Formula One’s season finale in Abu Dhabi is bursting with drama: Lewis Hamilton is preparing an emotional farewell to Mercedes, top drivers are trading fierce personal barbs, and the constructors’ title is still up for grabs.
Although Max Verstappen clinched his fourth drivers’ championship in Las Vegas two weeks ago, the Red Bull star remains in the spotlight – this time for a heated feud with Mercedes’ George Russell.
Russell branded Verstappen “a bully” and accused him of threatening behavior following a dispute during qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix last week. Verstappen was pushed off pole position in Qatar in favor of Russell and has accused Russell of lying to get him penalized.
Verstappen is aiming for his 10th race win of the season Sunday in Abu Dhabi. While an impressive feat by most drivers’ standards, it pales in comparison to Verstappen’s dominance in recent years – 15 wins in 2022 and 19 in 2023.
This weekend in Abu Dhabi marks a long goodbye for Lewis Hamilton as he prepares to leave Mercedes, where he won six of his seven titles, to join Ferrari in 2025.
Hamilton is driving in Abu Dhabi with the names of 150 fans on his car as part of a “Thank You, Lewis” campaign by Mercedes. The move to Ferrari, announced before the season began, has proven more emotionally taxing than Hamilton anticipated. On Thursday, he admitted the prolonged farewell has taken a toll. Penalties and a puncture in Qatar have also dampened his hopes of finishing the season on a high note.
Either McLaren or Ferrari will end a long drought for the F1 constructors’ title on Sunday. McLaren hasn’t won the coveted prize since 1998, while Ferrari’s last victory was in 2008.
McLaren leads Ferrari by 21 points heading into the weekend. However, a heavy penalty for Lando Norris last week in Qatar dashed McLaren’s chance to seal the title early.
“A win is what we need. I think we’re going to need to have both cars on the podium if we want to clinch the championship unless something very disastrous happens to McLaren,” Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. said Thursday.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, announced in February, shocked F1 and set off a domino effect of driver changes across the grid.
Next year, F1 will welcome its largest influx of young drivers in years, as established names switch teams or leave the series.
One of the new faces is already on the grid in Abu Dhabi after Alpine opted to give Jack Doohan an early taste of F1. The 21-year-old Australian, son of motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan, is replacing Esteban Ocon for the final race of the season.