01/12/2019
NEWS STORY
OK, we admit it.
We have never been fans of the Yas Marina circuit, or indeed the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Perhaps it is the fact that this seemingly soulless location has bought the rights to host the season finale year after year, rather than allowing the sport to 'sign off' at one of the more traditional tracks.
Perhaps it's the bling, the style over substance or indeed memories of 2010 when Fernando Alonso spent lap after tedious lap behind Vitaly Petrov.
However, fact is the drivers do appear to like it, and while more and more appear to be following Ross Brawn's example in acting like PR men for the sport, if Lewis Hamilton thinks the circuit is "amazing", then who are we to argue?
Then again, doesn't he say that of every circuit?
Today's race has the prospect of either being a Brazil-style thriller or a Le Castellet bore, we have our doubts as to which it will be.
As if the prospect of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen starting side-by-side on a street track wasn't enough, throw in a frustrated Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel, who is on an entirely different tyre strategy, and you have the recipe for a stunning opening lap... or an unmitigated disaster.
And talking of frustration, there's Valtteri Bottas starting from the back of the grid following two engine changes, and with a new super-duper unit that only has to last the one race the Finn can throw caution to the wind.
Then there's Alex Albon, still smarting from becoming the latest F1 driver to be robbed in Sao Paulo, now keen to wrap up his rookie season with a podium.
And as if that wasn't enough we have Renault seeking to hold off Toro Rosso - soon to be Alpha Tauri - for fifth in the team standings, while Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly battle for 'best of the rest' in the Drivers' Championship.
Up and down the grid there will be drivers and teams with points to prove and wrongs to right, while some might simply see today as an opportunity to boost their profile in the forthcoming Netflix documentary.
So, we will do our best to reserve judgement on Yas Marina, let's hope it doesn't let us down.
The optimal strategy for the race is a one-stopper, but there are several variations on this theme as the pit stop window is quite wide.
There are two one-stop strategies that work almost equally well: softs for seven to 14 laps, combined with hards for 41 to 48 laps. Alternatively, mediums for 10 to 18 laps, combined with hards for 37 to 45 laps.
It's then going to be down to the individual race circumstances for each driver to decide when is the best time to stop.
What's slower is a one-stopper using the softs for 18 to 22 laps followed by the mediums for 33 to 37 laps. That requires a bit too much pace management (to keep the softs alive) to be consistently fast, so expect the hard to be a key ingredient for any one-stopper.
A two-stopper is about as fast on paper, but it's not going to be a favoured tactic due to the problem of getting through traffic on a track where it's not particularly easy to overtake. But if anyone wanted to try it, the best way would be to do two soft stints for seven to 10 laps each, plus a hard stint of 35 to 41 laps. In the end, a two-stopper using any combination of the tyres available would theoretically result in a broadly similar overall race time, if the stops are made at the right moment.
The pitlane opens, and for the last time this year the drivers head out.
Even as the cars head out there is drama, as the FIA reveals it is checking Leclerc. The FIA technical delegate, Jo Bauer reveals that, in terms of the fuel declaration of the Ferrari, which was checked before it left the pit-lane, there was a significant difference between the declaration of the team and the amount of fuel inside the car. As this is not in compliance with the rules the matter is to be investigated after the race.
As the drivers assemble for the national anthem, the air temperature is 27.4 degrees C, while the track temperature is 32.1 degrees. However, as the sun continues to fall in the sky, so too will the temperatures.
Asked about the situation with Leclerc, Christian Horner says the key word in the statement is "significant". In other words, the car is either legal or it is not. Consequently, no matter how impressive his performance today, the Monegasque could face a "significant" penalty, even disqualification.
Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc, Albon, Perez, Gasly, Stroll, Magnussen, Grosjean, Raikkonen and Bottas all start on mediums. Vettel, Norris, Ricciardo, Sainz, Hulkenberg and Giovinazzi are on softs, while Kvyat, Russell and Kubica are on hards.
They head off on the warm-up lap, all getting away cleanly.
The grid forms, a Mercedes on pole for the sixth successive year. However, will the German take a sixth successive victory here today?
They're away. Hamilton and Verstappen both get away well, the Dutchman slotting in behind the Mercedes in order to hold off the Ferraris.
Gasly runs wide in Turn 1 following a nudge from Stroll, the Frenchman loses his front wing as he slightly spins following the initial contact and subsequently clouts the rear of Perez' car.
Having initially had a look at Vettel, Albon is now under pressure from the McLaren pair, while Leclerc sweeps past Verstappen to take second on the back straight.
Soon after, Vettel makes a move on the Red Bull driver, but the Dutchman keeps the four-time champion in his place.
Norris passes his McLaren teammate, the pair touching in the course of the move.
At the end of lap 1, it's: Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen, Vettel, Albon, Norris, Sainz, Ricciardo, Magnussen and Hulkenberg. Bottas is up to 15th.
Gasly pits at the end of lap 1, the Frenchman taking on a new nose, having been 'deprived' of his original. It's a long stop as the team has a problem removing the old nose.
The stewards have noted the incident involving the Racing Points and Gasly.
As Bottas passes countryman Raikkonen for 14th, the stewards deem that no investigation is necessary of the first lap incident.
Due to a technical issue, DRS is currently disabled for everyone.
Just three laps into the race, Gasly is about to be lapped by the race leader.
Bottas passes Stroll for 13th, as the Canadian reports that his car is "undriveable" following that first lap clash with Gasly.
Told about then technical issue with the DRS, Perez replies: "Ah, great!"
Stroll pits at the end of lap 5.
Verstappen reports strange messages on his dash relating to his engine, including "no RPM". Meanwhile, without DRS, Bottas passes Giovinazzi, and Perez passes Magnussen for 10th.
After 6 laps, Hamilton leads Leclerc by 4s with Vettel a further 2s behind and 1.9s ahead of Verstappen.
Leclerc is told he will be going for "Plan A".
Check out our Sunday gallery from Yas Marina, here.
"We need to push as much as you can," Leclerc is told.
"If you guys have any suggestions, I don't know what to do in here," says Grosjean, who is currently 14th.
Norris and Giovinazzi both pit at the end of lap 8. They rejoin in 16th and 18th, the Briton's stop particularly slow.
"I've got some weird vibrations turning in," warns Leclerc, "check the tyres."
"Everything is fine on data," Leclerc is told.
Hulkenberg is told that Norris' pace on hards is similar to his current pace on softs.
Ricciardo pits at the end of lap 11, the Australian rejoining in 15th, behind Norris.
Bottas passes Perez for 8th, and sets off after Hulkenberg and Sainz.
Leclerc pits at the end of lap 12, switching to hards. As he heads down the pitlane, Vettel also heads into the pits. However, it's a poor stop for the German as the Italian team simply doesn't have the ability to double-stack like Mercedes. He too switches to the white-banded rubber.
Leclerc rejoins in 4th and Vettel 7th.
Ricciardo passes Sainz for 14th, as Albon pits from third. The Thai driver rejoins in 7th, behind Vettel.
Sainz runs wide as he battles Ricciardo for 14th, though he retakes the position he has to hand it back to the Australian.
A new fastest lap from Leclerc (41.938).
"Tyres are OK for me, I keep going," says Verstappen.
After 15 laps, Hulkenberg is fourth on softs, the only driver still running the red-banded rubber.
The German has a train of three cars running close behind.
"Stay close to Lando," Sainz is told, "Hulkenberg is absolutely on your window." The Spaniard is currently 14th, behind his McLaren teammate.
Vettel is now attacking Bottas who has yet to stop. The German makes his move, but the Finn is having none of it and slams the door well and truly shut. He tries again but simply doesn't have the grunt.
At which point - 17 laps into the race - DRS is enabled.
Taking time out from his battle with Vettel, Bottas, courtesy of DRS, makes short work of Hulkenberg to take fourth.
Hulkenberg pits at the end of lap 18, the German switching to mediums. He rejoins in 13th, as Grosjean also stops.
On fresh rubber, Hulkenberg makes short work of Sainz before setting about his McLaren teammate.
"Fantastic work Nico, but let's not overstretch these tyres passing Norris. We've got plenty of time."
Magnussen pits at the end of lap 20, as Vettel queries an order from his team relating to his engine mode.
Kvyat passes Raikkonen for 8th, the pair still to stop.
"My rear tyres are a bit more difficult now," warns Verstappen.
Giovinazzi clouts the side of Kubica's Williams as he passes him for 16th, damaging the Pole's bargeboard in the process.
Hamilton complains about Stroll's driving. "It's crazy," says the Briton.
So no move to Racing Point any time soon for the world champion.
Hulkenberg is all over Norris as Bottas is told that he's racing Leclerc for third until the end of the race.
Told his tyre life will be tight until the end, Sainz replies: "I feel it, I feel it".
Verstappen pits at the end of lap 25, as does Kubica. The Red Bull driver rejoins in third, behind Leclerc.
"Box, box," Hamilton is told.
Sure enough, at the end of lap 26, the Briton stops. Switching to hards he rejoins still leading. Indeed, he has 6.3s advantage over second-placed Leclerc.
"Something is not correct, massive lag," snaps Verstappen.
At half-distance, it's: Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen, Bottas, Vettel, Albon, Perez, Kvyat, Norris and Hulkenberg. That said, Bottas, Perez and Kvyat have yet to stop.
Asking "why this is suddenly a problem, I've got a massive handbrake effect as well", Verstappen is told to "calm down".
In a scenario one couldn't have scripted better the McLarens and Renaults are running in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th, covered by less than 4s.
As Bottas prepares to pit, Toto Wolff oversees the stop from the front of the garage. The Finn heads back out in 6th, on hards, as Wolff applauds.
"After the pit stop something happened, I don't know what it is," says Verstappen.
Despite his issues, Verstappen is all over the rear of Leclerc. Meanwhile, Bottas posts a new fastest lap (39.715) as he seeks to close the 8.7s gap to Albon.
A bold, brave move sees Verstappen pass Leclerc on the inside at Turn 8 to take second. The Ferrari drivers subsequently attempts to retake the position at Turn 11 and they appear to touch. The Red Bull crew applauds as the Dutchman holds his position.
Soon he is 2.5s clear of Leclerc, but Verstappen continues to voice concern at his "throttle map".
"Shall we go to Plan C?" asks Leclerc. The team, which should be making such decisions, admits that it may be possible.
"Come on, come on, move," urges Vettel as he loses time behind Kubica.
After 35 laps, Perez remains seventh, ahead of Kvyat, Norris, Hulkenberg, Sainz and Ricciardo. The Mexican and Russian still to stop.
"Zero Plan A," Vettel is told. "Copy," he replies. "Think about it," he subsequently adds, only to be told "we're thinking about it".
Perez pits at the end of lap 37, rejoining behind the McLaren/Renault train.
Leclerc pits at the end of lap 3, as does Vettel. They rejoin in third and sixth on softs and mediums, respectively.
Bottas makes short work of Albon, and sets about closing the 2.5s gap to Leclerc.
"Both Ferraris on a two-stop, I could hear it behind you," laughs Verstappen.
Kvyat finally stops at the end of lap 41, the Russian switching from hards to mediums as he rejoins in 12th behind Ricciardo, who has been passed by Perez.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Yas Marina, here.
Calling on his team to let him pit, and thereby challenge, Sainz is indeed brought in. Switching to mediums he rejoins in 14th. Definitely worth watching his progress.
Bottas is advised that Leclerc's (soft) tyres may not go the distance. The Finn is currently 7s down on the Ferrari.
Ricciardo reacts to Sainz' stop, pitting at the end of lap 43. He rejoins in 14th, as Sainz passes Magnussen for 12th.
Hamilton has lapped everyone up to, and including, 7th placed Norris. Next up is Vettel, though he is 36s ahead.
Perez is all over the rear of Hulkenberg, finally nailing the German to take 8th in Turn 8 in a braking move Ricciardo would be proud of.
As Kvyat appear to catch Hulkenberg asleep at the wheel, Ricciardo is told to switch to "beast mode".
At the end of lap 47, Stroll becomes the first retirement of the day, his Racing Point never fully recovering form that first lap clash with Gasly.
"We've nothing to lose, so let's use these tyres," Norris is urged. The Briton is currently under attack from Perez as they battle for seventh.
"Give it everything mate, give it everything," Norris is told.
Meanwhile, with 5 laps remaining, Hamilton has a 17.2s advantage over Verstappen who is 22s clear of Leclerc. Bottas is fourth, 6.2s down on the Ferrari.
Bottas takes 2s out of Leclerc as the Monegasque's softs begin to fade. Meanwhile, Vettel is closing on Albon.
"At this pace, Bottas will get us with two laps to go," Leclerc is warned.
Out front, Hamilton turns up the heat, the Briton clearly seeking fastest lap in addition to pole and the win.
A new fastest lap for Hamilton (39.283), as Vettel makes a move on Albon. The Thai holds him off, but the subsequent attack sees the German claim 5th.
Perez continues to harry Norris, as Sainz is unable to make his mark on Hulkenberg.
As they begin the final lap, Hamilton leads by 18.475s, while Bottas is 1.717s down on Leclerc.
Hamilton takes the flag as Sainz passes Hulkenberg and Perez passes Norris, but Bottas is unable to take third from Leclerc.
However, will the stewards have the last word.
"What an amazing drive," Hamilton is told.
We couldn't have put it better.
Verstappen is second, ahead of Leclerc, Bottas, Vettel, Albon, Perez, Norris, Kvyat and Sainz.
Ricciardo is eleventh, ahead of Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Magnussen, Grosjean, Giovinazzi, Russell, Gasly and Kubica.
However, much could change when the stewards announce their decision on Leclerc's fuel declaration.
Certainly, Sainz (96 points) finishes 'best' of the rest', ahead of Gasly (95) and Albon (92), while Renault holds on to fifth, Toro Rosso missing out by 6 points.
While Hamilton almost cruised to victory today, the Briton and his team looking as dominant as it did at the start of the hybrid era, the last few laps certainly kicked things back into life, what with those late moves by Sainz and Perez.
However, while the Pitpass jury remains out as far as Yas Marina is concerned, the sport could face well-deserved ridicule should Leclerc be disqualified.
If his team broke the rules it is totally understandable that it is punished, but to let him race knowing that is ludicrous, and not the kind of thing to win over new fans.
But at least it gives us some food for thought over the winter.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Yas Marina, here.