21
14:34
Max Verstappen pit stop
Max Verstappen pits…
20
14:33
Pit stop by Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso comes into the pits and after switching to the hard it’s back to 14th place. Verstappen, Leclerc, Vettel, Bottas and Magnussen have not yet stopped.
19
14:32
Pit radio Lewis Hamilton
“I think the underbody is broken,” says Hamilton on his radio.
19
14:31
Lewis Hamilton pit stop
Lewis Hamilton is the next driver to make his pit stop. There is a fresh hard set for the Brit.
18
14:30
Pit stop by Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz comes in for his pit stop and, like everyone else, picks up the hard tire. Vettel stays further out. Is that the right strategy against Ocon, who is currently so much faster on the track?
17
14:29
Overtaking by Sergio Pérez
But now Sebastian Vettel has to vacate his position. Sergio Perez passes.
17
14:28
Russell faces trouble
George Russell is in trouble. Replays show an unsafe release from the Brit against Lando Norris’ McLaren.
16
14:27
Vettel in a duel with Pérez
Vettel offers a close duel with Pérez for fifth place in the intermediate classification. The Mexican wants to overtake him, but Vettel resists and stays in front.
16
14:26
Pit stop by Sergio Pérez
Sergio Pérez is the next driver to pit. He picks up the hard tire and returns to the track in sixth place. Russell, Norris and also Zhou have also switched.
15
14:25
Pit stop by Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon now comes into the pits and also picks up hard tyres. Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly and Mick Schumacher also come to change tires.
14
14:24
Vettel in a fight with the Alpine
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel continues to fight with the two Alpines. Ocon drives in front of him, Alonso lurks behind Vettel.
14
14:24
Pit stop by Lance Stroll
Alex Albon was the first driver to the garage one lap ago, now Lance Stroll follows. It goes out again on the hardest tire compound.
13.
14:23
Pit radio Lewis Hamilton
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton continues to struggle with his car. “Something’s wrong with the car,” he radios to his garage.
13.
14:21
Ocon is spreading
Sebastian Vettel tries Esteban Ocon again and misses at Turn 9, but Ocon stays firm and keeps the German behind.
12.
14:20
Pit radio Carlos Sainz
Ferrari tell Carlos Sainz the tires continue to look good and wear isn’t as bad as feared. “I don’t agree,” contradicts Sainz.
10
14:18
Verstappen pulls away
In the meantime, Max Verstappen is at the front. He already has a lead of 3.3 seconds over his team-mate. Charles Leclerc is another three seconds behind. Vettel is still ninth, Schumacher 16th.
9.
14:17
Pit radio Lewis Hamilton
“I’m out of power,” Hamilton asks over the radio. “What’s going on there?” He is currently driving significantly slower than the other drivers at the front.
8th.
14:16
Vettel arranges Ocon
Sebastian Vettel, for his part, prepares Esteban Ocon. His first overtake didn’t work out after going too wide at Turn 10.
8th.
14:15
Carlos Sainz overtakes
Are there any problems at Hamilton? The Briton’s times have collapsed and Sainz has an easy time of it when he presses the DRS button. Sainz is fourth again.
7.
14:13
Pit radio George Russell
George Russell offers the team via pit radio to tell Hamilton that he should drive faster up front. Sure, Sainz is currently benefiting from DRS.
6.
14:11
Overtaking by Alex Albon
Mick Schumacher is currently going backwards. The German is overtaken by Williams by Alex Albon and is now only 16. Gasly was already pushing from behind.
5.
14:10
Lewis Hamilton overtakes
A lap later, Lewis Hamilton regained fourth place in the race with a fair maneuver against Sainz. He will now go hunting for Leclerc.
4.
14:10
Pit radio Lewis Hamilton
“We were asked to return the position to Sainz,” Lewis Hamilton said over his pit radio. He responds to the request shortly thereafter.
3.
14:08
Investigation against Hamilton
An investigation is being launched against Lewis Hamilton. It’s about a shortcut in a duel with Sainz in the first round.
3.
14:07
Red Bull pulls away
Red Bull is now pulling away. Sergio Pérez is 1.7 seconds ahead of Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso.
2.
14:06
Schumacher in 14th place
For Mick Schumacher, it went down two places on the first lap of the race. He is now 14th behind Daniel Ricciardo.
1.
14:05
Esteban Ocon overtaking
Esteban Ocon takes eighth place from Vettel. Further up, Hamilton and Sainz are fighting a close duel. There is a touch between the two drivers.
1.
14:04
Start race
The traffic lights are off, the last race of a long season has started! Max Verstappen can maintain his lead, behind Pérez also holds his position. Sebastian Vettel is one position up against Esteban Ocon.
14:02
Not for long
The first cars return to the grid. Now it won’t be long until the launch!
14:00
It’s the introductory round
For the last time this season, the field goes into the warm-up lap. Most of it is on the medium. Magnussen and Bottas will start on hard. Gasly is on the soft.
13:57
The conditions
It’s still light in Abu Dhabi. In the course of the race, the sun will then sink. Before the start, the track temperature is 35 degrees. The air temperature is 29 degrees.
13:55
Last high five with Alonso
Emotional moments before the start for Vettel. After the anthem, all drivers said goodbye to him. When Vettel is already in the car, Fernando Alonso comes by again, bends down to his long-time companion and high-fives Vettel again. Alonso will start the race immediately behind Vettel.
1:47 p.m
The distance
The track in Abu Dhabi is 5.2 kilometers long. The circuit is located on the island of Yas, a promontory cut off from the mainland by a canal. She has sixteen curves. The Yas Marina Circuit has been modified for the 2021 season. It is hoped that this will make the route more overtaking-friendly.
1:40 p.m
Schumacher from twelfth place
For Mick Schumacher, it is also in the last Formula 1 race for the time being. Because it is now certain that Logan Sargeant has all the super license points together to drive alongside Alex Albon at Williams in 2023. But there are definitely chances that Schumacher can return as a regular driver in 2024. Schumi Junior had placed 13th in a good qualifying session, but slips up a place after a penalty from Daniel Ricciardo for a collision in Brazil.
13:32
Red Bull from the front row
The Red Bulls are starting from the front row today. Verstappen secured pole in his first attempt in Q3 and then secured second place on the grid with the help of Pérez slipstreaming. This puts him in a better position to fight for the runner-up title. However, Charles Leclerc is by no means behind. He will start the race from position three. Carlos Sainz is fourth ahead of the two Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
13:22
The fight for the vice title
Twelve years ago there was a big World Cup showdown between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the final in Abu Dhabi. This year, the World Championship titles have already been taken. Verstappen is the driver’s world champion, as is Red Bull as the constructor’s world champion. However, the positions behind them have not yet been taken. Charles Leclerc and Sergio Pérez will go into the final with 290 points each. Shifts are also possible in the team ranking. Mercedes, 19 points behind Ferrari, still has a chance for second place. Alpine and McLaren also separate 19 points in the battle for fourth place. Aston Martin is currently five points behind Alfa Romeo and is hoping for sixth place. Haas, on the other hand, wants to defend his lead over AlphaTauri, which is just two points.
13:15
Vettel before his last race
After a strong qualifying, Sebastian Vettel starts his last Formula 1 race in a good ninth place. On Thursday Vettel celebrated his farewell with a meal together with all drivers. There are numerous tributes throughout the grid including replica Vettel helmets worn by Fernando Alonso and Mick Schumacher. For Schumacher, Daniel Ricciardo and Nicholas Latifi it is – at least for the time being – the last race in Formula 1.
Warm welcome!
It’s ready for the grand finale of Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi. The drivers’ and constructors’ titles have been taken, but it’s still exciting for the places behind them. The race starts at 2:00 p.m.
9.
00:00
George Russell overtaking
George Russell passes teammate Hamilton and will now try to chase the Ferraris.