Rate the race: 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

What did you think of today’s race? Share your verdict on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

F1 Fanatic holds polls on each race to find out which fans thought of every race during the season.

Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix out of ten

  • 10 (2%)
  • 9 (1%)
  • 8 (6%)
  • 7 (13%)
  • 6 (21%)
  • 5 (19%)
  • 4 (14%)
  • 3 (11%)
  • 2 (4%)
  • 1 (8%)

Total Voters: 589

 Loading ...

1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

You need an F1 Fanatic account to vote. Register an account here or read more about registering here.

See the results for past seasons here:

2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Browse all 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix articles

Image © Red Bull/Getty

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

185 comments on “Rate the race: 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix”

  1. Booooooring.

    1. Doughnuts were not boring at all :D

      1. @malik 55 laps were))))

        1. @robo: it was nice to see the fights between Rosberg and Webber, Hamilton and Massa, Hamilton and Gutierrez, Alonso and Vergne among others..

        2. +1. I gave it a 2, although my vote isn’t necessarily correct due to switching it off after 30 minutes (the first time I have ever done so)

          1. @strontium I’ve surprised myself by watching the whole race.
            You’ve missed: first…. second…. and third…. you’ve missed NOTHING))))

      2. Anybody can do doughnuts.

        1. I believe Maldonado would’ve put the car in the wall while doing them ;)

    2. Boohoo, Hulkenberg and Grosjean didn’t simultaneously win the race after both starting from the pit lane, flip over other cars during the race to pass, and then burst into flames as they crossed the finish line while running over the man who invented DRS. Kimi didn’t pull over during the race to make love to a harem, and still wind up in 3rd. How boring.

      1. This might be the best comment i’ve ever seen. (and i’m a Kimi & Hulk fan)

      2. Your sarcasm would be effective had the race been at all interesting. Everyone agrees it was fairly dull.

        1. Yeah, sarcasm for the sake of sarcasm is pointless.

      3. @chaddy what a funny man you are.

    3. 3, I did not see 1 passing attempt that did not rely on DRS.

      1. Alonso made a pass on one of the toro rossos without using DRS. He’s usually the one to do it. But yeah other than that it was a huge DRS fest

      2. petebaldwin (@)
        4th November 2013, 12:44

        @hohum – yeah as @marciare-o-marcire said, Alonso managed one going into the hairpin however he was swiftly DRSed back on the straight. Luckily for Alonso, another DRS zone followed so DRSed his way back infront there. It was the perfect advert for why DRS is a compete an utter farce.

  2. Worst race of the season, 3/10. DRS ridiculous. Circuit is awful. Tyre’s actually better here.

    1. Pretty much this

    2. Yes, this race would have been much better without DRS… /sarcasm

      Boring as hell, luckily the DRS zones gave us some wheel to wheel-‘action’…
      1 for the race, +1 for Vettel’s dominance, +1 for DRS (I am not a fan, but it is the only thing that keeps this race from scoring a 0)
      3/10

    3. Is it me or the only non DRS pass was Grosjean on Alonso (not counting the start)?

      1. missed that one, must have been during a commercial break.

    4. Where were these tyres all season?

    5. I gernerously voted it 5. Though that may have been because I had lunch in the middle of it haha.

      1. @nick-uk Lucky you. For me the most interesting part was the bit with the partial solar eclipse.

        1. That was nice, and gave the race a unique feel!

        2. I thought it must have been a dome on a mosque in the haze!

    6. Hamilton still couldn’t use it properly.

    7. Worse than Belgium and Italy? Nope.

  3. I miss the time when Lewis was blazing through the field…

    1. he needs to up his game, he seems to only be able to be fastest in a race when there is no tyre wear, the other drivers are smarter and faster in more difficult conditions, ie Alonso who started 7 places behind Hamilton and finished ahead of him. at the moment his career reads that he hit his peak in his first season (when tyre wear wasn’t a concern) and didn’t get much better after.

      1. Must admit Lewis (merc) have dropped away some what in 2nd half of the season. Poor reflect on him when he qualifies high up or has poor quality.. Then as usual goes backwards in the race… Rosberg.. Seems to have refocused and is now aiming to finish of the year strongly.. Lewis is not driving like he’s serious about getting 2nd or even 3rd in Drivers championship! That saddens me. Ferrari well man don’t no whats happening there! Mclaren well let’s hope they respond next season!

      2. To be fair, he was unlucky to immediately get boxed behind other cars at the start, which really set the tone for his race. Not to mention that he was unlucky to even be starting where he did. Of course, he did seem to fade anyway.

  4. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    3rd November 2013, 14:44

    First race I’ve been more on my PC than watching the race. Boring. Happy about Vettel though. 2

    1. The radio was awesome. Seb doing a Kimi impersonation and Christian saying “you can pay for it this time.”

    2. Yes, it was the same with me. 2

  5. Mediocre. No fight for lead or second place or third or fourth… No recovery drive from Räikkönen. Nearly no pass was made without DRS.

    1. As usual, no Raikkonen saga means low rating.

    1. Vettel is The Chief, i must say!

  6. That was average, just average. But a +1 point for dominant Vettel, he was on his own game today. 6.

    1. Was good. But Marks starts was poor as ever which is a shame.

      The biggest shame tho was the strategy of some of the teams, they were really off the ball. They lost the time they did to seb due to being stuck in traffic all day. There tyres were not shot they had no need to pit early as Ferrari and Seb proved. Once webber had cut through the traffic he didnt lose much time at all to seb but it was stupidly to late.

      1. Vettel was on cruise control after 1st pit stop. That’s why the gap stayed more or less the same.

  7. I gave it a 7. Not outstanding but it has got to the point for me where I am enjoying watching Vettel’s skill at the wheel, and the race behind wasn’t exactly bad!

    1. Likewise. It is not Vettel’s fault that the others could not keep up. Rosberg was once again measurably better than Hamilton and Grosjean continued his improvement.

  8. what a boooooring race and racetrack.
    superb drive by Seb as usual but
    disappointed by Kimi.

    1. (@mixwell

      It’s boring in the race I get it. But, when I drive this track in f1 2012 and 2010, the first and last sector feel so awesome to drive. Agree however, that DRS destroyed this race… It forces teams to setup cars based on DRS performance not optimal laptime.

      1. @krichelle
        i’ve been to the track myself and no doubt it looks amazing, but DRS and the fact that most of the corners are no way overtake friendly ruins the race.

      2. Agreed, I gave it a 7 because anyone who plays F1 knows that this isn’t exactly the easiest track to race. Might be a little dull to watch but it’s amazing how easy they make it look.

      3. It’s funny but I (also) almost always find that some of the boring-est tracks in F1 are really fun to drive in Codemasters’ games. Abu Dhabi, Valencia and Catalunya are some of my favourite tracks to drive. I absolutely despise Suzuka and Silverstone on the other hand.

        1. (@einariliyev

          IKR mate? I find Valencia fun as well, especially the long last right hander after the second back straight. Flat out, high revs it’s fun. Silverstone is another case, I always go well there, particularly that I setup my car with high wings, for COPSE, MAGGOTS,BECKETTS AND STOWE!!!!

  9. boring!!!!!!!!!! great drive by seb though….

  10. Simply awful. The first race this season that didn’t keep me interested

  11. 3
    Seeing vettel lead and kimi out after the first 2 corners, you knew where the race was going… Drs seemed well overpowered at this circuit, so whatever overtaking there was wasn’t exciting.

    1. kimi is your favourite driver, and vettel isn’t = 3

      1. To be fair, it just wasn’t an exciting race, like Germany or Japan.

        1. I thought Germany and Japan were some of the better races of the season @david-a

          1. @vettel1 – That’s what I meant, that Germany and Japan were exciting races, unlike this one.

          2. Ah right, so you meant unlike Japan and Germany then @david-a? :)

      2. Kimi would have atleast made it interesting to see him fight through the field. I don’t dislike Vettel, its just that dominance is boring. Rate the race and driver of the weekend are two seperate issues. Vettel is my vote for driver of the weekend hands down @david-a

        1. sorry, meant @kpart, not @david-a

  12. Tremendously dreary up front, as is often the case these days. There was some reasonable entertainment further down so I wouldn’t call it a total yawner, but still, no better than a 5/10. And even then I feel I’m being generous.

  13. 6/10 boring – but great to see history being made. Stewards are a bit of a joke now how inconsistent they are with track limits

    1. I don’t understand how it’s a 6/10 if it’s boring :P

      1. because Vettel equalized a few records. That’s the history being made thing.

    2. we wonder why bother with track limit anymore … Let’s them race as they want in the giant Abu Dhabi’s parking next time

  14. 4/10. Simply boring apart from a few scraps.

  15. Worst race this season. Great drive of Vettel.

  16. 6.
    Come on! It wasn´t that bad! It had good battles and good overtakes. But boring, boring, boring, it wasn´t.

  17. I thought it wasn’t that bad for Abu Dhabi. OK, I admit it didn’t have a battle for the win except for the run to the first corner…

  18. not good enough for the “highest”-motorsport-class. 3/10.

  19. Gave it a 7 but in real it’s only because I am nice in giving out feedbacks. However, DRS in the race showed completely how it is destroying f1. Sad to see Lewis stuck in traffic and Kimi out. Boring race… in total, but not because of Vettel winning… Good job on Rosberg for compensating Hamilton’s traffic issues for Mercedes’ extra points..

  20. Ed Faulkner (@)
    3rd November 2013, 14:55

    3.

    I don’t think anyone is happy at the moment in F1, except Vettel and Horner.

    Alonso, Raikkonen, Webber lost interest
    McLaren well off where they should be
    Force India, Lotus financial woes
    Back teams making pretty much zero progress
    Fans not seeing any real competition for some while while paying sky high ticket/TV prices (there’s a pun in there!)

    I love F1 and its sad when its not the spectacle it should be, I just hope that the rule changes, and mixing up of teams/drivers will make it a whole lot better in 2014!!

    1. If anyone is rating this race higher than a 5. I think they need remember the DRS passes. Nobody wanted to pass before the 2nd DRS zones (stupid implementation). Nobody was defending against a pass (need to save tires).

  21. Base Mark of 5
    +1 for close racing at about 3/4 distance
    +1 for Alonso’s late charge
    ————–
    -1 for DRS
    -1 for Hamilton being held back and Raikonnen not making past T2
    -1 for no challenge for the lead
    -1 for typical Vettel style victory (Big Lap 1 Lead, better stratagy so no traffic)

    = 3 Worst race of the season, maybe one of the worst of the Pirelli era

  22. I’m enjoying these last couple of races, to me F1 isn’t about overtaking, or mixing it up, its about the car/driver package doing the best they can in a race weekend. And this race saw VET dominate the entire field, but also his teammate. Rosberg did really well to finish 3rd and I think Ferrari have given up on the season.

  23. Fell asleep… 2

  24. 7 – There was actually some decent racing in the lower half of the top 10, Massa’s move on Hamilton was brilliant as was Alonso’s bravery when coming out of the pits. But it is very difficult to get too enthused when Vettel after 20 laps has a 22 second lead over the guy in second place, who by the way happens to be driving the same car. The dominance today was comparable with Singapore, probably even greater as Webber in the same car , and in clear air could get nowhere near Vettel’s pace, even with Rocky for 3/4 of the race telling Vettel to take it easy.

    1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
      3rd November 2013, 15:04

      Vettel after 20 laps
      has a 22 second lead over
      the guy in second place,
      who by the way happens to
      be driving the same car.

      @safeeuropeanhome That is a 1.1 s difference. Are we really supposed to believe that’s down to just the driver.
      P.S. I have never thoughts Vettel has the better car, but this makes me think hard.

      1. @shreyasf1fan

        Webber was stuck behind Rosberg for about 20 laps.
        After Webber passed Rosberg he ‘only’ lost about half a second per lap before Vettel entered cruise mode.

  25. 3. Monotonous lap after lap of drivers having to wait for drs zones to overtake. Track awful. Thought a fair few drivers were very average. Vettel brilliant.

    Feel like the strategic aspect of the last few races has been overhyped, most drivers follow the same strategy after 10 laps anyway. Watched gp2 sprint race- was so much more exciting. Will definitely be watching more next season

  26. Vettel is becoming an all time great. 2 seconds clear on lap one is incredible.

    As for the race, Abu Dhabi + DRS. Switched off after 20 laps. Total rubbish.

    1. @taurus Do you think Abu Dhabi -DRS is a much better combination?
      Or should they just get rid of this stupid circuit entirely?

      1. @gdewilde I would just change the circuit: in it’s current form, it really doesn’t help natural overtaking.

      2. the DRS is a constant problem! it allows to many easy passes. Prevents drivers from overtaking elsewhere but the 2nd zone.

        How many races do we watch where drivers pass by DRS & haven’t even earned it. There is no more fun in a chase & following lap after lap & attempted pass. Every pass is almost guaranteed it’s ridiculous!

      3. @gilles-de-wilde Abu Dhabi – F1 would be the ideal solution. Take it somewhere else.

        1. @gdewilde Abu Dhabi – F1 would be the ideal solution. Take it somewhere else.

  27. Stop complaining!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a bunch of whiny garbage overindulged babies post on this website. This is for fanatics. You should praise god every second you get to watch F1. Even a ‘3’ should be a great pleasure

    1. @chaddy Why should it? Is it wrong to give your opinion about a dreadful circuit that produced a dreadful race?
      The scale from 1to10 is to give people a chance to give their opinion and score on a particular race/race-weekend. And if that race/race-weekend is boring as hell, then everybody has got the right to speak their mind.

      1. +1 Didn’t people invent language in order to complain? If Chad wants to read praises, he should read the Rate The Race article from a better race. This website is great.

    2. If you’re fanatical about something, that doesn’t mean that you can’t criticize it. This is a sport, not a cult.

    3. @chaddy

      What a bunch of whiny garbage overindulged babies post on this website

      What a contribution to the discussion, but anyway i have to reply to this comment before being deleted by @KeithCollantine
      What do you think you are ??? you’re insulting so many people here just because they have a different opinion to you ??? Please teach me something, what fanaticism means to you ??
      If fanaticism for you is insulting people just because they’re different to you then this blog must be “F1 Hooligans” not “F1 Fanatic”

      1. @chaddy The problem with your comment is that F1 itself has tried to cater to fans who they know want to see a better product out there, or at least fewer processions and more passes, and a shakeup of the ‘usual’ order of things, or at least the potential for that every race weekend. So I think it makes no sense to criticise fans for being critical when F1 itself listens to the criticism.

        The problem for me is that I do not believe in DRS whatsoever, nor tires that are intentionally terrible, and so when we have these gadgets and the show can still be quite ‘3’ish’ then there needs to be change, and criticism is warranted.

        At this point the format is about to change for next year so we have to wait and see what the product will be like next March…they’re depending on sharp learning curves with the new engines and chassis’ to shake things up, but in general I think they need to reduce dependency on aero produced downforce or cars will always be too affected by dirty air. It is only a matter of time IMHO before they understand their new car/engine combos and we’ll be right back into processions and phony DRS passes like this past race, if they don’t address aero dependency and instead opt for ground effects, or reduced wing rake allowances.

  28. Yes (@come-on-kubica)
    3rd November 2013, 15:01

    This track should rot in hell.

  29. Total domination from Vettel. I gave it a 5. DRS passes are so boring, there are hardly any exciting passes anymore since drivers just wait until the DRS zone.

  30. 2.

    And I’m being quite generous too.

  31. 4, took a 20 min Starbucks break after Vettel was 26 secs up, came back, was if I’d never left.
    If this is ‘racing’ F1’s in trouble, that Red Bull nears tearing apart to the last strand of carbon fiber, with special attention applied to the software mapping, something stinks to high heaven, is Mark nothing more than a rolling real time test bed for Seb?
    Luckily toady, for a change, there was nothing ‘wrong ‘ with his car.
    The kid’s no better than three of the other four champions running.
    All we can hope for the final three races is RAIN..

    1. @budchekov

      The kid’s no better than three of the other four champions running.

      This season he has definitely driven than all of them, though.

    2. @budchekov

      The kid’s no better than three of the other four champions running.

      This season he’s been better than them, hands down. Over a shorter career and at a younger age than those three, his results speak for themselves too.

      1. I’m no Vettel fan, but that is a bit harsh. Best driver of the year (2nd Hulkenberg).

      2. No, he’s not that better. The car/tyres make the difference so big. And don’t give me Webber ! Webber is no top driver, so it’s useless to compare Vettel with the competition thru Webber’s eyes. What happened to Vettel is partially big luck too. It just happened that after less than 3 years in F1 he climbed in a winning car, and that car kept winning for at least 4 years in a row. Hamilton could have been even luckier (luckier = better stats) since McLaren was a top car in 2007 and 2008, when HAM debuted in F1. Unfortunately for him, McLaren wasn’t that much over the competition (because the tyres back then weren’t the joke they’re these days either), then starting 2009 went downhill. So, yeah, Vettel is great, definately champ material, but he didn’t spend 2 years in a Minardi, then another 2 in mediocre Renault, like ALO for ex.

        1. @corrado-dub

          but he didn’t spend 2 years in a Minardi, then another 2 in mediocre Renault, like ALO for ex.

          Except, Alonso didn’t. Alonso raced for one year in a Minardi. Vettel did one year and a half in a Toro Rosso. Also, Renaults 2008/2009 seasons weren’t like their 2005/2006 ones but they were far from mediocre.
          But whatever you call Renaults performance in 2008/2009, Alonso chose to go back to that team after sabotaging a team where he would have been fighting for the championship because he couldn’t beat a rookie.

          So, you go ahead and spout your nonsense that Vettel’s succes is all down to luck and that Alonso is the blessed king unfortunate to drive insufficient machinery.
          If that’s what helps you sleep at night then go ahead.

          1. @baron-2 You’re saying that the Toro Rosso from ’08 was as bad as a Minardi, or am I not understanding this correctly? People need to stop being THIS subjective, no one said Vettel doesn’t deserve his 4 titles but don’t make it sound like he won in Monza with a car that is the equivalent of a horse and carriage. After all, Bourdais was 4th in qualifying that GP.

        2. @gicu

          No, I never said that. He made it seem like Alonso has spent the majority of his career in dreadful cars whereas Vettel supposedly always had front running cars. He made factual errors in trying to diminish Vettel and glorify Alonso. I simply corrected those. I’m sorry if you don’t like those facts.

          And yes, Bourdais was 4th in qualifying at Monza ’08… By more than a 9 tenths difference.

          1. @baron-2 I do like those facts, I love facts, it’s just that when I’m reading that phrase it sounds in my head like a comparison between those two cars, that’s all. Regarding Bourdais, as bad as he was(imo), he still put the car in 4th, that’s how good the Toro Rosso was(which was the point I was making). The 9 tenths difference is, more or less, the difference between the drivers.

        3. @corrado-dub

          He didn’t spend 2 years in a Minardi, then another 2 in mediocre Renault, like ALO for ex.

          SV spent the best part of 2 years at Toro Rosso. Alonso’s 2003-04 Renaults were better than what Vettel had in his pre-Red Bull career, and then he drove 2 title winning cars and the 2007 Mclaren (he only went back to Renault after that when he blew his relationship with the team). Hamilton, spent his early years with Mclaren, and with the exception of 2009, they won at least 5 races in every season between 2007-2012.

          No, he’s not that better.

          This season, he has been that much better. In the first part of the season, before the tyre changes and post-summer upgrades, Red Bull weren’t even ahead by much, but Vettel still led the championship easily. Alonso, Hamilton and Raikkonen just haven’t maximised their cars this year to the extent Vettel has.

          I don’t even care anymore for comparing Vettel to Webber anymore. Vettel’s record simply speaks for itself- 4 championships, 37 wins, 7 wins in a row.

          @gicu

          That’s how good the Toro Rosso was

          With a wet setup. The team split strategies, and Vettel qualified on pole in the rain, with a dry setup.

    3. I think he’s thoroughly outperformed everyone this season, so how you can say that is baffling. He’s not had one bad race this season.

      1. @vettel1 He has had his moments and off-track excursions , but I would comfortably put him better than Alonso and Hamilton this year . The only driver I’m more impressed this year is Hulkenberg .

        1. @hamilfan I can only recall his slightly scruffy at times race in Hungary, where he still finished 3rd! Then maybe China, but that was strategic call and he did the best he could with that strategy. Also maybe he wasn’t as good as he could have been in Monaco qualifying.

          Besides that, I really can’t think of anywhere he’s gone wrong. He’s won every race he could have besides Britain, where his gearbox failed. Speaks for itself, really.

  32. 4/10
    Another boring race, can’t deny Vettel’s greatness though

  33. 1 for the race. 3 for Vettel outstanding performance. So 4.
    But if Alonso don’t get punished it will be a big fat zero.

  34. Well, a lot of things happened, but the podium was more or less clear after a few corners, and a lot of DRS assisted changes of place, not that much lasting racing it seemed to me. But some nice moves, and the upper midfield was providing interest. Not worse than many races, no classic. I gave it a 7.

  35. Yet another race I will forget within a couple of weeks’ time. The DRS assisted overtakes are dull, the racing is dull, there simply was no excitement whatsoever – I don’t even see the point in watching F1 races since I don’t seem to get any enjoyment out of it anymore.

    Highlight of the race? Probably the doughnuts and Vettel’s team radio. Or the solar eclipse. Or the A340 flyover.

    1. Best eclipse of the season.

    2. Thoroughly agreed.

  36. 2, +1 for Vettel doughnuts!

    Worst race for several seasons, had enough of push to pass now.

  37. The most interesting thing about the race for me was that Sutil somehow avoided a penalty.

    Not a thriller.

  38. 5/10. The most boring race of this season. Some little battles across the field, but not really important. Vettel just blew everyone away, as usual. The track just added boringness. Yas Marina should be dropped, Dubai could stage a race, because it has way more spectacular track.

  39. Very disappointing that Kimi retired after the first corner, I expected him to challenge the two Ferrari. After the first corner we all knew who was going to win. Still Vettel was incredible to watch, Ferrari’s comeback was nice, love the donuts, awesome to hear Vettel quoting Raikkonen on the radio.

  40. Vettel didn’t win! the other drivers lost! ;)

  41. 5.

    Don’t understand why people are saying +1 for Vettel dominance. It specifically says don’t include how your driver did. If everyone drove around one by one like a parade lap for 55 laps, but Vettel happened to win 10 in a row doesn’t make it a good race.

    1. @juan-pablo-heidfeld-1 exactly ! Never include your driver preference in your rating !!!! This rule is ignored as much as the track limits rule

      1. Agreed, +1

  42. 6/10. I enjoyed the Ferraris, Saubers, Force Indias and Toro Rossos battling it out down the field. The one stopping cars spiced things up a bit. Other than that there wasn’t anything to excite. The top four were locked into their positions early on and nothing changed for the remainder of the race.

    The circuit looks impressive in pictures, but when watching the races it comes across as watching an F1 race take place in a big, empty room. It’s utterly soulless.

  43. 4/5 honestly: nothing exciting happened at all.

  44. All those DRS supporters need to remember that if it wasn’t for DRS the race organizers were going to make changes to this track for 2011.
    Because DRS was generating passing, They dropped those changes just like the teams decided not to make the big aero changes for 2014.

    The longer we have this ridiculous artificial gimmick, The less push there is to actually look at car/circuit design that will actually encourage proper racing & real exciting overtaking.

    #banDRS

    1. Someone should start a petition.

    2. +1, Maybe the Sheik should sue Tilke, no-one else to blame for this track on this site.

    3. The only way to solve this particular problem is to stop watching. 2014 will be tough ask with all the reg changes but if it turns out to be as uncompetitive as i think it will then it may be the year i stop watching F1, at least until DRS is banned.

    4. Agreed! Added to this the tires cannot be pushed to effect an overtake in non-DRS areas, so drivers don’t bother trying. So frustrating to watch…I’m fast falling out of love with F1, despite having watched it for over 30 years.

  45. 3% of people said this race was ‘perfect’, is Max Chilton on here again? xD

    1. @full-throttle-f1 Devout Vettel fans I say ! :-P

  46. Gave it a 5. Pretty typical 2013 race, but because of the track and the nature of the DRS zones, all passes were pretty predictable (although a handful had great execution) and due to the nature of the tyres, Alonso’s surge was kind of uninspiring, much like the differences between new vs/ old mediums, leaving no fun in the strategy department as well.

    If I didn’t like COTA and Interlagos as tracks, I’d probably skip the final two races.

  47. I’m the guy who didn’t think Spain was THAT bad, but this? This was borrrrrring. 4/10.

  48. 5 out of ten because Sebastian Vettel cheered me up. If it wasn’t for him, I would have given it a 3. I am certainly looking forward to COTA and Brazil for my F1 fix.

  49. Race ? What race

  50. I found the race strategy really interesting, except for no fight at the front but there was lots of battling lower down.

    Just have to think of each race as a two class race, class 1: Vettel; class 2: everyone else then it is not boring!

  51. 5/10 is too generous . But I am in a good mood today . It was a “mickey mouse” race as Webber would put it . Boring layout . No charge from behind . Grosjean and Alonso with fresher rubber were the only ones to save the race after hulk’s penalty droped him into oblivion .

  52. Michael Brown (@)
    3rd November 2013, 16:17

    Bring on 2014

  53. The race was dreadfully boring and it was easy to predict who was going to win. I think we should revert to the old points system when it made the championship more interesting. Now it is too easy to win a world championship, with the big difference between 1st place and second etc.

  54. Funny how people say it was a boring race. I must have seen something different. I saw a tight start, then a lot of action all over the field, then we got Vettels pitstop, and a lot of battles again. Massa shutting off his hears for team messages, Alonso making a pass he shouldn’t have gotten away with, a solar eclipse, a bit of action towards the end and Vettel donating another 10000 EUR to the FIA with his celebrations. Beats the finger by miles IMO.

    I will give this race a solid 6/10 it was by no means tedious or boring. It wasn’t a great race, but what would you expect on this track.

    1. but what would you expect on this track

      Therein lies the problem, then you add DRS and clown tyres.

      1. I think it is hard to get excited over a race dominated by the guy/team who has already won both titles. Even when he pitted and there were ‘a lot of battles again’ there was no doubt how it would all come out in the wash.

  55. and I thought the Singapore race was boring… 4 out of 10…..

  56. Missed the first hour due to DST (oops!) so I didn’t vote, but what I did see didn’t look terribly exciting…

  57. No way the worst of the season, but still another boring couple of hours – too hungover to really comprehend what was going on anyway to be honest. 5/10

    Any chance we can put them Indycars for the next race?

  58. 7/10
    For once, I was not distracted during the race. Nothing up front! But it was nice to see different strategies again like in India, plus there were some nice battles and the second DRS zone provided some good drama at times. Still rather worrying that no overtaking could be done in the first and third sectors.
    Di Resta, Massa, Vergne, Vettel, all raced brilliantly and that was great to see. Good defensive driving by Gutierrez, Hulkenberg for once was not involved in any action, a shame we lost Raikkonen so early in the race. But it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

  59. Dull… even most of the minor-points fights seemed boring today. Far too much about tyres and too little about driving cars quickly.

    3.

  60. Plastic race at a plastic venue. DRS, tyres, more DRS and penalties. One or two nice moves (Massa) but precious little racing.

    But well done Seb – can’t see anyone beating him any more this year.

  61. What’s the point of having a second DRS right after the first one. It seems totally self-defeating. DRS seems to work best in a race where it barely has any effect at all..

  62. Another black flag for comical F1. The self proclaimed crème de la crème of motor racing, hahaha, Yeah Right. Stick to Indy and Nascar.

    1. If F1 was trying to compete with Nascar or Indycar then Charlie would’ve threw out the safety car 4-5 times. Not many on here have respect for American motorsports and for good reason.

      1. I think Charlie has thrown out the safety car a few times when it wasn’t necessarily warranted but indeed tightened up the field to help the show. And there are certainly times when the nature of the track demands that a safety car come out in F1, and certainly on oval tracks in NASCAR and Indy there’s little they can do but bring out the safety car if there’s a crash or debris on the track.

        And you may say American motorsports does not garner respect around here, but Keith himself has commented this season about the attractions of the tight racing that’s been going on in Indy, vs. the issues he has with F1 these days.

        I recall some NASCAR drivers getting quite a chuckle at an opening wing that allows for easy passing in F1, the ‘pinnacle of racing.’ ie. many outside of North America may not respect NASCAR and Indy, but North Americans may look at the tire issues, the DRS, the dominance of one team 4 years running, the constant scandals be they secret-test gate, spy gate, lie gate, crash gate and the politics in general, and consider F1 to be something different but certainly not superior.

        1. Tight racing wouldn’t have anything to do with every team running the same chassis and the safety car being deployed at every possible opportunity would it? You see it’s all about the show in America and they need it to be close(one spec chassis) and have a grandstand finish(throw the yellow flag) even if it’s at the expense of the series as a whole. So yes, F1 is different but its those differences that makes it superior. The freedom for designers / engineers / aerodynamicists to build the fastest cars on the planet using whatever philosophy they believe. To risk it all on the world stage and compete against the best teams/drivers in the world. To not have any hard earned advantage eroded away by a needless safety car. Also, tight racing doesn’t really come into for me and if it did then we would be about to witness a mass exodus to Indycar. Fat chance.

          For the record i really enjoyed Indycar this season and it’s the first season i’ve watched in a long long time. It’s a fun series but that’s were it ends for me.

  63. I was genuinely nodding off in this race. It was one of the worst I’ve seen. Thank God this season is nearly over. 1/10 as I’m annoyed with F1’s current state.

  64. It wasn’t ‘interesting’ but not boring either, Monaco was worse and I gave it a 6, so 7 this time …

  65. Yesterday, I enjoyed watching Sky’s replay of the 2010 Abu Dhabi GP. In particular, it was refreshing to see a race without the gimmicks designed to improve racing – DRS and rapidly degrading compounds.

    When compared to today’s race, it is easy to see how lost F1 has become.

    1. I honestly feel like F1 has lost me at this point and i can’t take much more of it tbh. Vettel can dominate all he wants, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest as he deserves it but for the love of god please give me back some good honest racing.

      1. So what would you do to change it?

        1. Banning DRS would suffice. The different tyre strategies are enough to promote real passing while at the same time allowing a driver to defend his position. Sure, there are a few other niggles, like having to use two different compounds in the race and the poor qualifying format, but DRS is the elephant in the room that needs to go before the viewing figures take a nose dive.

  66. I was anticipating a great recovery race by Kimi. Sadly, it didn’¡t happen.
    I was hoping Mark would be able to hold on to P1 a wee bit beyond turn 1. He didn’t (but no big surprise here).
    Would be a 1, but gets a 2 for the last stint by FA including the bravest exit from the pits I’ve seen in a long time.

  67. Intensely mediocre.

  68. 6: some overtakes in the fight for points.. the leadership was never in doubt

  69. 1/10 HORRENDOUS

    This race was by far the worst race I have seen al year long, DRS was awfull, the track just doesn’t inpsire any good racing, the facilities are fantastic but they really need to rethink this track.

    If anyone wanted a reason to never allow Herman Tilke to design another race track for F1, this is it!!

  70. Pretty dull and boring, nothing really happened, thus a 5. The most exciting moment was when at about lap 40 I misheard Rocky talking to Vettel, which I understood as “We have to stop the car”. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want Vettel to lose, it would just mean that after all we might have had a battle for the lead of the race.

  71. Not much in it. Except for watching Massa and Alonso charging through the field, Force India going for conservative AND fast stints and Gutierrez defending like a madman. Frankly I have the feeling I only watched Ferrari, Force India and Sauber race today.

    So congrats to Red Bull again for being the only team that still looks like it wants to win races.

    4. Actually, you know what? 6. Any race that has a solar eclipse and David Hasselhoff in it deserves at least a 6. But really, 4…

  72. I mean, really, what was that race? Sorry for being negative, i really dont want to be, but it was awful.

  73. Boring, I changed the channel before lap 15

  74. I gave it 4 and felt generous. I find that Abu Dhabi is visually bland, despite all the glitz and fancy architecture. It all seems so vapid that it feels like I see through it to what it really is- a vast expanse of tarmac with a few sparkly trinkets. More traditional races always keep my attention better because they just don’t look awful to me, regardless of the quality of the racing.

  75. I think it did get a bit boring when Vettel had a 2 second lead at the first lap, but there was a bit of action, but after the 30th lap or so, it died down a bit

  76. The good thing about those races, is that I am so sure of who will win that I can do some ironing or cleaning while enjoying it in the background and cheering on real overtakes (maybe the balsy moves by Grosjean and Alonso -though I believe this one was illegal) for 10th position from time to time. I’m happy because I get to see a formula one race anyway, my wife’s happy because… Clean house !

  77. 6.

    Yas Marina is a horrible track that only needs relatively straightforward improvements to be one of the best flat tracks out there. Delete the chicanes bracketing and splitting the backstraights and make it one long bending backstraight between >90 degree turns, convert turns 15-19 into a more natural flowing esses, and change 20-21 into a more round and natural right-hand sweeper. It’s a shame it’s current form looks like that, but it makes me rate on a curve.

    Add the fact that Vettel and RB already clinched, well, what do you expect? My bar was set low, and the solar eclipse and donuts were nice touches for something I expected all along, hence the 6.

    I’m just hoping Ascari’s record stands as his alone. Some old marks need to outlast Vettel and Schumacher, and that’s one of the few left.

  78. Excelent race!. A lot of battles, diferent strategies and several nice overtakes.

    If you forget Vettel playing F1 videogame on easy mode.

  79. Vettle dominance + DRS overtakes = boring. Plus, I’m a Kimi fan so I was already disappointed by Saturday afternoon.

  80. Some ideas to make F1 more exciting because it is currently just a show and seems to be losing its true value.

    1. Remove DRS – which is just a joke.
    2. Allow teams to use which ever tyres they want during quals and race, supersoft, soft, medium or hard, their choice.
    3. No compulsary usage of tyres during a race. If a team wants to make no stops, then go for it.
    4. Bring back refueling, if teams do not want to use this, them this is their choice.
    5. Stop teams from making adjustments to the vehicles from the pit. All adjustments must only be done by the driver, and this should also be restricted to a set number.
    6. Stop all but emergency radio communication with drivers and teams.
    7. Allow the bottom four teams this season to continue using the 2013 engine and setup until 2017. This would allow them three years to design their new cars.
    8. More gravel traps and less run offs at all tracks. Sunday’s race is like a track that Disney would design.

  81. I gave it a 6. There are a few things going against it. There wasn’t much going on at the front, the win was (pretty much) decided by the first corner, and the first half of the race was fairly dull. But from mid race onwards there was good racing between 5th and 10th, even though it was difficult or impossible to overtake outside of DRS zones. Tyres played their intended role in allowing alternative strategies while drivers still seemed to be pushing relatively hard on 2 stoppers (and not coasting on 1 stoppers either as far as i could see).

    While DRS is not an ideal solution, on tracks like this it is just aswell we have it as otherwise the race would have been a procession from 1st to last. As it was i think DRS was about right, some passes were straight forward which is inevitable but it wasn’t a gimme in most cases, even when clearly faster cars were being held up.

    I think it will take some rain in Brazil to give anyone a chance to beat Vettel. So hoping for that, or maybe a final flash in the pan from Webber which would be great to see too.

  82. petebaldwin (@)
    4th November 2013, 12:55

    It was just a fairly dull race. DRS was the same rediculous farce that it was last year and without track changes – the rest of the track is just boring.

    Considering the money they have spent and the brilliant facility they have created, they need to get the track sorted so that it is suitable for F1 racing.

  83. I only gave it a 4, and part of me thought that was still too generous.

    The dominance of Vettel is expected but often there is still some entertaining battles further down the order, however nothing got me excited during the Grand Prix.

    There may have been quite a few overtakes throughout the race but most were due to DRS and for me they provide as much excitement as a driver being lapped.

Comments are closed.