Verstappen ‘Will Do Everything’ To Beat Lewis Hamilton
Follow live coverage as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen do battle for the 2021 Formula One title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix today.
Verstappen could not hide his delight after beating Hamilton to pole position in today’s race with an absorbing title race set to finally conclude. The Red Bull star described qualification as “an amazing feeling” after producing a lap 0.371 seconds faster than the Mercedes. And with both men level on points entering the final race of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit, it is winner takes all, with the Belgian-Dutch driver admitting he is “incredibly happy with this. It is of course what we wanted but it is never easy, especially with their form recently.”
While Hamilton, aiming for his eighth world title, which would break a tie between himself and the legendary Michael Schumacher, appeared downbeat following his defeat in qualification: “Max did a great lap today so we just couldn’t compete with that time at the end there.”
The Constructors’ Championship remains up for grabs, with Red Bull hoping to upset Mercedes, who are 28 points ahead, and they gained an edge in qualification as their second driver Sergio Perez will line up fourth, though McLaren’s Lando Norris produced a sensational performance to take third, with the Briton admitting he is “nervous” to watch the drama unfold from his position at the start line. Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas could only manage sixth and fell behind the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
Follow build-up and live updates ahead of a thrilling finale to the F1 season:
Team-mates could play crucial role in helping Verstappen and Hamilton
It is important to remember, of course, that there are 17 drivers other than Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton who will race around Yas Marina today.
Two who could play a crucial role are their respective team-mates, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, who will be tasked entirely with aiding their colleagues’ endeavours this afternoon.
Perez starts fourth, with only Lando Norris separating him from Lewis Hamilton. Like Verstappen, the Mexican starts on the soft tyres, and if he can dispatch the McLaren quickly enough at the start, could make life difficult for Hamilton in the first stint. The Briton will start on the medium tyres, which will be slightly slower but will allow him to stay out on track for longer before making a pit stop.
Bottas, meanwhile, scored a pretty woeful P6 on the grid for Mercedes on Saturday, separating him from the front two by quite a distance. He has Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari between his car and Perez’s,
The conclusion is that Verstappen is more likely to have a rear gunner to support him in the early stages of the race, which could be a crucial advantage.
Dan Austin12 December 2021 10:47
Mazepin to miss Abu Dhabi finale
The Haas driver Nikita Mazepin, who has endured a torrid rookie season at the back of the grid, will miss the season finale after testing positive for Covid-19 following yesterday’s qualifying session.
The 22-year-old has been comprehensively outpaced by team-mate Mick Schumacher since the campaign began, and has struggled with spins, crashes, and moving out of the way of faster cars.
After qualifying 20th once again on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, the Russian’s season is ending on the kind of sour note that pretty much all of his weekends have so far.
Dan Austin12 December 2021 10:36
A-Listers backing Hamilton for win
The stars are out to support Lewis Hamilton in his quest for an eighth world title this afternoon.
The Brit has won the last three races to drag himself back into a contest that he looked to have lost just a few weeks ago.
And a cast of A-listers have backed him to get the job done today with Samuel L Jackson, Robert De Niro, Anthony Joshua and George Lucas amongst many, many others lending their support in a special video.
Dan Austin12 December 2021 10:31
Wolff says Red Bull were “flawless” on Saturday
Toto Wolff has admitted Red Bull taught Mercedes a “lesson” in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen landed the first blow of what is a crucial weekend by securing pole position for Sunday’s race ahead of title rival Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen, who will claim a first world title if he finishes ahead of Hamilton at the Yas Marina Circuit, expertly utilised a tow in the slipstream of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to set an unassailable time of one minute 22.109 seconds.
Hamilton was unable to best it leaving Mercedes team chief Wolff grudgingly impressed.
“We generally have the belief that the slipstreaming, what we gain on the straights you lose in the corners because you’re simply too close and it’s very difficult to orchestrate,” he said.
“I think the Red Bulls did it flawlessly today and credit to them how they did it, and that gave them an advantage, but that’s not the reason why we’re behind.
“We simply had no pace, not enough pace and Verstappen late on, I believe they were not slipstreaming and still fast. A lesson to learn is that it’s something we should consider in the future but today it’s basically 1-0 to them.”
Dan Austin12 December 2021 10:22
Horner defends Verstappen driving style
Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen has been on the receiving end of a narrative which has been pushed to suggest the Dutchman is a dangerous racer – claiming Lewis Hamilton has used “every tool available” to heap pressure on his title rival.
Verstappen’s driving style has been widely criticised, including by Hamilton, who labelled his rival “f****** crazy” after an incident at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend.
That has led to suggestions he could look to take Hamilton out of the race on Sunday to ensure his maiden world title, but Horner was bullish when asked if Verstappen – who was hit with two time penalties in Jeddah – is right to feel unfairly treated by race stewards and feels there has been an agenda to influence people against his driver.
“I think that on occasion he has been treated harshly, he has come under scrutiny that we haven’t seen applied consistently with other incidents and he feels aggrieved by that,” Horner said.
“I think the problem for Max is that the scrutiny is on him. He has the spotlight positioned on him, he is running at the front and competing against a seven-time world champion.
“He has had allegations about his driving, his driving style and driving standards – there has been a narrative pushed to put pressure on him. He has driven fantastically well all year.
“Lewis is a seven-time world champion, most successful of all time, has a standing within the sport. What he says carries a lot of weight.
“He has used every tool available to him to put Max under pressure this year, he is a competitive animal, you don’t become a seven-time world champion without being a competitor like he is.
“I believe, aided by the Mercedes media machine, a huge amount of pressure had been placed on Max. He is a young lad who does it with bravery, passion, skill and determination.
“He is just a guy living his dream, doing his job but is up against not only Lewis but a huge machine in Mercedes-Benz, all credit to him for the way he has handled it this year and hasn’t been drawn into it, he has just gone about it, hasn’t changed from Bahrain to Saudi.
“This ‘Mad Max’ scenario, calling him crazy, there has been a very clear narrative.”
Dan Austin12 December 2021 10:07
F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Our two protagonists have arrived at stage left.
Lights will go out in just over three hours time for what promises to be one of the most dramatic races we’ve ever seen.
Everything to play for with just one race to go.
Ben Burrows12 December 2021 09:56
F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Lando Norris believes he has the “best seat” to watch the Formula One title showdown after qualifying third in Abu Dhabi – but admits he does not want to cause any controversy as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen vie for the championship.
While Red Bull’s Verstappen stole a march on Hamilton by sealing pole position ahead of the Mercedes with the pair locked on 369.5 points in the standings, Norris put in a fine lap to take third for McLaren.
The 22-year-old will now be aiming for a fifth podium of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit, but he knows he will be playing second fiddle to the title protagonists.
“I think I am in the best seat for tomorrow,” he said. “I’m very excited to see everything unfold. It is a genuine pleasure to be in this position, see everything that has been going on this season between Max and Lewis.
“To watch the battle and the racing, as I have a lot of respect for them, it gives me the prime position for the view tomorrow.
“I am a bit nervous because I want to stay where I am and watch everything unfold over the first few laps or the whole race.
“But I also don’t want to get involved too much as it could cause controversy. I don’t know whether to go for the move, not go for the move, you tell me?”
Ben Burrows12 December 2021 09:48
F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Some housekeeping for you all with the relevant timings and TV and streaming information for today’s race.
The race itself begins at 1pm (8am EST) on Sunday afternoon.
Sky Sports F1 and Channel 4, who belatedly struck a deal for the season finale, will have both carry live coverage of the race.
Sky Sports’ race coverage starts at 11.30am on Sunday, while Channel 4 begin their coverage at 12pm, with highlights running at 5.30pm.
Sky Sports customers can stream all of the coverage from the above channels through the Sky Go app.
Viewers in the US can watch via ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
Ben Burrows12 December 2021 09:35
F1 news
Russian rookie Nikita Mazepin will not race today after testing positive for Covid, his Haas team have confirmed.
Mazepin will not be replaced and Haas will run with only one driver, Mick Schumacher, because rules prohibit a driver who has not taken part in at least one session from racing on Sunday.
“Nikita is physically well, having been asymptomatic, but he will now self-isolate and adhere to the guidelines of the relevant public health authorities, with safety the ultimate priority for all parties concerned,” the American team’s statement said.
Mazepin, who was set to start last on the grid, is the eighth driver to have tested positive for COVID-19 since last season.
The 22-year-old, who will be staying at Haas alongside Schumacher next year, had appeared in a video released by Formula One on Saturday, urging people to get vaccinated.
Formula One teams have operated in a protective bubble with regular testing since last year, though protocols have been eased and fans allowed back at races in high numbers.
Ben Burrows12 December 2021 09:27
F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Hamilton, meanwhile, gave a churlish response when asked if a similar tactic had been mooted with his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
“No, it wasn’t discussed. We have never really done that,” he said.
“I would like Valtteri to focus on him. We work as team, it is never something we discus or work on and I don’t believe it should be done.”
Hamilton was jeered by a large Dutch support as he spoke after taking second – but claimed that will only spur him on: “There’s a lot of orange here, but I don’t care, it doesn’t make any difference to me.
“It makes no difference to how I go about my life. If anything I use it as fuel, so I am grateful for it one way or another.”
Ben Burrows12 December 2021 09:19