Verstappen can't do much more than hope that 'something crazy happens'

Although Max Verstappen looks forward to the last race weekend of 2020 in a positive way, it must also have been a frustrating experience. He is the only one who can possibly offer Mercedes a match, but he usually knows after Friday that he will probably be third in the standings. That is also the case this weekend.

"Mercedes is particularly strong this year on circuits like this, where you really need a lot of grip at the back and such a last sector with a lot of bends. I do not expect that we can really achieve anything here either. So I think P3 is the maximum if nothing crazy happens," says Verstappen to Ziggo Sport.

The fact that Mercedes is strong on Abu Dhabi is no surprise. Since the introduction of the hybrid engines the team has always won here. So unless things go completely wrong, as happened in Bahrain last week, Mercedes will likely strike here again.

2021 tyres felt better

The question is whether the prospects for next season are better for Verstappen and the other drivers who want to make things difficult for Mercedes. With a bit of luck they will be helped by Pirelli's new tyres, which were tested again during the second free practice session.

Verstappen is not yet convinced, but he does see improvement. "I have to say that they felt better now than they did in Bahrain. We also got a little more explanation from Pirelli. That they didn't expect the tyre to be better than what we had, but that it would just be stronger and more robust."