Track: Autodromo José Carlos Pace
Number of Laps: 55
Circuit Length: 3.5 miles (5.6km)
Race Length: 189.8 miles (305.5km)
Start Time: 13:00 GMT
Fastest Lap: 1m38.434 (Lewis Hamilton, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, 2011, Q2)
Fastest Race Lap: 1m40.279 (Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing Renault, 2009)
2015 Pole Position: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG Petronas, 1m40.237, Supersoft Tyres
2015 Race Winner: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG Petronas
Tyre Compounds: Ultrasoft, Supersoft, Soft, Intermediate, Wet
First F1 Championship Grand Prix: 2009
Most Wins: Sebastian Vettel (3), Red Bull (3)
The duel in the desert will decide the title. Either Nico Rosberg will hold onto his advantage to claim his first ever crown, or Lewis Hamilton will overcome the odds and win an unlikely fourth championship.
Coming into the weekend, Rosberg has a 12 point lead over Lewis Hamilton. That means that if the German finishes on the podium, he will win the title regardless of where the Brit finishes. Hamilton, meanwhile, must finish on the podium to have any chance of taking the crown – a Rosberg non score coupled with a fourth place for Hamilton would see Rosberg win the title on second-placed finishes.
There are important things to watch beyond the title battle.
This is Felipe Massa’s 150th and final race, with the Williams driver retiring once the chequered flag falls in Abu Dhabi. He came close to winning this race in 2014, could he do the unthinkable and go out on the highest of highs?
This may also be Jenson Button’s final Grand Prix. The 2009 World Champion is taking a step back next year to pursue other interests, but he may well decide never to return to a Formula One cockpit after seeing what life is like outside of the paddock.
After Felipe Nasr finished ninth a fortnight ago in Brazil, Manor have just one more opportunity to reclaim 10th place in the Constructors’ championship from Sauber. Despite having both cars run in the points for the majority of the Sao Paulo race, Esteban Ocon dropped out of the top 10 just two laps from the end. If either he or Pascal Werhlein finish ninth or above in Abu Dhabi, they can still leapfrog the Swiss team – but that does seem unlikely.
So this is it then. After 20 races in just nine months, the season draws to a close with the now traditional season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Will Hamilton defy the odds, or is it Nico Rosberg’s year? Keep checking Read Motorsport throughout the Grand Prix weekend to find out.
