11 wins, 5 pole positions, 413 points, all of which have culminated into a magnificent sixth driver’s title, there was no stopping the man behind such fascinating feats at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2019.
Lewis Hamilton may not have begun the season with a dashing win, but he certainly went on to win the final race, stamping his authority on the sport, yet again.
It could be said, the final positions on the podium exhibited the three best teams of the year, led by Mercedes in that order.
Verstappen drove a commanding race and a neatly controlled one to hold on to second as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starred in a lone fight among the two cars in helping the team score yet another podium, his tenth of the season.
There wasn’t anything brilliant for the two Alfas as Kimi endured a lacklustre end of the season, holding onto a thirteenth, Giovinazzi down in sixteenth.
Lando Norris, Sainz, Perez, and Ricciardo all drove memorable races and were scrapping closely for points, collecting memorable results in the very final race of what has been an exasperatingly beautiful season.
But what were the talking points from the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
Lewis ensures Mercedes’ undefeated streak at the Yas Marina continues
Despite collecting a sixth and well-deserved driver’s title way before arriving at Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton was all focus and precision at the Yas Marina. He started the weekend in brilliant fashion, first by grabbing the pole, his fifth of the season, his last coming way back at Germany this year.
Later on, he controlled his race neatly from the start and won the 55-lap contest from pole position, earning the fastest lap of the race in the process as well.
In everything that Lewis did, who went on to score his 84th Grand Prix victory, a mind-boggling feat, the Briton proved that he is exactly the stuff world champions are made of: the ability to endure, the ability to never settle for anything but the best on the grid.
At a time where the experienced Mercedes star could’ve just taken the contest like any other race, the title secure in his grasp, he didn’t settle and went on to star in yet another memorable win for Mercedes, thus ensuring that their authority over the venue was absolute!
What could constitute better to the talking points from the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
Phenomenal Bottas
Champions begin with a victory and end with a victory. Such was Mercedes’ dominant form in 2019.
And if the Silver Arrows have reached the pinnacle of glory where it seems just no team is capable of bettering them at the end of the day, then a lot of that credit should go to the Finn, just as it goes unquestionably to the great Lewis Hamilton.
Valtteri Bottas didn’t have a memorable day in the qualifying as owing to new engine components fitted to his car, he had to begin from the back of the grid.
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But not even once did the Finn drive with a flustered brow as he ended further up the grid, collecting a magnificently-fought P4, enough do deny Vettel’s Ferrari a finish in the top four.
By the time it was Lap 9, Valtteri was already close to breaking into the top ten on the grid, despite not having any DRS on his car, a predicament also faced by the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.
The fighting drive from the reserved Finn, who conquered Abu Dhabi back in 2017, deserves to be among the talking points from the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The last that one saw of Nico?
From Nico Hulkenberg’s point of view, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 2019 was as emotional as it may have been exhilarating because you cannot easily contend with the fact that this is all you have and all you got; one final shot at glory, knowing well that you probably won’t be in F1 racing from the next year!
And Hulkenberg did drive a decent race until the final lap where he was denied a position within the points’ reach when Sainz got the better of him, the young driver perhaps benefitting from the desperation and drive to score one last time, in 2019, his very first season at McLaren.
Voted the driver of the day- Nico Hulkenberg’s exit from Renault- perhaps signals the end of a bittersweet albeit long stint in Formula 1. While on the one hand, he helped Renault ascend to a point of mid-field authority, lending his experience to stabilizing a side that yearned for consistency, but on the other, having not collected anything to savour despite spending a decade racing in the sport would also spell agony for the talented German driver.
What a drive from Perez
Perez had a fairly okay qualifying on Saturday when all he managed was a lowly P11 for the final qualifying fight of the season.
Having his work cut out, the experienced Mexican driver knew what he was up against.
He had to make some brilliant passes and moves to get into the points fight but what lay in front of him was a feisty troika comprising of Ricciardo, 8, Sainz, 9, and Hulkenberg 10.
But despite being under pressure, Perez drove a controlled and balanced race, attacking and defending in equal measure. He went on to finish Seventh, a huge achievement given the fact that he had begun his Abu Dhabi charge from outside the top ten on the grid.
Making the most of the Racing Point’s straight-line speed, the Mexican driver, who also ends up collecting far more points than his teammate made some memorable passes, most noticeably on the Haas of Kevin Magnussen and the McLaren of Lando Norris.
In the final moments of the race, seconds from the checkered flag, the Racing Point was able to break past the defences of the rookie British driver, exhibiting great skill, when it wasn’t difficult to spot that the McLaren possessed far more pace than the Racing Point.
The fact that Sergio’s 6 valuable points were the only that his team scored on Sunday made his performance a stand-out one at Yas Marina, thus, among the key talking points from the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Sainz gets Hulkenberg on the dramatic final lap
Few things can be as dramatic as overtakes made on the final lap of a race!
Among the finest talking points from the 2019, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was McLaren driver Carlos Sainz making a move on the outgoing Nico Hulkenberg in the very final lap to clinch a well-fought P10, and hence 1 point.
Although Sainz’ late charge on Hulkenberg on Lap 55 meant that McLaren earned just a solitary point at the back of the Spaniard’s feet, in the context of the Driver Standings, this was no ordinary achievement.
Sainz, who was duelling Gasly for a sixth-place standing on the driver rankings for the season was up against a do or die in the form of having to pass the German driver with barely a few minutes remaining in the race.
Even if Gasly would’ve stayed on P18, despite not the brightest position on the grid, Sainz being several positions higher would’ve meant the sixth spot going to the Frenchman.
But Carlos Sainz managed to pass both Renault cars- perhaps the most underrated move of the whole race- within seconds from the checkered flag and moved up onto 10th, coming from P12.
The move was significant for McLaren’s fortunes and signified the enviable improvement the team have gone on to make this year.