Sundaram Ramaswami
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix didn’t exactly produce any fireworks (except for the ones after the chequered flag), but it brought down curtains to an iconic and fine Formula 1 season. Mercedes have been regular record-breakers through each race this season, but surprisingly a couple of Mercedes’ records were broken at Yas Island thanks to Max Verstappen’s impressive win from pole.
Here are all the numbers from the 2020 Abu Dhabi GP –
GENERAL –
- The last six Abu Dhabi GPs have all been won by the polesitter.
- In four of the last six races at Abu Dhabi, the drivers starting from the top 3 finished the race in the same order, emphasizing the lack of overtaking opportunities the circuit presents.
- Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen have shared the rostrum together (in any order) on 13 occasions, the second-most common trio after Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel (14).
- Four of the six first-time race winners in the hybrid era, including Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly this year, have retired from their very next race after becoming a Grand Prix winner.
- Honda and Mercedes are the only constructors to win races in the hybrid era with two different teams (Red Bull Racing, AlphaTauri, Mercedes, Racing Point).
RED BULL –
- Verstappen took his 10th race win in F1, becoming Red Bull’s second-most successful driver, after Sebastian Vettel who took 38 wins for the Austrian team between 2009 and 2014.
- He became the first non-Mercedes pole-sitter and race winner at Abu Dhabi in the hybrid era.
- The Dutchman was on cue to take a maiden Grand Chelem (pole position, leading every lap of the race, fastest lap), however, Daniel Ricciardo foiled his former teammate’s chances by registering the fastest lap of the race in the very last lap.
- Verstappen took third at the 2018 Abu Dhabi GP, second at the 2019 one and first in this year’s race, a pattern that would excite just about any statistician.
- Alex Albon finished 109 points adrift of Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, the biggest points gap between Red Bull’s drivers in the hybrid era.
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MERCEDES –
- Bottas finished ahead of Hamilton for the first time since the Russian GP, seven races ago.
- The Finn cemented second in the drivers’ championship with just a 9-point lead over Verstappen. That’s the smallest gap between second and third place in the drivers’ standings since the new points system was introduced in 2010.
- Verstappen’s pole to flag dash meant Mercedes failed to lead a lap for the first time in 39 races.
McLAREN –
- Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz’s strong display on Sunday assured Mclaren third place in the Constructors’ standings, equalling their best championship performance since 2012.
- Sainz’s seventh consecutive points finish sealed sixth in the championship for the Spaniard. He finished last year’s championship in sixth as well.
- Sainz and Albon were tied on points in the standings, but Sainz was classified higher based on countback. He scored a second-place finish in Monza while Albon’s best this year was third at Mugello and Sakhir.
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RENAULT –
- Daniel Ricciardo celebrated Renault’s 400th race in the sport by posting the fastest lap of the race, their second one this year.
- The Aussie ended his stint with Renault by scoring points in eleven consecutive races starting from the Belgian GP, his best streak since 2016.
RACING POINT –
- Last week’s winner, Sergio Perez suffered a second power unit failure in three races but still sealed fourth in the standings, his best-ever season in Formula 1.
- Racing Point/Force India have retired at least one car in each of the last three Abu Dhabi GPs.
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FERRARI –
- After a string of impressive performances, Leclerc ended the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 13th, his worst result since the Belgian GP.
- Ferrari ended the season sixth in the Constructors’ championship, their worst performance since 1980. But they eventually won the title two years later in 1982. Signs for 2022?
- The Italian outfit failed to lead a lap in a season for the first time since 1992.
WILLIAMS –
- Williams became the first team since Marussia in 2015 to end a season without scoring a single point, a feat that has never occurred in Williams’ rich history before.
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