Thursday in Abu Dhabi: Fear and suspense surrounding title fight

Thursday in Abu Dhabi is over, which means that all teams and drivers are present on the stage for the last race of the year. The main focus this Thursday was on the prospects of the blood-curdling denouement of the battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Let this season end on the track

The fear that the battle between Verstappen and Hamilton will not be decided on the track is prevalent in the F1 world. Because the battle between the Red Bull Racing driver and Mercedes driver is so evenly matched, if one side crashes the other would win. If both fly out of the race, Verstappen wins based on the number of wins.

A second reason for this fear is the judgement of the race committee. Especially after the last race in Saudi Arabia, people doubted the decisiveness of Michael Masi and his crew. A retrospective penalty like the one in Jeddah could produce a different result and possibly a different champion.

Verstappen holds his own under pressure

This is Verstappen's second career 'opportunity' to secure the title. It didn't work out in Saudi Arabia; the chance was also very small as Hamilton would never finish off the podium without a breakdown. The pressure is therefore high for Verstappen to take his first title. For Hamilton the pressure is also high to take his eighth title.

The pressure is only increased by the 'media war' that the drivers and teams are having. There is talk that Mercedes are afraid Verstappen will crash and Verstappen said he will congratulate Hamilton after any win provided he wins fairly. The pressure is building and although Verstappen showed he is not a robot and can make mistakes, he too is cool like Hamilton.

Other drivers are already tired

Thursday was all about the title fight, so there was little room and time to talk to the other drivers about preparations and other battles in the championship. Charles Leclerc already indicated that he was getting tired of being asked who he thinks will win this year. His teammate Carlos Sainz has a favourite, but didn't dare to say so yet. George Russell is not so afraid of the media reaction and hopes his future teammate of 2022 will win the title this year.

Other news from F1-land

Masi stated that the FIA is allowed to take away points when there is no ethics or cheating. This puts the drivers on edge to act with integrity. The FIA will not deduct points in case of a crash between Verstappen and Hamilton, but the crash will be investigated intensively.

Finally, prior to the Abu Dhabi race it was also mentioned that the prize-giving ceremony for all motorsport classes the 'Prize Giving Gala' in Paris will take place a day earlier than usual. The reason for this is that Jean Todt is still the boss of the FIA on Thursday 16 December. The next day his successor will be announced.