Both championship titles were decided weeks ago, but there was still just one more race to complete in the 2017 Formula One season. The teams and drivers travelled to the Yas Marina Circuit for the 2017 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX. The only real battle yet to have been decided was the three-way battle between Toro Rosso, Renault and Haas for sixth position in the World Constructors’ Championship.
The first free practice session of the weekend on Friday was uneventful. Warm track temperatures meant quick lap times, but as temperatures lowered later in the session, drivers began to struggle with grip. Lewis Hamilton was just a little more than a tenth of a second behind Sebastian Vettel, while Max Verstappen was 0.15 seconds behind Hamilton’s Mercedes. Meanwhile at the rear of the field, Brendon Hartley spent most of the session parked in the garage and earned himself an early penalty for a new MGU-H.
Hamilton set the early pace under the lights in Abu Dhabi, only to have teammate Valtteri Bottas beat in near the end of the first hour. Vettel responded to set the quickest lap time, while Hamilton trumped that lap time shortly after. By the end of the day, Hamilton had the lead of the session by 0.15 seconds to Vettel. The session was filled with many spins while drivers tested the grip levels around the circuit.
The Mercedes drivers were at the top of the table by the end of the session, finally able to pull a gap to Ferrari behind. Hamilton led the way, with Bottas behind. Ferrari was able to challenge at one point in the day, but Mercedes quickly found enough pace to create a gap of more than half a second. The only real incident in the day was caused by a rouge umbrella, but that was quickly rectified by the marshals.
The first qualifying session on Saturday evening was quite close. Bottas set the pace by the end of the session, with Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen both lapping within 0.1 seconds. Hamilton swapped with Bottas in Q2, leading the session, albeit only 0.08 seconds separated the pair. However, Bottas set the early pace in Q3 to take the pole position. Hamilton completed the front row lockout for Mercedes.
The race on Sunday was fairly routine. Bottas got a good start from pole position, allowing himself to form a sizable gap to teammate Hamilton behind. Kevin Magnussen struggled for grip, spinning on the first lap of the race, but other than that the first lap was clean throughout the field. Nico Hulkenberg was given a five second penalty for cutting the corner when overtaking Sergio Perez, which he served during his pit stop. Daniel Ricciardo suffered a hydraulics failure, forcing him to retire.
Bottas was the first of the Mercedes cars to pit for fresh rubber, with Hamilton following shortly after. Hamilton’s attempt to overcut his teammate didn’t work and he slotted back into P2. Carlos Sainz was the second retirement of the race after he gunman failed to tighten his front left tyre. Hamilton attempted to push late in the race, but wasn’t able to catch Bottas who won the season finale.
After a hectic 20 weekends of racing that spanned 8 months, the 2017 Formula One season is now officially over. The teams and drivers have surely earned their winter break. There won’t be too much rest for the engineers back at the team bases, as development on the 2018 cars is well underway. The season may be over, but remember to stay tuned to Racing Clothesline for all of the post-season analysis and plenty of content to keep you occupied during the winter.
