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PREVIEW: F1 heads to Abu Dhabi after resurgent Max Verstappen clinched victory in Qatar

F1 heads to Abu Dhabi for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Yas Island after a resurgent Max Verstappen claimed the Qatar Grand Prix.

F1 heads to Abu Dhabi for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Yas Island after a resurgent Max Verstappen claimed the Qatar Grand Prix.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Sunday 8 December 2024 – 15:00
Yas Marina Circuit

The 2024 F1 season draws to a close at the Yas Marina Circuit this Sunday and while the Drivers Championship was settled a fortnight ago, the Constructors’ Championship is yet to be with McLaren currently 21 points clear of second-placed Ferrari.

While this is a mountain of points to claw back in only one race, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

So, for the final time this year, our F1 scribe runs the rule over the field before they take to the streets of Abu Dhabi.

To Win Race Outright

Max Verstappen 9/4 | Lando Norris 9/4 | Charles LeClerc 6/1 | George Russell 8/1 | Oscar Piastri 8/1 | Lewis Hamilton 9/1 | Carlos Sainz 10/1

Previous Race – Qatar

We got a rather action-packed Grand Prix this past weekend with Max Verstappen overcoming a qualifying penalty to take race honours for the ninth time this season. His already felled title rival, Lando Norris, didn’t have as good a time of it out at the Losail as a time penalty saw him fall out of contention for the race win with the Brit eventually finishing in tenth place.

After Norris dropped out of the running, the door opened wide for Charles LeClerc and Oscar Piastri to go hunting for second place. The Ferrari man would hold his nerve to take second while Piastri secured vital Constructors’ Championship points for his team by rounding out the podium.

George Russell would be the next man across the line with a fourth-place finish far from ideal considering he had started the race from the front of the grid. The Mercedes man was joined in the ‘top 6’ by the Alpine of Pierre Gasly – who produced arguably his best drive of the season – and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz (sixth).

Former Ferrari man Fernando Alonso was next across the line bringing his Aston Martin home some five seconds ahead of Sauber’s
Zhou Guanyu, while Haas’ Kevin Magnussen claimed ninth.

Track – Yas Marina Circuit

Yas Marina circuit
F1 - Click to enlarge.

The final port of call for the field is the Yas Marina Circuit which is situated in the desert Metropolis that is Abu Dhabi. Like most things in the UAE, no expense was spared when it came to designing this circuit.

Designed as a permanent racing facility, the Yas Marina complex can hold a 41,093-strong crowd. The actual track distance measures 5.554 kilometres and contains 21 turns. Drivers will battle over 55 of these laps and will cover a total race distance of 305.355 kilometres.

The most challenging aspects of this track are the tight chicane through turns five and six – which offers next to no traction – and the sequence between turns 11, 12, and 13 which are exceedingly slow.

Last season’s race was won by Max Verstappen, who’ll be gunning for his fifth successive win at the venue this Sunday. The Dutch ace was followed across the line by Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc, with George Russell rounding out the podium.

In terms of the weather, sunny skies are being forecast for the entirety of the race weekend with temperatures ranging from lows of 22 degrees to highs of 27.

Value Bet

Lewis Hamilton – Podium Finish – Yes 33/10

The ‘Brit has promised to deliver after a disappointing Qatar Grand Prix and with his track record in Abu Dhabi – he has five wins at the track with the latest coming in 2019 while he’s finished on the podium in 2020 and 2021 as well.

He might be enduring a bit of a baron run at the venue of late finishing 18th in 2022 and ninth last year, but I’m willing to back him coming good here at a very tidy price.

To Win Race Outright

Max Verstappen 9/4

He came good last week and he’s on for five at the Yas Marina and I personally will not be betting against him, especially with Lando Norris having a rather disappointing fortnight headed into this one.

epa11700158 Red Bull's Max Verstappen (R) celebrates on the podium at the Formula One Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 03 November 2024.
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