & the conditions, the sensible decision was made in the end. I actually think it suited Ricciardo, he kept his lead with a SC start & for Hamilton in particular, he was able to keep third & it's no surprise that Hamilton finally wins, when given a strong foundation to build his race from, something which has not happened all season & plagued him.

on a side not - I see Alexander Rossi has won the Indy 500 this past weekend, I expect he will return to F1 next season, no doubt at Haas.

Agree with Brundle's sentiments - namely that drivers should be able to gauge when to use the throttle and how much. However, given that Jules Bianchi's parents are suing FOM, over what they see was a preventable accident, I think the powers that be will be more inclined to make the sport ever safer and take more and more responsibility out of the drivers' hands. Sad, but such is the world we live in.

[dyrewolfe]

Blimey! That looks one hell of a long circuit. Probably looking at 1.45 lap times, if not more, even for an F1 car at full pelt.

A couple of decent wide straights that could be conducive to overtaking. Other than that looks like a bigger version of Monaco. Also bumpy as hell - especially in the corners.

[Guest]

It's reminds me of the kind of tracks Formula E drive around, if anybody watches that. The estimated average lap speed of 211kph (131.1mph) indicates a lap time of around 1’42.37, so very long. Not sure about this track, look like another dull street track, with the straights looking insanely long. Dull first sector of long straights & 90 degree turns. Middle sector is slower & looks ridiculously narrow around that castle section. Looks like decent elevation change in places, but basically from turn 18 to turn 1, it is just flat out, can see DRS being placed badly & overtaking to be pretty easy.

[GSC]

Looking like a wet race

[GSC]

At least Hamilton made sure to push Rosberg wide with this crap start

[dyrewolfe]

Have Ferrari made a mistake with Vettel's pit stop? Maybe they expected the VSC to last longer?

Button out - more reliability issues for Honda. Lets hope Alonso can make it to the end.

[GSC]

Any time they gained while doing it under the vsc is a bonus tbh

[GSC]

No will ever accuse Max Verstappen of being a good teammate.

[GSC]

Vettel monstering the field at the moment, Merc might have to bail onto an alternate strategy.

[ShahenshahG]

What's he done gsc?

[ShahenshahG]

Max I mean

[GSC]

Told not to hold up Ricciardo, delivered him on a plate for Vettel.

[dyrewolfe]

Looking like Ferrari may have got the jump on Mercedes. Vettel 2-stopped and can go to the end. Hamilton's tyres already looking a bit tired...

Not the end of the world if Lewis finishes 2nd, championship-wise, as long as he finishes ahead of Nico.

[GSC]

He secured that for himself at turn one. Might be a little uncomfortable for the two of them with Toto later

[dyrewolfe]

Rosberg with a slow puncture...when your luck's out...

[Fernando]

He secured that for himself at turn one. Might be a little uncomfortable for the two of them with Toto later

I doubt this. You know when Hamilton does it, it's overlooked regardless

Makes me chuckle Hamilton fans wanted Nico punished for Spain yet Nico was full aside Lewis yet apparently deserves no space

Vettel locks up handing Hamilton the race.

[Fernando]

Verstappen showing how to go around T1 side by side without hitting someone

[Fernando]

Fair to say Rosberg's brakes have gone with that attempt on Max.

Hamilton wins, Vettel 2nd & Bottas 3rd.

[dyrewolfe]

He secured that for himself at turn one. Might be a little uncomfortable for the two of them with Toto later

I doubt this. You know when Hamilton does it, it's overlooked regardless

Makes me chuckle Hamilton fans wanted Nico punished for Spain yet Nico was full aside Lewis yet apparently deserves no space

Vettel locks up handing Hamilton the race.

I'm a Hamilton fan, but I have to admit I don't like it when he does stuff like that...or any driver for that matter. For me its the wrong side of being aggressive but fair. Pretty much ruined Rosberg's race.

A lot of us wanted to see a good on-track race between the two, but between botched starts, car issues and the drivers running each other off the track, we're just not seeing it.

Well, the title race is well and truly on. Congrats Lewis for his 5th Canada victory. You have to feel the advantage is overwhelmingly with Hamilton now. He seems to have got  his mojo back, while Rosberg's form is on the wane.

Valiant effort by Vettel but the Ferrari is still lacking some performance. Great results for Bottas and Verstappen.

[GSC]

Vettel and Ricciardo probably 2 a piece now for blown strategy calls.

[GSC]

Regardless of fault, we're going to be very close to Toto enacting team orders at turn one. Should've been at least a double podium for the team.

[Guest]

Turn 1, Hamilton did what he had to do, had the inside & was never going to allow Rosberg through, probably should of eased off, especially given the ample overtaking opportunities available at this track.. As the commentators said, it really wasn't a bad or unfair move from Lewis, it wasn't even investigated, so just ends that debate.

43 point lead down to 9, Lewis looking superior now without mechanicals hindering him. Real test for Nico now mentally.

[GSC]

I'm not really sure why Hamilton having the inside is all that relevant given Nico was on the outside and he pushed him further that way.

[Guest]

I'm a Hamilton fan, but I have to admit I don't like it when he does stuff like that...or any driver for that matter. For me its the wrong side of being aggressive but fair. Pretty much ruined Rosberg's race.

You pretty much won't like any racing driver then, because that's what happens in those situations.

What goes around, comes around, as far as I'm concerned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODQKxBKes9Y - (only video i could find) advance to 10.02 & watch the beginning of the 2014 Canadian GP. Rosberg in pole, Hamilton in second & on the outside. Nico does what Lewis basically did yesterday, it's F1, you have cold tyres & you can have understeer or lock your front tyres up. Hamilton was forced wide in 2014 & lost a place to Vettel. I'll admit, Nico's was slightly worse, in terms of losing positions, but that is what sometimes unfolds in motor racing.

[banbrotam]

Regardless of fault, we're going to be very close to Toto enacting team orders at turn one. Should've been at least a double podium for the team.

I disagree. The problem Toto has is that his rivals have increasingly competitive cars, so the last thing he wants to do is shackle Hamilton who to be frank is the only one of the two who can will not only come out on top but revels in this kind of situation

I simply think that like Massa and Webber, Rosberg is simply too much of a fair weather driver, unable to fight in the classic Shui/Prost/Piquet/Mansell etc manner. We've seen this in the last two races, his mentality is wrong for this kind of fight

His best hope is that Mercedes resume their dominance, because then he's always guaranteed to end up 1st or 2nd, plus Hamilton gets bored in this set of circumstances and is more prone to error

Rosberg's instinct is safety first, it's not going to keep Vettel or the Red Bulls at bay. Hamilton's is 'lets race!!' You saw the way both he and Vettel revel competing against each other and look forward to future battles. I don't get the impression Rosberg does!!

So to give team orders would hinder their chances of wins, because it would clip their best drivers wings

Remember, we've still to see Rosberg overtake Hamilton 'wheel to wheel' after lap 1 (or see it more than once). That's astonishing, given that this is their fourth season together

[GSC]

They put in team orders in the early laps after Belgium 2 years ago and won every race after.

Toto's first priority is securing 1-2 for Mercedes, they'll take the shackles off when they're both 20 seconds down the road from 3rd but my guess is they'll go back to whoever has the lead into T1 controls the first stint until they're out of range.

[banbrotam]

He secured that for himself at turn one. Might be a little uncomfortable for the two of them with Toto later

I doubt this. You know when Hamilton does it, it's overlooked regardless

Makes me chuckle Hamilton fans wanted Nico punished for Spain yet Nico was full aside Lewis yet apparently deserves no space

Vettel locks up handing Hamilton the race.

I'm a Hamilton fan, but I have to admit I don't like it when he does stuff like that...or any driver for that matter. For me its the wrong side of being aggressive but fair. Pretty much ruined Rosberg's race.

A lot of us wanted to see a good on-track race between the two, but between botched starts, car issues and the drivers running each other off the track, we're just not seeing it.

Well, the title race is well and truly on. Congrats Lewis for his 5th Canada victory. You have to feel the advantage is overwhelmingly with Hamilton now. He seems to have got  his mojo back, while Rosberg's form is on the wane.

Valiant effort by Vettel but the Ferrari is still lacking some performance. Great results for Bottas and Verstappen.

I actually didn't want Rosberg punished for Spain, but let's remember that Hamilton was far more within his rights in this incident than Rosberg was in that one

Frankly, we've all become way to sanitised with modern F1 if we think that Hamilton was out of order on Sunday. I suggest people go and view any races prior to 2008, when strangely more strict rules were enforced (I won't expand I why I say 'strangely' but everything possible was done to prevent Hamilton winning )

The biggest laugh is that apparently a bunch of Germans objected to Hamilton's move. Hilarious, when you consider the antics of Michael Schumacher

[banbrotam]

They put in team orders in the early laps after Belgium 2 years ago and won every race after.

Toto's first priority is securing 1-2 for Mercedes, they'll take the shackles off when they're both 20 seconds down the road from 3rd but my guess is they'll go back to whoever has the lead into T1 controls the first stint until they're out of range.

Yes they did. But that was a dominant Mercedes

I wrote my comment, based on the assumption, which of course could be wrong, that the rest of the season will be the most competitive out of the last three.

Of course, if one has a greater chance of winning or is demonstrably faster, then they will give a team order. But I think in a competitive environment, they will have to be more creative (like Monaco) and instinctive, which isn't consistent with more team orders - to me it means less, in a lot of situations

[banbrotam]

They put in team orders in the early laps after Belgium 2 years ago and won every race after.

Toto's first priority is securing 1-2 for Mercedes, they'll take the shackles off when they're both 20 seconds down the road from 3rd but my guess is they'll go back to whoever has the lead into T1 controls the first stint until they're out of range.

Sorry. I've re-read this. But that's just common sense. And you say this, but didn't Hamilton make that memorable over-take on Rosberg at Austin. Didn't look like team orders to me

I don't see it benefiting them, if the others are competitive this frankly becomes irrelevant if Rosberg continues to be spooked by having similar or only slightly lower paced rivals around him

Yes, I repeat Mercedes dominance = team orders

[Guest]

The biggest laugh is that apparently a bunch of Germans objected to Hamilton's move. Hilarious, when you consider the antics of Michael Schumacher

and, as John pointed out in that video, Nico performed the same manoeuvre in 2014 at T1, on Hamilton. It's really is embarrassing that it's come to the point every single move made, is seen as dirty. I know the paddock & commentators had no issue with it, it's the sad little contingent who pipe up complaining & in all honesty, have no idea what is going on in a certain situation or what the history of the sport has showcased.

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