It may not have been the most exciting race to have taken place but there are still some interesting pointers that can be taken from this race.
Verstappen sends a warning shot to Mercedes
A victory in the season finale is exactly what Max Verstappen and Red Bull needed. And it was not just a victory. It was a convincing victory. Max took pole, held the lead at the start and never looked back, taking only his second victory of the season. As was pointed out in commentary, whilst Mercedes clearly had the quicker car, Red Bull did have quite a lot of bad luck in the sense that a lot of the tracks that they typically go well at, such as Mexico, ended up getting cancelled. But this was a warning shot to Mercedes. They were much closer at the end of the season than they were at the beginning, and with the 2020 cars being carried over to 2021, this is valuable momentum going into the coming season.
Abu Dhabi: Great venue but not so great race track
It has to be said that the Yas Island is a great location for Formula One. The circuit, with all its multi-million pound facilities, such as the Yas Hotel and the marina, along with the day to night race makes for quite spectacular viewing. However the races have not always been a thriller, and in a season packed with drama and excitement, the race seen on Sunday proved to be an uneventful affair, with little on track drama. On paper it looks like a circuit where overtaking should be fairly simple, however following other cars, particularly through the chicane that precedes the hairpin that is followed by the first straight, along with the final sector, is not easy, making overtaking increasingly tricky. Since the race, there have been many ideas floating around about what could be done to improve the racing at this track.
Albon saves best till last
For me, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was Alexander Albon’s best race to date. He was able to be that support to Max Verstappen that Red Bull wanted him to be all season, and he came close to stealing the final podium spot from Lewis Hamilton. If he had driven like he did in Abu Dhabi all season, then it is likely he would’ve retained his seat, however unfortunately for him it seems like he has left it too late to deliver, as he is now out of a drive for 2021 after losing his seat to Sergio Perez.
McLaren on the rise
Yes they were assisted by Sergio Perez’s mechanical drama, but it still required a great race from the team in orange to get that third place in the constructors. And that is what they got. Finishing in fifth and sixth after a great race from both Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, whilst their car may not have been as good as the Racing Point and the Renault, they were much better operationally than both those two teams and maximised every opportunity they were given, scoring in every race bar one, and that is how they managed to secure an incredible third in the constructors. With Mercedes engines coming for 2021, the future is certainly bright for them, and it may not be long before we see them at the front once again.
The championship picture
The 2020 season has come to an end with Lewis Hamilton winning convincingly with a gap of 124 points, his largest ever winning margin. Max Verstappen could not quite get ahead of Valtteri Bottas for second in the standings but he did get very close. Despite his retirement, Sergio Perez maintained fourth in the drivers standings however Racing Point would not maintain third, having lost out to McLaren at the final race.
Here are the final standings of 2020!
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