For the 29th time, the Formula One world drivers’ championship will be decided at the final race of the season.
Having a final-round title decider was a goal Bernie Ecclestone had in mind when he demanded Formula One offer double points for the final race of the season. However even without the controversial and extremely unpopular rule, the championship would still have continued until the final race.
While double points turned out to be irrelevant when it came to prolonging the championship battle, it may yet leave the sport with a tainted title decider between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
As noted here last week, the imposition of double points has more than quadrupled Rosberg’s chance of winning the championship. To his credit, even Rosberg has admitted he sympathises with the widespread criticism of double points, though of course he would not turn down a title however the points add up.
Given how dominant Mercedes have been this year, the chance the title will be decided by double points remains fairly low. Only once this year – in Germany – have the pair finished in positions which if they were repeated on Sunday would mean double points had changed the champion.
In any other season, just a sixth place finish would be all that Lewis Hamilton would need to secure his second world title. But this weekend, Hamilton can only guarantee himself the championship with a second place finish. Failing to finish would mean that Nico Rosberg would only require a fifth place finish to grab the title.
The result of this heavily-criticised and unappreciated rule means that while Rosberg does still have a moderate chance of taking the title even without the added assist of double points, he is also at risk of becoming the most controversial world champion ever through no fault of his own. The injustice of such an outcome would only be heightened by Ecclestone’s belated realisation that double points has to go.
But regardless of the championship permutations, the stage is set for yet another close fight between the two Mercedes drivers over the final 55 laps of a season that will forever be defined by images of the two Silver Arrows locked in close-quarter combat.
Despite playing host to the season finale for the third time, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix continues to lack that special something that made circuits like Adelaide, Suzuka and Interlagos such celebrated venues for Formula One’s grand finale.
Yas Marina circuit information
| Lap length | 5.554km (3.451 miles) |
| Distance | 55 laps (305.4km/189.7 miles) |
| Lap record* | 1’40.279 (Sebastian Vettel, 2009) |
| Fastest lap | 1’38.434 (Lewis Hamilton, 2011) |
| Tyres | Soft and Super-soft |
*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix
The circuit’s lavish facilities, copious run-off areas and five-star accommodation may remain unparalleled, but the uninspiring track layout characterised by unimaginative chicanes and slow, 90-degree bends have usually made for forgettable races.
The addition of DRS has increased overtaking on the circuit’s two longest straights. But with few challenging corners and plenty of tarmac run-off areas around the 5.5km track, this circuit offers little challenge to F1-calibre drivers.
As the last race of the year, Abu Dhabi will also be the scene of a number of significant endings in the sport. Sebastian Vettel will drive his final race for Red Bull, Fernando Alonso will almost certainly bid farewell to Ferrari, and we may also witness a premature close to Jenson Button’s F1 career.
After a partnership spanning almost the last quarter of a century, this will also be the 351st and final race that McLaren will run with Mercedes power, before the team enter into a new era with Honda for next season.
Despite the return of Caterham to the grid thanks in part to the generosity of thousands of fans who pledged money to the team, this weekend’s race could prove to be the last time we see as many as 20 cars on the grid of a grand prix until 2016.
Pirelli have opted for the super-soft and soft tyre compounds for the final race weekend of 2014 – one step down from last season’s nomination of soft and medium for the same event.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix team-by-team preview
Red Bull
After six seasons, 38 victories, 44 pole positions and four world championships, this weekend marks the final race in the hugely successful partnership between Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing. Appropriately, it will happen at the track where he claimed his first world championship with them in extraordinary circumstances four years ago.
Having dominated so much of the recent era, it’s proven to be a difficult season for the outgoing champion, who will almost certainly now go win-less over the course of an entire season for the first time in his career.
Having out-performed and out-scored his four-time world champion team mate this season, Daniel Ricciardo will be keen to cap off a stellar season by beating Vettel over the line yet again on Sunday. But while the slower nature of the Yas Marina circuit should help Red Bull, it’s unlikely that the team will be able to challenge for their fourth win of the season
Mercedes
Given the sheer dominance of Mercedes’ W05 this season, the most likely scenario for Sunday is that we will see the two Silver Arrows claim their record-increasing 12th one-two of the season. That would guarantee Hamilton his second world championship no matter which of the two rivals finishes first.
But that performance advantage means that any mechanical problems for either Mercedes driver during the race will almost certainly cost them the title, thanks to double points, as the other will surely cruise to an easy victory.
Rosberg will be spurred on by the knowledge that he beat his rival in a straight fight last time out in Brazil and out-raced Hamilton here in Abu Dhabi last season.
But, for Rosberg, simply winning on Sunday may not be enough. Realistically, Rosberg is reliant on a mistake or mechanical issue for Hamilton if he is to snatch the title, while winning the race is practically a must.
Ferrari
Although it remains to be formally confirmed, this will be Alonso’s final race for Ferrari after five valiant but ultimately title-less seasons with the Scuderia.
The double world champion will be keen to see out his Ferrari career in typically combative style, although the chance of a podium appearance remains a low possibility.
Having been thoroughly trounced by his team mate this year, Kimi Raikkonen will likely be glad to see the back of the F14 T after struggling to get to grips with the car all season. He has a good track record in Abu Dhabi, most famously taking victory for Lotus in 2012.
Lotus
Lotus’s ‘annus horribilis’ will finally come to an end this weekend. But with Romain Grosjean having been finally confirmed to remain with the team for next season, the Frenchman is looking to round out a difficult year on a positive note.
“We’ve got a few upgrades coming which should give us a bit more power and with double points on offer, you never know!,” says Grosjean.
McLaren
Even with double points in the equation, McLaren will still require a result similar to the opening race of 2014 if they are to have any chance of stealing fourth in the constructors’ championship away from Ferrari.
With McLaren having announced that there will be no word on their 2015 driver line up until December 1st, both Button and Kevin Magnussen have one more opportunity to convince Ron Dennis that they are the right man to partner Fernando Alonso into the Honda era.
Force India
Force India appear to have lost their battle with McLaren over fifth place in the constructors’ championship after their rivals consistently out-performed and out-scored them over the previous four races. But thanks to double points, there’s still a slim chance that a major upset could be on the cards if Force India get lucky with results on Sunday.
The team are hoping for better performance in the final round of their best season to date, with Team Principal Bob Fernley having revealed the team have corrected a mistake made during their mid-season development.
“We took a wrong direction mid-season, and we only worked that out a race or so ago,” says Fernley. “We have moved in the right direction now and although it has helped us move forward with the 2015 car, it lost us some ground just after the halfway point of this year. So our tail off was the result of that step in the wrong direction.”
Sauber
Sauber have just one more chance to avoid the indignity of suffering the first ever pointless season in the team’s 24-year history.
But thanks to double points, Sauber have a unique opportunity of being able to be a major beneficiary of the new points system, provided they are able to finally secure a top ten finish. Just a tenth place will see them equal Marussia’s points total, while a ninth place would see them leap ahead of the stricken team despite both teams sharing a best result.
That is, if Sauber manage to somehow find themselves in the points on Sunday – which does not appear any more likely this weekend given how off the pace the team were in Brazil.
They will bid farewell to both drivers after this race, with Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr set to take over from Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez.
Toro Rosso
With still no word yet on his future, this weekend is Jean-Eric Vergne’s last opportunity to convince one of the few remaining teams with a race seat vacancy for 2015 that he deserves a place on the grid next season.
With Red Bull not yet having announced they will promote Formula Renault 3.5 champion Carlos Sainz Jnr, Vergne may be keeping a close eye on the progress of another of the team’s junior drivers during this weekend’s support races – Alex Lynn is poised to wrap up the GP3 title.
No one could suggest Vergne hasn’t tried hard enough in the final third of the season, having racked up thirteen points in the second half of the year compared to team mate Daniil Kvyat’s two. Kvyat is also starting his final race for Toro Rosso ahead of his promotion to Red Bull next year.
Williams
Williams could be forgiven for wishing this season did not have to end after amassing seven podium appearances over the course of the team’s best season for 11 years.
But despite proving to be one of the biggest success stories of 2014, Williams will no doubt have half an eye on being able to snatch a win at their final opportunity of the season.
Mercedes will almost certainly have the edge on the Grove team again this weekend, but with both Mercedes drivers locked in a battle with each other, Williams are likely to have the best chance of anyone of picking up the pieces should anything dramatic happens between the two championship protagonists.
Caterham
Despite falling into administration, missing the last two grands prix, losing a race driver and resorting to a crowd funding campaign in order to make it to the final race of the season, Caterham look set to make an unlikely return to the grid this weekend.
While the team prospects of survival into 2015 and beyond remain uncertain, making the grid this weekend could go a long way in helping their cause.
Kamui Kobayashi is already confirmed to return to his seat for what could well be his last ever grand prix start, despite the problems which afflicted his car on the team’s last appearance in Russia.
Caterham is yet to announce who will be his partner the Japanese driver after Ericsson cut ties with the team last week. Formula Renault 3.5 drivers Roberto Merhi and Will Stevens have both been linked with the seat despite not having raced in F1 before.
There were rumours Marussia might make a last-ditch effort to appear on the grid, but nothing appears to have come of it.
2014 driver form
| Driver | G avg | R avg | R best | R worst | Classified | Form guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Vettel | 7.17 | 4.87 | 2 | 8 | 15/18 | Form guide |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 5.50 | 3.73 | 1 | 8 | 15/18 | Form guide |
| Lewis Hamilton | 4.33 | 1.47 | 1 | 3 | 15/18 | Form guide |
| Nico Rosberg | 1.72 | 1.81 | 1 | 4 | 16/18 | Form guide |
| Fernando Alonso | 6.44 | 5.19 | 2 | 9 | 16/18 | Form guide |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 9.50 | 9.12 | 4 | 13 | 17/18 | Form guide |
| Romain Grosjean | 14.67 | 12.83 | 8 | 17 | 12/18 | Form guide |
| Pastor Maldonado | 17.78 | 13.69 | 9 | 18 | 13/18 | Form guide |
| Jenson Button | 8.61 | 7.65 | 3 | 17 | 17/18 | Form guide |
| Kevin Magnussen | 8.78 | 9.29 | 2 | 14 | 17/18 | Form guide |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 10.89 | 7.81 | 5 | 12 | 16/18 | Form guide |
| Sergio Perez | 12.11 | 9.00 | 3 | 15 | 14/17 | Form guide |
| Adrian Sutil | 14.78 | 14.55 | 11 | 21 | 11/18 | Form guide |
| Esteban Gutierrez | 15.89 | 15.17 | 12 | 20 | 12/18 | Form guide |
| Jean-Eric Vergne | 11.89 | 10.38 | 6 | 13 | 13/18 | Form guide |
| Daniil Kvyat | 11.50 | 11.57 | 9 | 15 | 14/18 | Form guide |
| Felipe Massa | 7.67 | 7.73 | 3 | 15 | 15/18 | Form guide |
| Valtteri Bottas | 6.39 | 5.71 | 2 | 11 | 17/18 | Form guide |
| Jules Bianchi | 17.80 | 15.92 | 9 | 20 | 12/15 | Form guide |
| Max Chilton | 19.50 | 16.15 | 13 | 19 | 13/16 | Form guide |
| Kamui Kobayashi | 18.93 | 15.78 | 13 | 19 | 9/14 | Form guide |
| Marcus Ericsson | 20.19 | 17.09 | 11 | 20 | 11/16 | Form guide |
| Andre Lotterer | 21.00 | 0/1 | Form guide |
Are you going to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
If you’re heading to Abu Dhabi for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you.
We’ve got a dedicated group and forum for people going to the race.
You can embed your pictures from the race via Flickr and videos via YouTube and other major video-sharing accounts. Join in here:
Over to you
Who do you think will be the team to beat in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? Have your say below.
And don’t forget to enter your predictions for this weekend’s race. You can edit your predictions until the start of qualifying:
2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- F1 defies critics as fans praise 2014 racing
- Eight different Driver of the Weekend winners in 2014
- Sponsor Watch: 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- 2014 F1 Fanatic Predictions Champion announced
- 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix team radio transcript
Broom (@)
19th November 2014, 19:02
I don’t think double points will affect the outcome. Mercedes will either finish 1-2 or one of them will DNF which will lead to the same WDC standings as normal points would have.
Ian Stephens (@ians)
19th November 2014, 23:11
Absolutely. Double points may mean that Rosberg had four times as many ways to win the championship as he would with normal scoring, but that does not mean ‘the imposition of double points has more than quadrupled Rosberg’s chance of winning the championship’. All Rosberg’s 19 extra ways of winning taken together are less likly than a 1-2 finish.
Kroon (@kroonracing)
19th November 2014, 19:02
>the imposition of double points has more than quadrupled Rosberg’s chance of winning the championship
No it hasn’t. Double points has quadrupled the number of permutations that will lead to Rosberg winning the WDC, but the probability of the additional permutations is really marginal, so Rosbergs chances are only marginally improved. The most likely situation leading to Rosberg winning the WDC, is still a DNF from Hamilton.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th November 2014, 19:41
@kroonracing Let’s be clear – this:
Is not contradicted by what you wrote:
As pointed out via the link, there are 111 possible scoring combinations for Hamilton and Rosberg this weekend. Under the normal points system 6 of those would be sufficient for Rosberg to win the title and under double points that rises to 25, so by that measure his chance has “more than quadrupled”.
Your points that the performance of the Mercedes cars may make some of these possibilities more or less likely, and that Rosberg’s best chance of winning is if Hamilton fails to finish, are both covered in the article.
Kroon (@kroonracing)
19th November 2014, 20:17
My comments were not related to the linked article, but only to the conclusive phrase “has more than quadrubled Rosberg’s chance”.
English is not my first language, but in my understanding “chance” in this context is a matter of probability, which hasn’t been quadrubled at all.
A minor detail on a great site. Good job, Keith. Thanks.
DaveW (@dmw)
19th November 2014, 20:26
Keith, the two sentences you quote are not contradictory, but neither are they equivalent. They would only be equivalent if each additional permutation had the same chance of occuring as the original one. I believe that is Kroon’s point.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
19th November 2014, 20:40
Keith, don’t sweat it. Not everyone is a statistician.
David
19th November 2014, 22:01
Kroon is correct. You should weight each outcome with a probability. Source: actuarial science degree
frood19 (@frood19)
19th November 2014, 22:36
it’s a semantic point made by @kroonracing but a good one. either way, double points has increased rosberg’s chances. by what extent requires some brain aching maths.
jelle van der Meer
19th November 2014, 23:41
Considering recent last race deciding title fights the double points I believe the double points will very likely be a factor. Often the championship leader runs into trouble early on and then has to fight through traffic back to the front.
2007 – Hamilton runs wide and has gear issue – in the end he is short 1 place
2008 – Hamilton drops back due to change to rain tires – in the end wins due to overtaken Glock at last corner
2010 – Alonso drops back by reacting to Webber pitstop and gets stuck behind Petrov – in the end he is short 2 places
2012 – Vettel is spinned around on round 1 – in the end wins due a big recovery race
All other championships since 2007 were decided before the last race – so considering that pattern it is likely to assume Hamilton will have to drive a recovery race (no title contender had a DNF in the last race) and due to double points he now needs to be 2nd instead of 6th which makes a BIG difference.
Aled Davies (@aledinho)
20th November 2014, 23:06
of course the best way for Hamilton to avoid them situations is to stick it on pole, make a good start and drive away.
easier said than done and as a Hamilton fan, I have seen plenty of times that he tends to do things the hard way!
if hamilton starts 2nd and makes a slightly bad start he is undoubtedly going to be cautious into turn 1 and that could lead to him dropping back down the field and then who knows what will happen!
i just hope that no DNF’s come into play between the 2! it would spoil what has been a great season!
Hyoko
20th November 2014, 1:03
Absolutely. But the article says it clearly: “…the chance the title will be decided by double points remains fairly low”. True enough. But then, “…the imposition of double points has more than quadrupled Rosberg’s chance of winning the championship”. Not so. The possible permutations have more than quadrupled, but the probability of most of the additional permutations is vanishingly small, if we are to judge by what we have seen so far this year. The different ways in which Nico Rosberg can win have more than quadrupled, but his probability of winning has not increased that much.
Exactly by how much? Well, the best estimation I can give is based on the previous 18 races.
Without double points, only the results of 2 races (Australia: 25-0, and Canada: 18-0) would give Nico the championship. With double points, also Germany (25-15 —>50-30).
By this estimation Nico’s chances increase from 2/18 (11.11%) to 3/18 (16.67%) thanks to the double scoring. That is, an absolute increase of 1/18 (only 5.67%) but a considerably higher relative increase of 50% (2–>3). If al the permutations were equally probable Nico’s chances would increase from 6/111 (5.41%) to 25/111 (22.52%), that is, an absolute increase of 19/111 (17.12%) and a relative increase of 416.67% (6—>25). That is a gross overestimation of the absolute increase (more than tripled) and of the relative increase (multiplied by more than 8).
Hyoko
20th November 2014, 1:20
1/18 (only 5.67%) WRONG it is 5.56% (rounded)
My Left Eye (@blik)
20th November 2014, 4:56
I say……..this discussion and the headline article would be completely different if the LH / NR championship positions were reversed.
OEL F1 (@oel-f1)
19th November 2014, 19:05
Well as Keith pointed out recently, had F1 still used the old 2003-2009 point system, Hamilton would’ve only been one point in front of Rosberg so it would’ve been a case of “the winner takes it all”. So Hamilton’s chances are in fact better even with the double points than with the old point system. It’s all a matter of what point system is used and I for one couldn’t be less bothered if Rosberg would win the title by winning the race with Hamilton in 3rd, because the outcome would’ve been the same as if the old point system would still have been in use. Or do you think that the post-2009 point system is the only fair one? In that case many championships from the past have the “wrong” champion.
Strontium (@strontium)
19th November 2014, 19:14
@oel-f1 I personally think that the points system which is agreed to at the start of the year is the correct one (that is to say, it doesn’t matter as long as everybody knows what it will be, and knows what to aim for, they need to do the best they can under the regulations at that time), providing all races are worth the same!
Patrick (@paeschli)
19th November 2014, 19:37
Kimi: “Whoever has most points deserves title.”
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
19th November 2014, 22:49
@paeschli
Best comment ever! You’re right..well ..Kimi’s right! As I commented yesterday, there is no such thing as deserving or undeserving, you win because you made the best out of an opportunity or the situation you find yourself in.
MattDS (@mattds)
20th November 2014, 8:13
@oel-f1
Yeah and then again with the even older point system of 1991-2002, Hamilton would already be champion. With the points system used from 1981-1990, he would only need one point to clinch it. With the systems that were in place for the +- 25 years before that, when a few of the worst results could be dropped in each half of the championship, Hamilton would also be champion already. Lastly, for the few years before that it depends how many races would be dropped, but Hamilton would also be champion already or very close to it.
I see no relevance in taking an arbitrary older points system, proclaiming that to be “the” old points system, to base your opinion on. If one would really have to make a comparison, it would have to be compared to all of the other scoring systems and then we would come to the conclusion that there are only two scoring systems that leave Rosberg with a decent chance at the championship, namely:
1) the 2003-2009 system which was heavily criticised because it undervalued wins and less risk was taken in going for position
2) the 2014 system which is being heavily criticised for being so contrived and unfair
That’s 8 seasons out of 65.
Tom (@newdecade)
19th November 2014, 19:07
“After a partnership spanning almost the last quarter of a century, this will also be the 351st and final race that McLaren will run with Mercedes power”
Actually it’s been 20, a solid score!
Broke84 (@broke84)
19th November 2014, 19:10
“But thanks to double points, Sauber have a unique opportunity of being able to be a major beneficiary of the new points system, provided they are able to finally secure a top ten finish. Just a tenth place will see them equal Marussia’s points total, while a ninth place would see them leap ahead of the stricken team despite both teams sharing a best result. ”
Sorry Keith but didn’t Bianchi finish 9th in Monaco after his penalty?
Broke84 (@broke84)
19th November 2014, 19:11
I’m being thick, double points, Duh!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
19th November 2014, 19:20
@broke84 Indeed, and it’s worth nothing that even if Sauber finished ninth in a ‘normal points’ race that would put them ahead of Marussia in the championship standings by dint of having more eleventh place finishes (two versus none).
Broke84 (@broke84)
19th November 2014, 19:12
Please ignore my silly moment people.
Strontium (@strontium)
19th November 2014, 19:16
@broke84 Don’t worry, I blame Bernie for introducing it in the first place. It would have never happened if it weren’t for him.
DaveW (@dmw)
19th November 2014, 19:46
People say that Hamilton only has to finish 2nd versus 6th, and 2nd is a lock for Mercedes, so double points doesnt matter. However, as Gary Anderson pointed out, Mercedes have failed to finish 1-2 in about 1/3rd of the races and 3 times they did not even win! So while we have become accustomed in the last races to 1-2s, that is not a sure thing. You can also look at it purely from Hamilton’s view: He has falied to finish in the top 2 five times. In this view, Hamilton’s odds of not finishing in a position to win the title is 5/18=28 percent! Of course the function is not complete without considering what may happen with Rosberg, but his strike rate is actually significantly better: 3/18 = 17 percent. Thus, when you consider the risk of catastrophic mistakes and failures, Rosberg has a better outlook. Of course, this is not a proper Baysian view of the odds, just an illustration of how past results show that the outcome in the title fight is very much far from certain for Hamilton.
Ian Stephens (@ians)
19th November 2014, 23:48
You probably need to take Spa (deliberate collision) and Hungary (rain – unlikely in Abu Dhabi) out of the numbers, since they were not affected by reliability. That makes it 3/16 vv 2/16 – that is a 5/16 chance that the championship will be tainted by unreliability.
The remaining 11/16 have been 1-2 finishes, so none of those 16 results would be affected by double points if repeated this weekend.
It is still not a rigourous analysis, but you can see why Toto is worried about reliability.
The Blade Runner (@)
19th November 2014, 19:50
Forever more to be known as “The Flintstone’s Grand Prix”
Why? Because none of the other 2014 races has double points but Abu Dhabi do…
… I’ll get my coat!
Kroon (@kroonracing)
19th November 2014, 19:58
:-)
Ali Adams
19th November 2014, 21:38
Doobie doobie do
Yet itit do :)
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
20th November 2014, 4:01
@thebladerunner i read it out loud and found myself laughing.
Too much beer i think :P
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
20th November 2014, 8:04
Well done! Good play on words.
bull mello (@bullmello)
19th November 2014, 19:59
Simply put, double points have done nothing to enhance Formula 1 this season and have only served to detract at best.
Die, double points, die! From the moment this ill thought scheme was announced it has brought nothing but negativity upon the sport. Countless words and myriad hours of lost time spent railing against it with nearly nary encouraging words for it. Thank goodness common sense prevailed against the purveyor in chief of illogic in charge of this crazy circus known as F1 and there will be no awful-double in 2015.
Fun (@functor)
19th November 2014, 20:01
Realistically, Rosberg will be more prepared for even worse case than Hamilton. In worse case, it’ll take days and even week for it to sunk in for him. Rosberg already knows it’;s not in his hands any more except for winning the race. If he loses he’ll say in interview “…will come back next year and win fthe championship give a fight for sure..” something like that. my imagination. Hamilton on other hand will not even give a proper interview if he receives a shock. May the better driver in Abu Dhabi win.
I don’t care who wins, I just want a good fight and show for entertainment purpose, it’s simple.
Ali Adams
19th November 2014, 20:24
Rosberg would sincerely congratulate Hamilton if he loses and knows next year there is another chance, whereas the opposite …
Woody (@woodyd91)
19th November 2014, 20:48
With all due respect I would rather a driver say exactly what they really feel rather than some PR talk. Having said that, Lewis has congratulated Nico everytime he has won or done a good job this year, If Lewis loses the title of his own fault, where double points doesn’t come into play or his car doesn’t break down then I think he will Congratulate him.
Out of the two, and their actions this year, as well as their off track actions, I know who I feel is more sincere out of the pair.
Ali Adams
19th November 2014, 21:39
sincerely = what one really feel
Woody (@woodyd91)
19th November 2014, 22:26
Not sure what point you are trying to make here.
KeithR (@)
19th November 2014, 21:48
Yep @woodyd91 Hamilton has always been gracious in defeat, except – as one would wish surely – when he’s been cheated. Even in 2007 when he was a mere 22 and Kimi’s brake-testing may have played a role. There’s simply no basis for any malicious speculation to the contrary.
Andy
19th November 2014, 20:02
1- If the positions were reversed we’d be routing for Lewis to win using the double points
2 – Lewis is more likely to win
3 – Nico has to do more to win (and that’s not just finish first)
4 – The WDC will be decided (virtually) by who ever finishes first at the last race ….
5 – Mechanical problems could affect either of them
6 – We’ve known about the double points all season
7 – Lewis will start from the pits, finish 2nd and get the WDC – the internet will go off-line at ~3pm on Sunday
Without the double points – Lewis would only have to finish 6th / 7th to win WDC
lets face it, it does make it an exciting end to the 2014 season :-) #Hammertime
Ali Adams
19th November 2014, 21:41
Well said Andy
John H (@john-h)
19th November 2014, 22:41
As a Hamilton fan, I think it would be embarrassing if Hamilton won on double points (he still can of course) and personally would rather Rosberg won it, so I don’t agree with point 1 at all.
qazuhb
19th November 2014, 23:12
If the positions were reversed I’d not be “routing” for Lewis to win using the double points.
Woody (@woodyd91)
19th November 2014, 23:28
As a Hamilton fan, I would not be routing for him to win on double points, said it earlier in the season when he was so far behind and i’ll say it now when he is ahead.
Alex
19th November 2014, 20:18
There appears to be a clear tone of disapproval in Keith’s write-up regarding double-points. Yes, it is an unpopular idea, and yes, it will go away next year, but rules for 2014 are in effect this weekend, so: I, for one, am looking forward to an exciting race, where HAM will have to push and fight to stay in 2nd place to win the WDC, instead of cruising in 6th and taking it easy. As a fan, I would take a fight between ROS and HAM any day over a boring, safe, race.
Will Wood (@willwood)
19th November 2014, 21:24
I’d just like to point out that I am the one being critical of double points here, not Keith. ;)
Hyoko
20th November 2014, 1:16
This year with a Merc cruising means 2nd not 6th
Alex
19th November 2014, 20:20
Safe = Not pushing hard thru the race; not related to driver safety or crashes.
falken (@falken)
19th November 2014, 20:24
Hmm. Comments are moderated now ? Eh ?
Captain Shuntalot (@f1withmyson)
19th November 2014, 20:30
My biggest fear going into this weekend is that a problem at a pit stop, or some other trivial problem, would delay Hamilton just enough to drop down the running order and not be able to finish high enough to secure the title. If something like that happens, I will not consider Rosberg to be the champion, and I’ll be looking for another motor sport series to get behind. With all of the other inane silliness going on in F1 these days, that would be the last straw. Sorry to be so negative!
Woody (@woodyd91)
19th November 2014, 20:53
Lose one place, not champion, lose 4 places, still champion. Yeah double point has no effect on the title.
(my comment is aimed at those insane people out there that seem to think that because it would have gone down to last race anyway, double points dont play any part in who becomes champion.)
JohnnyG82 (@johnnyg82)
19th November 2014, 21:50
So; double points, who cares anymore? Both contenders are worthy of the WDC title this year. As Arnold would say: Stop whining.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
19th November 2014, 22:37
I hope F1 dodges a bullet and the double points don’t interfere with the result. Although I’d love to see McLaren (from the Strategy Cartel) taken down by Force India (from outside it, so unable to vote against double points)…
But for me it’s already tainted by being held on a lousy track. Not a fitting venue for a title showdown like Interlagos, or Suzuka or Adelaide was – this is more like Jerez or the Las Vegas parking lot. I just remember Martin Brundle and Jonathan Legard struggling, and failing, to get any sense of excitement going during the the 2010 decider. And like Sochi I doubt I’ll want to sit through another afternoon of it.
Arki (@arki19)
20th November 2014, 0:21
I agree @bullfrog. The final round being run at Abu Dhabi is another demonstration of how money rules this blighted sport we all feel so passionately about.
OmarR-Pepper (@)
19th November 2014, 23:14
DRS makes it so easy to pass here that I definitely think Hamilton will be the champion, even if he falls down, his rocket will send him to second place… unless he borrows that infamous Schum’s DRS wing that didn’t close.
Adam
20th November 2014, 3:53
What am I expecting on Sunday? The 2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. What do I think will happen? In my opinion, with sports like this, it can be hard to predict accurately. So I am not going to worry about what happens in the race until I see the race. No one expected that the last race at Valencia would be won by Fernando Alonso after he started 11th. And, I quite enjoyed the 2010 and 2012 races at Yas Marina. Just sayin.
ColdFly F1 (@)
20th November 2014, 7:39
Great sentence @willwood – “(Rosberg is) at risk of becoming the most controversial world champion ever through no fault of his own”.
McL88
20th November 2014, 9:41
I’m not suporting anyone here but its interesting as Both drivers like double points (i remmember that Hamilton even agree 3 last races worth double points, and we know Rosberg said he like it when he’s losing to Hamilton)
JohnBt (@johnbt)
20th November 2014, 11:13
Even with the double points making the last race more exciting what Bernie wants I don’t feel excited at all. To be fair Lewis is already the WDC as a F1 fan though he’s not the driver I support. No point in jumping for an artificial ruling.