Who will claim victory in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 2024, will be one of the most impactful races of the season, as stakes rise in the Constructor’s race between McLaren and Ferrari and potential risks for losing seats increase for the drivers.

Whilst The Driver’s Championship was won by Max Verstappen in Las Vegas, the Constructor’s title is still waiting to be claimed.

McLaren are leading this title race on 640 points, only 21 points ahead of Ferrari.

The remaining 44 points of the season are available to be scored by a team across this final round of racing under this championship.

This can be accomplished with a 1-2 team finish as well as earning a bonus point for setting the fastest lap at the end of the race.

For McLaren to be crowned as champions they will need to earn a minimum of 24 points to guarantee their spot, only 23 points needed if Ferrari do not win. An orange Grand Prix victory, granting them 25 points would ensure their crown.

However, if McLaren are unable to win the race, they can still claim their victory with 24 points by finishing second and seventh or third and fifth.

On the other hand, for Ferrari to be crowned champions, they will need to score a minimum of 22 points whilst hoping McLaren fail to score points. But if McLaren score points, both Ferrari cars will need to have finished the race above both McLarens.

Theoretically, if Ferrari takes first and second position on the podium and the bonus point with Mclaren taking the third and final podium position, then the papayas would still require their second car to recieve 9 points.

Fourth and fifth position would grant Mclaren the 9 points and therefore victory over the Ferraris, although sixth position for the oranges would lead to the Ferraris claiming the title.

Driver Replacements

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix also welcomes the opportunity for younger and upcoming drivers to have their Formula 1 debuts.

Especially with the rules surrounding junior drivers and reserved drivers, stating that each team must allow the drivers to participate in two free practice sessions throughout the season.

This has been showcased across the season with numerous teams using Abu Dhabi as their last opportunity.

This year 6 rookie drivers took to the track to help teams complete the requirements.

Arthur Leclerc (Ferrari) - Ferrari made Formula One history with the two Leclerc brothers, Charles and Arthur, as they raced as teammates in the first free practice session.

This driver would've previously been Oliver Bearman, but since his substitution in Brazil for Haas driver, Kevin Magnussen, it meant Ferrari had to select another rookie to take this position.

Arthur came 18th in FP1, 1.858 seconds behind his brother, the leader of the session.

Ryo Hirakawa (McLaren) - Replacing Oscar Piastri, Hirakawa was the oldest rookie on the grid for FP1 at age 30, finishing in 14th and 1.553 seconds from top position.

Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) - Taking Max Verstappen's place to complete this free practice session where he finished 15th, 1.556 seconds behind leader, before he returned his attention to Formula 2 where he hopes to catch leader of Championship race, Gabriel Bortoleto. As it stands only half a point behind.

Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin) - Stroll temporarily relinquished his seat for the Brazilian driver who finished 9th, 1.150 seconds behind leader but above teammate Fernando Alonso who placed 11th.

Ayumu Iwasa (RB) - Replacing Yuki Tsunoda for RB, Iwasa was able to finish 17th, 1.800 seconds behind the Ferrari in first.

Luke Browning (Williams) - Driving Alex Albon's car sadly finishing in last place, 2.198 seconds from first position.

However, in certain cases, teams are able to release drivers from their contracts for the last race of the season to allow them to participate in end-of-season tests for their next team.

Alpine has released Esteban Ocon in the time leading up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, agreeing a deal with his new team, Haas, to allow him to partake in postseason tests.

The squad replaced him with Jack Doohan, who is their starting driver for the upcoming 2025 season.

He finished 19th in FP1, 1.983 seconds behind the leader Charles Leclerc, and the same position in 19th but 1.444 seconds behind leader Lando Norris.

As the last race of the season the expectations are high as are the emotions, whether that be with the driver's farewells to their current teams, their farewells to the whole of Formula One or celebrations from the champions.

Stay tuned for the race review.