Season finale - Abu Dhabi

It's upon us and I can't remember the last time I was this excited about the last race of the season. Possibly 2008 or maybe whatever year it was that Vettel span on the first lap in Brazil and then came back.

In any case I hope it's a good race and that it's decided by the two silver cars racing each other and not by a reliability issue.

My prediction (hope);

Quali.

Rosberg
Hamilton
Massa

Result

Hamilton
Rosberg
Ricciardo

My prediction (hope);

Quali.

Rosberg
Hamilton
Bottas


Result

Rosberg
Bottas
Button

I think Hamilton would be best suited to follow Rosberg around the track and finish second rather than get into potential dodgy situations fighting for the lead

Very tricky to call. Every fibre of Hamilton's being will want to win, despite second being enough, which is very different from Rosberg, who could still lose even if he DOES win. Rosberg will try to de exactly as he did in Brazil - close out everything and just focus on being fastest every lap.

I think Hamilton would be aa worthy champion, as he has, after all, won the most races, but that don't mean jack, as they say in some places. It can be equally argued that both drivers have had the same number of DNF's and Rosberg's consistency has rightfully earned him a crack at the title as well.

It will be a bitter pill for Hamilton to swallow if he loses out to Rosberg, yet I am pretty sure that the latter would be the more gracious in defeat, so there will be positives on both sides.

Both drivers have impressed me this year, but I think I actually *like* Rosberg more.

However, I still want Hamilton to win, though I can't give a logical reason why.

Hamilton has it all to lose! So that makes it very difficult to call
Rosberg could be pushing harder than he would normally like to and it would only take a silly error for Hamilton to throw it all away

Whatever happens it will be a very interesting race! I'm just gutted I'm on call so am going to have to make do with the radio! Damn

What I'd *really* like to see (purely from an excitement point of view) is both the Mercs come together at the first corner, both have to pit and then fight through the pack whilst racing each other.

Pretty unlikely though. I think they'll be avoiding each other like the plague.

Really? I've seen some less than gracious behaviour from Rosberg when Hamilton has beaten him.

Hamilton 3 DNFs, Rosberg 2 DNFs. One of Hamilton's caused by Rosberg.

Yes - I think Rosberg's sportsmanship has left a little to be desired: not only was there his puncturing of Hamilton's tyre but there was also the less-than-clear Monaco quali incident. Given the number of wins and the overtakes, I think Hamilton deserves it more.

Must be subjective then, on the behaviour side! I'm acutely aware that the British media always paint the non-Brit in a very negative way.

I meant DNFs due to reliability issues.

I meant his body language and the way he pretty well blanks Hamilton when they're waiting to go onto the podium.

If Rosberg hadn't hit him, in theory Hammy could well have gone on to win the race, in which case he'd all but have the championship in the bag. And of course Rosberg saying he was making a statement didn't sit well.

I'll be interested to see his reception if he's on the top step and Hammy isn't second!

I think the blanking is 100% mutual; I agree that there is no warmth or quarter given, but some of the things Hamilton has said could either be interpreted as "candid" or "rude", whereas Rosberg seems a bit more "diplomatic" or "sly", depending on your viewpoint!

I'm hoping that Hamilton can take the championship as I think he has driven better than Rosberg this year.
I also find Rosberg a little 'cocky' at times which irritates me.

It would be good to see Button on the podium too as I believe Mclaren are testing some new parts for next years car this weekend?

Funny, isn't it? Objectively, I would be happy for either driver to take the title. Subjectively, I want Hamilton to win, but - and this is significant - having read the utter bollox that Hamilton has written in his BBC "column" this year, I actually like Rosberg more as a person!

Edited to add: after the race, there will be a couple of days of testing which will be a VERY busy time for McLaren, as I believe they are going to test the 2015 Honda powertrain. Could be interesting!

The cars were blasting up and down the Skydive Dubai runway yesterday evening.
I sat in the living room reading the news when I heard the unmistakeable sound of F1 engines getting thrashed. They would do high speed dashes up the runway, u-turn at the end, then return back and do 30 seconds of donuts.

YouTube Video

Interesting! The unmistakeable howl of last year or the unmistakeable grumble of this?!

Probably last years Jim, this years is a hydrogen powered, single cylinder potato car isn't it?

I've taken out Insurance so I'm not disappointed with the result on Sunday. I went to the bookies and put £30 on Rosberg (at 100/30) to win the Drivers Title. So if Hamilton has a failure, incident, doesn't get enough points etc, etc. I wont be too disappointed.

If Hammy wins the Championship - I'll be just as happy

Seems worth a punt.

A bit blinkered there RK!

Go back and watch the pre podium room in Brazil. Hamilton spent nearly the whole time with his back to Nico preening himself.

Didn't see the Brazil GP. But given Rosberg's previous antics why should he make any effort? I'd have put him on his back after Monaco, and again after the shunt. But then that's why I'm not a sportsman.

Not a Rosberg fan then

Actually I quite like him, I just think he has not reacted too well to the times he's been out driven. If things do go tits up for Hammy, I'll happily(ish) settle for Nico as DC. As I indicated, I wouldn't be any more gracious than either of them!

Not a Hamilton fan then?

Read this yesterday, bit of a read, but a nice blog on Hamilton

willthef1journo.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/the-contenders-lewis-hamilton/

Nope. Never have been.

It's cos he's Black, innit

Thanks for that, Beggers - good piece! A reminder that the public face is not always what it seems. But I still wish he would get someone else to ghost write his BBC column!

TBH, I've never read his columns on the BBC, but I'm sure he does a better job than Andrew Benson

You haven't missed much. And you're right about Andrew Benson. Mind you, I used to hate Mark Hughes' writing more.

Hamilton fastest in FP1, FP2 underway.
Mercedes over 1.7 seconds ahead of the field.

Poor start for Button with a number of gremlins limiting his running. Very disappointing end to his F1 career (probably).

He managed 8 laps in FP1 before a rear suspension issue.

Now he has an hydraulic problem which may mean no running in FP2. the mechanics have now fixed.

My F1 daughter pointed me towards this blog

http://willthef1journo.wordpress.com

We both think the guy is a crappy commentator but he writes intelligently and, I think, gives so background to the discussion above about Hamilton and Rosberg's personalities which I think is really interesting.

MRS - that's the article Beggers linked to above... It's good!

Ignore me then, I'm too busy

Somewhat ironically Rosberg wants a clean race, managing to infer that it'll be down to Hammy, according to The Telegraph.

That piece is really well written and gives some balance compared to other articles I've read.
In respect to Nico I think he must be very frustrated that he has to face Lewis both as his title opponent and teammate at a time when Lewis just seems able to cope better mentally under pressure. There was an interesting clip from a driver interview with Nico yesterday when Nico was talking about how Lewis can ensure they can race fairly if Lewis keeps his racing clean which I think illustrates the point.
I hope we have a great race with maybe some repeat of the Bahrain duelling between them

Do you think Lewis would get more pleasure just sitting a second behind Rosberg and just smile and wave each time nico checks his mirrors. Or is he going go for 1st place

Did you see the VT of that group interview? As Nico statess that. Jenson's eyes says it all

Anyone else notice the drink sponsorship ban (No Martini etc.)

So RBR are the naughty boys again! You would have thought they would have learned from past experience. I doubt Lewis will sit back if he thinks he has a chance of a win and will likely see what 1st round of pit stops throws up then we may see some fun!

Makes you think what would you do if you were nico?
if the start is a clean getaway and the Williams are not upto pace it's going to be tricky for nico to get a win without any non racing drama I.e pits reliability or passing back markers but what if nico kept the group tight and behind him, there would then be more of a chance for Lewis to be overtaken or passed via a pit stop and more pressure for Lewis to either defend or overtake possibly increasing his chance of a mistake?

Would nico try to be tactical or just get his head down to win and see what happens ?

I hope Lewis wins but I'm getting that England football team feeling, really want to win but you know just can't bear to watch

Whatever happens it should be a good race! No! It better be!

Or does Nico feel a tight pack could result in a shunt from behind....

I just hope Hammy plays sensible and doesn't collide with someone who isn't Nico.

It will be great to see the two Red Bulls working their way up the field.

As much as I don't really like Lulu, I do think on balance that he deserves the title more than Britney. Lulu has clearly had the edge in race pace in the second half of the season. However, if Britney does take the title tomorrow, then I won't complain, as I put a bet on him at the rediculously good odds of 7/1 at the end of last year.

Lulu is in a bit of a quarandry tomorrow. Does he attack or sit back in the early stages? Williams are competative enough to give concern to both merc drivers, should they hit any issues. Britney's tactics are much more clear cut - win at all costs.

Another good showing from Jenson compared to Magnussen, who seems to be not reacting well to the pressure of Mclaren not making a decision. Also, I actually shed a tear during the BBC Jenson feature. I'll miss him loads if he's not racing next year.

I feel a tiny bit sorry for Red Bull being demoted back to the grid. It sounds like they've fallen foul of a non-standard front wing deflection test, which tested the flap, whereas the standard deflection test loads the main plane. To me, it looks as though the flap is designed to flex rearwards under load, to shed drag along the straights. This makes sense, seeing as Red Bull are lacking horsepower. It's also fair to say that other teams front wings are behaving in a similar way, albeit in not as severe a manner. So Red Bull could feel slightly hard done by, although the rules do clearly state that the FIA reserves the right to do a load test on any part of the bodywork, which is suspected to be designed to excessively flex under load.

Now it seems as though Ron Dennis has hinted that Mclaren GP2 driver, Stoffel Vandoorne is in the mix to be considered for a F1 seat next year.

If it's Ron's intention to make Mclaren as unpopular as possible to F1 fans, then he's doing a stunning job. Bravo.

Totally agree, Dennis.

I am really not enjoying Ron Dennis' ham-fisted return to "managing" McLaren.

By playing the hard-nosed big man, he has simply demonstrated (ably assisted by the Ferrari omnishambles) that F1 management has moved on. Transparency and openness in the style of Toto Wolff and Claire Williams are now what fans want, not the kind of secretive, macho tactics that show a shameful disrespect to all the drivers under consideration AND the F1 fans that fill the coffers buying merch.

Not really worked on the track, so far either, has it, Ron? Apart from Button (hardly renowned for working around a difficult car) outscoring his team-mate heavily before seemingly being dropped.

EJ's voice overs - please, please, please make it stop!!!

All over then

Looking like that now

Well done Lewis - Deserved winner takes all but fair play to Nico

Very cool

Good result! And very glad Lewis won the race also. In a way its made the double point decision silly and unneeded.

You have to feel for Nico, terrible way to lose a championship but, a) it wouldn't have made any difference anyway and b) overall, the right Merc driver won.

Great tweet from Lotus (demonstrating their sense of humour)

https://twitter.com/Lotus_F1Team/status/536518419840270336?s=09

Great to have a British driver back as World F1 Champion.

Nico probably did more for his image in the ten minutes after the race finished than he did in the previous 19 race weekends - good rescue....

Chuffed for Lewis, especially as the double-points fiasco had no bearing on the eventual results

Also V pleased for Williams - perhaps the "purest" of all the race teams from the perspective of passion for the sport (rather than for the business)

The next big F1 event is surely McLaren's driver announcement in a week or two - it would be a travesty for Jenson not to be driving - fingers crossed for him

Indeed he did, such a shame that he left it so long to be so gracious.

Ha ha! It was also pretty funny when the camera cut to the Lotus garage to see them all laughing their arses off, while watching Maldonados Renault engine toast itself.

It's a shame that Rosberg was denied a direct fight, but Lewis had second place covered anyway if it came to it. A worthy and deserved winner.

Also, Jenson comprehensively beat his team mate again and in doing so, scored more than double his points and secured fifth place for Mclaren. If he hadn't finished in fifth today, Mclaren would have been overtaken by Force India and lost millions in revenue. With the main argument for not keeping Jenson being his cost, it's clear that he's more than made up for it in the second half of the season. For the stats people, he beat Magnussen 15 - 4 in the races this season. If that's not comprehensive, I don't know what it.

Really happy for Lewis and Nico the Gent turned up in the end. Ron Dennis has lost Jenson in my opinion and Vettel will cut a lonely path with Ferrari next year and will likely wish he stayed put!
Alonso may get Lucky if the Honda engine has the grunt but it may take a season or two?

Any team would be stupid not to take alonso of only for the merchandise sales and massive talent / skills. He may well be too expensive for many seats, but I'm sure his pockets are full enough for him to take a pay cut and just drive for the love.
I get the feeling many of the top drivers, once loaded, would drive purely forbade thrill, they're just lucky that being top means they pull big money anyway.

As for Abu, great control from Lewis. Great passion from massa. Kimi is a waste of space. Rosberg was unfortunate but never stood a chance. Can't wait to see ricciardo in a faster car next season!!

Very chuffed for Lewis. Proud to watch it live being how rare it is to see a british driver win his second world championship. Love how he wanted take his helmet off and face the camera until he regained his cool !

Just checked Pitpass to read the race notes. It seems only one team has failed to add theirs. No points for guessing who

Looks like Mattiacci is the first post season casualty : BBC

I'm not sure sure he was not just a stop gap manager anyway. Has no real experience with race teams anyway

It's not (yet another) new team principle which Ferrari need, but less internal politics and a period of stability longer than 6 months. The list of big casualties who have been summararily given their P45 from Ferrari in recent years is just rediculous. Whenever thay have a string of bad results, they look for a singular person to blame, instead of looking at the bigger picture and changing organisation, structure and ethos.

Do we think we'll see Ross Brawn (who, with facial hair, has a stunning resemblance to Daddy Pig) back next season?

I was also over the moon for Williams' revival this year. Especially as you say, they are a race team whose business is racing and I'll always have a soft spot for them having supported them through the glory years of the 80s and 90s.

However, it remains to be seen if they can keep their upwards trends going in the right direction. It's common knowledge that they've been treated as a Mercedes B-team this season. Compared to Mclaren and Force India, Williams have been given way more access to the source code of the powertrain, giving them a big advantage in terms of ERS strategies. Their car is very, very quick in a straight line and it's not mainly down to the fact that the car has low drag. I'm probably selling Williams a little short, as what they've achieved with the budget they have (less than half of Mercedes') is astonishing, but I think they'll do amazingly well to clinch 3rd again next season.

Alonso isn't going to be taking a pay cut with his move to Mclaren. His deal is widely reckoned to be the biggest in F1 history. Also, no top driver would accept being paid peanuts. Sure, they have untold millions already in the bank, but every driver wants to be paid what he thinks he's worth.

I wouldn't write Kimi off just yet. Once Ferrari get the front axle of his car to his liking, he'll be fast again, trust me. As for Rosberg not standing a chance, I disagree. Remember, he out-qualified Lulu to the tune of 0.4s. Up to the point of Rosbergs ERS issues, their was nothing between them with the gap hovering around the 2s mark. Both drivers had time in their pocket and it would have been great to see how it would have panned-out.

Finally, if you're expecting Ricciardo to have a faster Red Bull next year, don't hold your breath. The team has lost Peter Podromou to Mclaren and Adrian Newey will be scaling back his involvement with the race team. The Renault powertrain should be better, but then do will the Mercedes and I don't expect any change their. Ricciardo will also have his hands full trying to see of his new team mate, Daniel Kyvat, who has had a stunning debut year. I'm really looking foward to that intra-team head to head.

Didn't Coulthard drive for Red Bull on a results based payment mechanism to get a drive?

Not that I was aware of. Happy to be proved wrong though.

Vergne's now out of a drive, according to his own Twitter account.

I may be stating the obvious, but I guess that McLaren have been waiting to see how the new car performs before deciding which driver to retain. If it carries on having problems, I suspect Button will be back in the frame as a more accomplished development driver.