F1 2023 Season Finale: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

With the F1 season wrapping up in Abu Dhabi with a cool sunset race, we take a look at the biggest things to look out for ahead of the season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After the wild weekend in Vegas, it’s time to nail down all the final standings.

Will Verstappen Grab That Final Win? 

Yep, Max Verstappen has had an insane season, bagging his third world championship with 18 wins, only missing out in Jeddah, Azerbaijan, and Singapore. His crazy success has set new records, and after hitting 50 victories in Austin, he’s now tied with Vettel in third. If he scores a seventh straight win, he’ll be sitting there all by himself. Pretty mind-blowing considering he started the year with 35 wins.

But he’s still a way off the top two spots with Schumacher having 91 wins to his name and Hamilton dominating with 103 wins currently. Meanwhile, the battle for second place in the constructors’ championship is heating up between Mercedes and Ferrari.

Mercedes vs Ferrari For P2

Mercedes seemed comfy in second after the summer break, but Ferrari kicked it up a notch post-Monza. Sainz and Leclerc have been on fire, closing the gap to just four points. Ferrari’s got the momentum, but Mercedes won’t let it go without a fight. Expect sparks to fly this weekend between these two highly competitive teams.

Having said that, Ferrari are on the back foot as Carlos Sainz had a huge shunt into the wall during FP2, damaging his car significantly. Whilst there’s still one full practice session to go, the Ferrari mechanics will have plenty of time to repair the car in time.

The Battle For P4

P4 is still anyone’s game. Aston Martin and McLaren were going in one direction, but McLaren’s recent hiccups opened the door wide for that P4 spot. Aston Martin turned the tables with an impressive 37 points in the last two races, putting them just 11 points behind McLaren.

Both teams had a killer season, but only one will snag that top-four finish on Sunday in what will be another thrilling battle between the two British teams.

One Last Hoorah For Alfa Romeo

The partnership between Alfa Romeo and Sauber in Formula 1 comes to an end at the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In 2018, after a 30-year hiatus, the Biscione brand returned to the highest level of motorsport as part of a strategic, commercial and technological partnership. This has led to six years of fruitful and passionate collaboration between Alfa Romeo and Sauber Motorsport.

Strongly desired and supported by the late Sergio Marchionne, the former CEO of Ferrari — who saw the likes of Charles Leclerc, Marcus Ericsson, Antonio Giovinazzi, Kimi Raikkonen, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas driving for the team. Grazie per i ricordi, Alfa Romeo.