What we learned from Friday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
What we learned from Friday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas may have been the fastest man on-track across Friday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but that is little indication of what is to come at Yas Marina.
The Finn is guaranteed to start Sunday's race from the back of the grid after heading to the Emirates with a new Mercedes engine.
Additional power from a fresh power unit perhaps explained Bottas' advantage over his and Mercedes' rivals, and also perhaps caught out Romain Grosjean in a collision between the pair in FP2.
With Bottas out of the picture, things look pretty tasty between the rest of the front-runners, as well as the tight-as-ever midfield.
Hamilton heads battle for pole
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel were separated by just a tenth over a single lap of the Yas Marina Circuit.
The Ferraris were as quick on the straights as would be expected, although the strength through low-speed sections that helped them to victory in Singapore was not on show this time around.
Max Verstappen cannot be counted out in the fight for Saturday honours either. The Dutchman struggled through his soft-tyre qualifying run, actually losing time compared to the harder compounds in the early part of the lap.
Hamilton certainly has the form here. He took the very first pole here in 2009 and last year's was his fourth qualifying triumph in 10 outings, while Mercedes have been on pole each year in the V6 Hybrid era.
Given the circuit's tendency for processional racing, qualifying could be crucial, although Hamilton's race pace was favourable to his rivals, until Bottas and Grosjean's crash curtailed long-run efforts for some time.
Haas progress to go out the window?
Grosjean's collision with Bottas ill have been doubly frustrating for Haas and the Frenchman, given he had shown impressive pace all day on Friday.
Having split the Ferraris in FP1, Grosjean ended FP2 best of the rest, having used a brand new floor which it is hoped with unlock more pace from the car in 2020.
However, that floor was wrecked in the Bottas crash – the Finn diving up the inside from way back – meaning Haas could well have to revert to a previous-spec part.
Renault at risk?
Renault had to concede fourth place to McLaren in Brazil, but they could even drop another spot in the constructors' standings if Friday's pace is genuine.
Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo were both outside the top 10 in FP2, while Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly were ninth and 10th-fastest respectively over the single lap.
Getting into Q3 is not always the benefit it should be in Yas Marina, especially if teams are stuck with soft tyres at the start.
However, if Toro Rosso can start far enough ahead of the Renault's, the French team's eight-point advantage in the standings might start to look particularly small.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- 26 minutes ago
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- 1 hour ago
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- 2 hours ago
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- Today 13:59
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- Today 12:59
Related news
F1 track to test stunning new driver format
Verstappen caught red-handed in failed Red Bull sabotage
Verstappen's F1 break includes one major omission
Marko mourns death of key Red Bull figure after championship win
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860