The 2019 Formula 1 campaign comes to an end this weekend, as Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates prepares to welcome the drivers to the Yas Marina Circuit. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have already salted away the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, but third place is still up for grabs. Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, has already locked up second place. Max Verstappen, for Red Bull, sits in third place after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix two weeks ago. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is 11 points behind Verstappen in fourth place, and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is locked into fifth place. We have the F1 odds for each driver as well as thoughts about each team for the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
F1 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Odds, Preview & Predictions
Last race of the season ☹️ Could be a absolute cracker 😀
Here’s what you need to watch 👀 #AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 https://t.co/5JHoJ643CR — Formula 1 (@F1) November 30, 2019
- When: Sunday, December 1st, 2019 at 8am ET
- Where: Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- TV: Fox Sports
- Live Stream: Formula1.com
Driver Odds to Win the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- Lewis Hamilton 6/5
- Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen 3/1
- Sebastian Vettel 6/1
- Valtteri Bottas 11/1
- Alexander Albon 50/1
- Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Daniil Kvyat,
- Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo 1000/1
- Sergio Perez 1500/1
- Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean, Antonio Giovinazzi,
- Kevin Magnussen 2000/1
- Lance Stroll 2500/1
- Robert Kubica, George Russell 4000/1
Formula 1 has come to Abu Dhabi ten times. Lewis Hamilton has won four of those races, while Sebastian Vettel has won three (but all with Red Bull). Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas and Nico Rosberg have all won here. Mercedes has not lost a race here in the hybrid era.
The course here features a number of tight turns, requiring a lot of time spent in the low gears. The first two sectors generally allow for full throttle, with a couple of exceptions for corners. In Sector 3, the course contains quite a few slow-speed turns. The race begins with a fairly short main straight and then head into Turn 1; the more speed you can pry out of these early corners. It is possible to hold full throttle threw the next few curves as downforce plays a role. Turn 5 asks the drivers to brake, but just a little bit, allowing the engine brake to reduce speed slightly. Then comes the second straight, allowing cars to hit full throttle again before Turns 8 and 9. After Turn 9, the speed can increase back to full throttle.
Sector 3 begins with Turn 11, and here things get tricky, as the drivers need perfect rear grip from their tires to make it through. There are eleven corners in this part, and the course around the hotel offers a number of close walls that can make choices difficult as well.
Mercedes looks to rebound from multiple mistakes in Brazil. Lewis Hamilton tangled with Alexander Albon but will look to get back to his winning ways. Valtteri Bottas is putting in a new power unit, so he will have to start at the back of the field with a resulting grid penalty.
Ferrari had an even more vivid breakdown, as Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel crashed into each other in Turn 65, getting into a loud altercation as both of their cars had to be pulled from the course in a double retirement. The feud between these two drivers, who both view themselves as the top driver (which means neither one wants to be the supporting driver in races). Ferrari seemed to have put this feud behind them after the summer break, winning three straight races and grabbing six straight pole positions, but that unraveled in Brazil.
Red Bull got the winner in Verstappen in Brazil and could have had another driver on the podium had Albon not collided with Hamilton. That makes three wins on the year for Red Bull, and Verstappen has stacked up the points with the hope of keeping Ferrari off the drivers’ championship podium. Pierre Gasly made some noise — Red Bull had sent Gasly down to Toro Rosso after failing to live up to team standards, so beating Albon (his replacement) had to feel good. Gasly ended up finishing second, behind Verstappen and ahead of Hamilton on the podium in Brazil.
