No punishment
Hamilton voluntarily returns the position to Sainz and thus avoids a penalty – and immediately overtakes Sainz again shortly afterwards. Russell is now also putting pressure on Sainz. The Mercedes does better in the race than in qualifying.
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Hamilton faces trouble
Now the race stewards are turning the tables! No penalty for Sainz, but Hamilton is now being investigated, who is said to have gained an advantage off the track. Reminds me of the 2021 duel against Verstappen.
At that time there was no penalty for Hamilton.
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Verstappen wins the start
Everyone gets through the first lap and Verstappen defends the lead from Perez. Sainz could be in trouble behind him, he pushed Hamilton off the track in turn 6. The stewards made a note of that.
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Marko sees “good starting position”
The formation lap is underway and we quickly get a final assessment from Helmut Marko. “We have two goals. Perez: second in the World Cup, Max: record with 15 wins. That seems possible given the starting position,” said Marko on ‘Sky’
“We’ll see if Ferrari wants to get involved at the front or if they’re going to play it safe to hold Mercedes back. Well, we’re looking at it, but I think we have a good starting position,” said Marko.
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tires
As promised, the tire list will be available a few minutes before the start – and without any major surprises. Magnussen and Bottas start on the hard tires, Gasly on soft, the other 17 riders all on medium.
Meanwhile, Hamilton received the first small penalty before the start: he was flashed at 84.5 km/h on the way to the starting grid. Only 80 are allowed. Mercedes is fined 500 euros.
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Open the session ticker now!
You know the game: A few minutes before the start, the time has come to open our session ticker with Stefan Ehlen. Only there is the complete coverage of the race, here we limit ourselves to the most important information, pictures and voices.
It’s best to just let both tickers run in parallel. And if you want to know how to livestream the season finale in Abu Dhabi, you can find out here!
celebrities
Of course, there are also a few celebrities at the start for the last race of the season. Mercedes, in particular, has once again turned up quite a bit! Usain Bolt is there this weekend, and soccer coach Pep Guardiola is also visiting the Silver Arrows.
Certainly no coincidence that the Spaniard is present at this race of all places. Because Guardiola is the coach of Manchester City – and the owners of the club come from Abu Dhabi.
Everyone on the starting lineup
All 20 pilots made it onto the starting grid, so nothing stands in the way of a full grid start! Let’s see how many make it to the finish in the end. After 22 races, the cars are no longer in the best condition…
It starts in half an hour!
Pit lane open
Meanwhile, the pit lane is open on the track. The pilots have ten minutes to make their way to the starting grid. There won’t be any rain today and the conditions are similar to yesterday’s qualifying.
40 minutes before the start, the air temperature is 29.1 degrees, the asphalt is 36.9 degrees hot.
Vettel wants to “take a few points”
The German spoke to ‘Sky’ ahead of his last race and revealed: “Obviously we want clean [in der WM] get a little angry, take a few points with you. Of course we strive for that [sechsten] seat.”
“That would be the ideal scenario, but it will be difficult. Let’s see. It’s pretty warm today, a lot will go over the tires. Let’s be surprised,” said Vettel, who also spoke about his farewell run last night.
“That was great,” he says happily and reports: “The run was a lot of fun. […] I had the idea of getting everyone together and saying: Hey, let’s do something together. […] I think it was a good fit and everyone had fun with it.”
Let’s see how much fun he has in his last race.
helmet swap
And the lively swapping continues: Alonso and Albon also swapped their helmets before the season finale. In the meantime, we’re slowly shifting our focus to what’s happening on the track.
The pit lane opens at 1:20 p.m., then the drivers have ten minutes, as usual, to make their way onto the starting grid. Shortly before the start at 2:00 p.m. we find out who will start on which tyres.
farewell photo
Of course, the last race of the season also includes the obligatory final photo. Let’s keep it in mind, because the field in Formula 1 will never look like this again…
© Motorsport Images
Immediately medal for the winner
Formula 1 has come up with something new: in addition to the winner’s trophy, there will also be a medal for the winning driver in the future. Sounds a bit strange at first, but there is a background.
Because the trophies usually go to the team and not to the driver. With the medal, the driver himself should now also get a souvenir. A good idea in terms of the pilots.
Such a medal is to be awarded for the first time today in Abu Dhabi. We’re excited to see what she looks like!
Schumacher wants points to say goodbye
The drivers’ parade is currently underway in Abu Dhabi. The mood is good before the season finale and there are some fresh voices from the pilots. Among other things, Mick Schumacher reveals that he wants points to say goodbye to Haas.
But he also emphasizes that it should not be his last Formula 1 race. He hopes to be back on the starting grid soon. “My clear plan is to return in 2024,” said Schumacher.
We are now curious to see how things will continue for him in 2023.