November 17, 2022
That’s it. The 2022 F1 season is coming to an end. This weekend will be the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and it will be monumental for many drivers. We have some championship battles that will be settled and some goodbyes to say. Here is everything you need to know for the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:
Weekend Schedule (in EST):
Practice 1: Friday 11/18, 5:00-6:00 AM
Practice 2: Friday 11/18, 8:00-9:00 AM
Practice 3: Saturday 11/19, 5:30-6:30 AM
Qualifying: Saturday 11/19, 9:00-10:00 AM
Race: Sunday 11/20, 8:00 AM
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix takes place at the Yas Marina circuit. The fifty-eight lap race will see drivers go through sixteen corners and two long straights. I’m not the biggest fan of the circuit, but the atmosphere is really good for a season finale.
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Yas Marina Circuit |
Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez are going into this weekend level on points for second in the Drivers Championship. Leclerc is ahead because he has more wins this season, but whoever finishes ahead in this race – as long as it’s a points finish – will get second place. Hopefully Leclerc can keep his car ahead and beat the Red Bull.
Mercedes and Ferrari are still fighting for second in the Constructors Championship. With their 1-2 finish in Sao Paulo, Mercedes put a significant dent in Ferrari’s lead and are now just nineteen points behind the Italian team. After their final upgrades package in Austin, the silver arrows have had the pace they’ve been lacking all year. The Mercedes have been flying while the Ferraris have been losing pace. I love Ferrari and really want them to keep second, but I’m starting to have doubts about if that’s possible.
Similar to the Mercedes-Ferrari fight, Alpine is nineteen points ahead of McLaren in the battle for fourth in the championship. After McLaren’s double DNF in Brazil, Alpine extended its lead. McLaren will need to bring their A-game to Abu Dhabi if they want to beat Alpine. This position in the championship is extremely important because it will determine how much funding teams will get for developing the following season’s car. If McLaren wants to become more competitive next year, they need to get that prize money.
Championship positions have been swapping all throughout the grid: Alfa Romeo is in sixth place and five points ahead of Aston Martin, and Haas is two points clear of Alpha Tauri for P8. Williams, after having a tough season, is last with only eight points to their name.
Logan Sargeant is set to drive for Williams in 2023 if he can get enough Super License points for the FIA to allow this. Williams have been doing everything they can to get him those points, with Sargeant driving in practice sessions throughout the American leg of the season. To reach the quota, the American will need to finish at least fifth in the Formula 2 Championship. As that wraps up this weekend, with their final race also being in Abu Dhabi, Sargeant holds third in the F2 Championship. He should be good to get those final points in Abu Dhabi and join Williams F1 Team for 2023.
Well guys, the dreaded day has come. Early this morning, Haas announced that Mick Schumacher would be leaving the team after this season and replaced by Nico Hulkenberg. No, I am not ok. I mean, I saw this coming but it’s still really sad to see Schumi go.This weekend will be his last race with Haas, but I don’t think this is the last time we’ll see Mick in F1. There are rumors that he is negotiating with Mercedes to try and get a reserve driver spot at the team. However, Mercedes has many candidates to fill Nyck de Vries’ position at the team. If Mick doesn’t get that spot, let’s hope we will see him back on the grid in 2024.
Just like Mick Schumacher, many drivers will be saying goodbye to their teams.
Fernando Alonso will have his final race with Alpine as he prepares for his move to Aston Martin in 2023.
Pierre Gasly is taking Alonso’s seat at Alpine, and will say goodbye to AlphaTauri. The Frenchman has spent five years of his F1 career with the Italian team, so this will definitely be an emotional race for him.
Nicholas Latifi is leaving F1 as he starts his final race weekend with Williams. We’re going to have to bid farewell to GOATifi.
Daniel Ricciardo is starting his last race with McLaren and while he won’t be completely gone from F1 next year, he will most likely only take a role as a reserve driver. I’m definitely going to miss Danny Ric’s jokes and “PIEEEERRE GASLYYYYYYYYYYY”s.
The final, and saddest goodbye, will be for Sebastian Vettel. The retiring driver will embark on his final Grand Prix start. Seb will be dearly missed by F1 but his legacy will live on. Goodbye Seb Vettel the Rebel.
This last race will be bittersweet. We are going to get an action packed finale where all of the championship battles are finalized and say goodbye to FOUR drivers. Let’s hope that Leclerc and Sainz can finish ahead of Perez and both Mercedes, giving Ferrari P2 in the championship.
I will be back after the race to tell you all about it!
Happy FINAL Race Weekend of the Season!
- Divya
Where I got these
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