A monumental day ahead as the two title contenders go into the final race of the season level on points
When the 2021 Formula One season got underway, Max Verstappen and his Red Bull were the undisputed favourites. Then, in favour of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes, the tide began to change gradually but forcefully. After 21 races, these two are tied in points going into the season-ending contest on Sunday, December 12 at the Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi.
The British driver has the advantage right now after winning in Qatar and Saudi Arabia to cut the gap on Verstappen after having one of his best race weekends of his legendary career in the Brazil GP. The situation won’t be simple for either club, either. Mercedes may be the superior team going into the race, but Red Bull has repeatedly demonstrated speed throughout this season, so they won’t back down so quickly.
And that’s precisely what happened during qualifying on Saturday when Red Bull played their cards and asked Sergio Perez to almost sacrifice his flying lap in order to give Max a tow. Due to this, the Dutch were able to pass Hamilton and occupy the pole position for the race on Sunday. To complete the top row, Hamilton finished 0.371 seconds behind the leader. Lando Norris of Mclaren unexpectedly finished third in the race on Sunday for the first time since Imola this year.
The Dutchman then paid it forward to Sergio Perez, the Mexican using the slipstream to take fourth place. Carlos Sainz of Ferrari, who struggled in practise, appeared much faster to finish in fifth place. Lewis Hamilton will start the race on medium tyres, while Verstappen will start on soft tyres. Red Bull was compelled to make this move after Max flat-spotted his medium tyres in Q2. It will be interesting to watch if Red Bull is able to stick to a one-stop plan or if Mercedes and Red Bull use a different tyre management strategy during the race.
Sunday’s race will bring an end to what has been a tremendous season in terms of competition, memorable events, and flavour, and is hailed as one of the biggest moments in F1 history. Over the course of the season, a lot has occurred between the two teams, including DNFs, collisions, and enquiries; Abu Dhabi may witness yet another historic event under the lights.
Lewis Hamilton is vying for a record-breaking eighth Formula One Driver’s Championship, which would put him one ahead of Michael Schumacher and thus put an end to all arguments over who is the greatest of all time. For Max Verstappen, winning the Driver’s Championship would be a tremendous accomplishment and would undoubtedly help him prepare for the upcoming season.
In Abu Dhabi, it will be hot, but as the race goes on, the temperature will inevitably drop. However, the margins between the two drivers competing head-to-head in what will be a dramatic finale to an incredible season are too thin.