Driver Ratings: 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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Five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was imperious in Abu Dhabi to cap his exceptional 2018 season with an 11th win of the year.
Polesitter Hamilton was in control of the race throughout the 55 lap distance, only losing the lead early on while Mercedes opted to play the strategic long game by pitting the Brit during an early virtual safety car.
Hamilton was able to comfortably stretch a set of supersoft tyres from lap 8 until the chequered flag to seize a second consecutive victory.
Behind the lead Mercedes, the battle for the remaining podium places was closely contested. Valtteri Bottas struggled to maintain his pace and hold onto second.
He lost out to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel before later being dispatched by a pair of charging Red Bulls in the latter stages of the race.
The lead Red Bull of Max Verstappen sealed a fifth successive podium finish but was unable to threaten Vettel’s second place in the closing laps, with a more immediate threat posed by a fast-charging Daniel Ricciardo.
Here are our DRIVER RATINGS for the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix;
Lewis Hamilton - 10
Qualified – 1st
Finished – 1st
Amid creating comedy sketches with Will Smith and clearly revelling in having the championship sealed well in advance of the season finale, Hamilton was at his imperious best. Still motivated – at least motivated enough to dominate the weekend and set a new record for the most points scored across a single season – Hamilton’s Q2 lap was the highlight of the weekend. His 1m35.693s benchmark was 0.7s faster than second-placed Bottas as Hamilton seemed to read the changing track conditions faster and more accurately than the rest.
Sebastian Vettel - 8
Qualified – 3rd
Finished – 2nd
Solid weekend for Vettel which had been all too rare since the summer break. Vettel threw the kitchen sink at Mercedes in Q3, potentially even over-driving the final sector of his lap as he ran perilously close to the wall at the exit of Turn 19. He managed to hassle Bottas into making a mistake in the race, which effectively elevated him into second place.
Max Verstappen - 8
Qualified – 6th
Finished – 3rd
Verstappen was having a scruffy weekend all the way up until Sunday. A poor opening lap in Q2 ruined his plans to start on the ultrasoft tyre and forced him onto the less durable hypersoft. Then his pace failed to improve significantly in Q3 as he was beaten by Ricciardo to the tune of nearly two-tenths.
Given how the weekend had progressed, a power unit overheating glitch at the start of the race would have likely sent Verstappen over the edge of recklessness at the start of the season. The new-and-improved Verstappen, however, was unflustered after falling to ninth at the start and worked his way back into contention with calculated bravery and good pace.
Daniel Ricciardo - 8
Qualified – 5th
Finished – 4th
Ricciardo nearly managed to grab his first podium since the Monaco Grand Prix – if it wasn’t for what effectively became a half-baked strategy, he would have likely finished ahead of Verstappen. Red Bull’s decision to run Ricciardo deep into the race on the ultrasoft tyre was bold given that the supersoft tyre experienced slender performance drop-off and as a result, a significant tyre age advantage would not provide many benefits in the closing stages. Ricciardo’s charge effectively stalled soon after his late pitstop.
Valtteri Bottas - 5
Qualified – 2nd
Finished – 5th
Finishing fifth for the fourth consecutive race, Bottas appears to be on the ropes in the battle for supremacy among F1’s top six. The winter break is surely required for the Finn to reset after a gruelling and at times cruel 2018. His downfall in Abu Dhabi was simply an accumulation of mistakes, with his lock-up at Turn 6 to allow Vettel into second place proving to be the beginning of the end for his podium aspirations.
Carlos Sainz Jr - 10
Qualified – 11th
Finished – 6th
It has often proven to be the case this season that to have a quiet race as one of F1’s midfielders is usually a signpost of a strong result. Sainz took advantage of starting 11th and with a free choice of tyres he made significant progress early on which the hypersoft runners struggled on their qualifying compound. He ended up winning the best-of-the-rest race by 18 seconds.
Charles Leclerc - 10
Qualified – 8th
Finished – 7th
Another stunning weekend in which rookie sensation Leclerc outperformed both his machinery and his experience to secure another solid points haul. Jumping from eighth on the grid to run fourth by the end of the opening lap, the 18 seconds lost to eventual best-of-the-rest winner Sainz was conceded by a strategic misstep. Pitting under the virtual safety car dropped Leclerc into traffic which proved difficult to negotiate.
Sergio Perez - 8
Qualified – 14th
Finished – 8th
Not for the first time this season, Perez turned an anonymous Saturday into a fruitful Sunday. The Mexican was able to deliver strong pace throughout a long opening stint, pulling off his trait for being one of F1’s strongest tyre conservationist. He was able to take advantage of fresh rubber late in the race, albeit was not able to catch and pass Leclerc. Had he qualified where Sainz did, Perez might have finished sixth.
Romain Grosjean - 7
Qualified – 7th
Finished – 9th
Like Leclerc, Grosjean was a driver who suffered as a result of the early virtual safety car. Pitting in an attempt to cover off the potential strategy of those behind, he slipped into heavy traffic and struggled to scythe through. Losing significant time behind Vandoorne, Grosjean was effectively consigned to finishing at the lower end of the points-paying positions, despite having a raw speed worthy of more.
Kevin Magnussen - 6
Qualified – 13th
Finished – 10th
Magnussen was the second best Haas this weekend, with Grosjean having the upper hand over one lap and – despite being on the wrong strategy – a pace advantage on Sunday. Nevertheless, Magnussen recovered well from a poor start in which he was forced wide at Turn 1 and dropped from 13th to 17th.
Fernando Alonso - 7
Qualified – 15th
Finished – 11th
Alonso’s final weekend in F1 – for now at least – was somewhat of a microcosm of the season. The two-time champion convincingly outqualified Vandoorne by outperforming the machinery and hauling his McLaren into Q2. In the race, Alonso misstep by being forced wide at Turn 2 on the opening lap. In the closing stages, Alonso picked up 15 seconds of time penalties, cutting the Turn 8/9 chicane on three occasions in an attempt to catch Magnussen – the Spaniard desperate to eke out any advantage possible with a safe gap behind to absorb the penalties and not lose a position. It was a characteristically determined drive.
Brendon Hartley - 5
Qualified – 16th
Finished – 12th
With his future at Toro Rosso still undecided, Hartley’s last weekend to pitch his skills to the paddock can be filed under the uninspiring section. He outqualified team-mate Gasly, but the Frenchman’s final lap was ruined by a power unit gremlin in the yards leading up to the finish line. Hartley was still eliminated in Q1. Running wide at Turn 19 in the race and clipping the barrier in the race was also not one of the former World Endurance Champion’s finest moments.
Lance Stroll - 7
Qualified – 20th
Finished – 13th
Ouqualified by Sirotkin, Stroll’s Saturday performance was once again unconvincing. Starting last, his race pace was admittedly stronger and the Canadian managed the tyres well in the opening stint as well as having to juggle soaring engine temperatures. The overheating issues are likely to have limited his pace in the latter stages when on fresh tyres, but in reality, it is unlikely to have changed the result.
Stoffel Vandoorne - 6
Qualified – 18th
Finished – 14th
In a season where Vandoorne’s spent several races shrouded in total anonymity, the HWA Formula E-bound driver did at least have some highlights in Abu Dhabi. He was able to hold up both Grosjean and Ocon early on, displaying great racecraft and tenacity during a thrilling wheel to wheel scrap. As has been the case throughout the year, Vandoorne could not match Alonso’s speed.
Sergey Sirotkin - 6
Qualified – 19th
Finished – 15th
Sirotkin’s last race at Williams was one in which he was severely hampered by his car. Not only did the package’s lack of downforce provide the usual headaches, but an overheating power unit in Abu Dhabi led to severe engine management in order to reach the chequered flag. Racing with one arm tied behind his back, last of the finishers was always on the cards for Sirotkin. His qualifying showing in being the fastest Williams was again the highlight.
Pierre Gasly - 7
Qualified – 17th
Finished – DNF
Breaking down when yards from completing a personal best in the dying moments of qualifying can be filed under the frustrating Saturday’s tab. For 17th, Gasly’s chance of points in his final race for Toro Rosso were slim, but in climbing to ninth place early on the Red Bull-bound driver was making good progress. He pitted early to protect against an undercut but his efforts were nullified by a power unit failure soon after his pitstop.
Esteban Ocon - 6
Qualified – 9th
Finished – DNF
Ocon was ultimately compromised by a strong Saturday. While team-mate Perez was able to execute an effective undercut after starting on more durable tyres, Ocon was trapped behind Vandoorne after having to make an early pitstop in order to shed the hypersoft tyres. Running off track at Turn 17 as a result of braking late to complete an overdue overtake on Vandoorne led to the Frenchman being handed a five-second time penalty. Points would still have been sealed with ninth but for a power unit drama late on.
Marcus Ericsson - 7
Qualified – 12th
Finished – DNF
Ericsson’s final weekend in F1 before his 2019 switch to IndyCar was running very smoothly until an electrical issue robbed him of a realistic shot at scoring points. He launched well from the line and was able to run with Sainz in the opening exchanges. He was, however, left out too long before his first pitstop which would have cost him ground in the battle against the Renault driver.
Kimi Raikkonen - 6
Qualified – 4th
Finished – DNF
Raikkonen’s final weekend at Ferrari was much like his second spell at the team in general. Raikkonen was performing solidly without threatening Vettel’s track position. The Finn was running fourth when his car ground to a halt with a suspected power unit gremlin in the early stages of the race.
Nico Hulkenberg - 5
Qualified – 10th
Finished – DNF
Hulkenberg’s season ended in spectacular fashion. It was his mistake in turning in with Grosjean alongside at the apex of Turn 8. Hulkenberg couldn’t see the Haas and the two made contact which pitched the Renault into an unfortunate roll.