Formula 1 - Season 2020

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Bottas pips Russell to Sakhir pole by two-hundredths of a second
Valtteri Bottas narrowly beat his new Mercedes team mate George Russell to pole position on the Bahrain Outer circuit.

Sakhir GP
Qualifying Session
Pos Driver             Car                   Time
 1  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              0:53.377
 2  George Russell     Mercedes              0:53.403
 3  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Honda        0:53.433
 4  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari               0:53.613
 5  Sergio Perez       Racing Point/Mercedes 0:53.790
 6  Daniil Kvyat       AlphaTauri/Honda      0:53.906
 7  Daniel Ricciardo   Renault               0:53.957
 8  Carlos Sainz Jnr   McLaren/Renault       0:54.010
 9  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri/Honda      0:54.154
10  Lance Stroll       Racing Point/Mercedes 0:54.200
11  Esteban Ocon       Renault               0:53.995
12  Alexander Albon    Red Bull/Honda        0:54.026
13  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               0:54.175
14  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    0:54.377
15  Lando Norris       McLaren/Renault       0:54.693
16  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari          0:54.705
17  Nicholas Latifi    Williams/Mercedes     0:54.796
18  Jack Aitken        Williams/Mercedes     0:54.892
19  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    0:54.963
20  Pietro Fittipaldi  Haas/Ferrari          0:55.426

Mercedes prepared to let Grosjean test one of their cars
Mercedes is prepared to let Romain Grosjean test one of their cars if he is unable to take part in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next week.

Bottas “slightly disappointed in myself” despite pole, impressed by Russell
Valtteri Bottas said he was disappointed not to improve on his final flying lap in qualifying despite taking pole position for tomorrow’s race.

Mercedes told Russell top six in qualifying would be “fine”
Mercedes told George Russell a top-six result in qualifying would be satisfactory for his first weekend in the car.

Leclerc made “huge step” after studying Gasly’s onboard camera
Charles Leclerc revealed he discovered how to improve his racing line around the Bahrain Outer circuit by studying Pierre Gasly’s onboard camera.

Russell “gutted” to miss pole position after adjusting to “alien” Mercedes
George Russell said he was disappointed to miss pole position by just two-hundredths of a second in his first weekend with Mercedes.

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Kvyat pleased with barrier change after Grosjean crash, wants “very dangerous” fire to be addressed
Daniil Kvyat has said he has spoken to Romain Grosjean after the pair’s collision, which triggered the Haas driver’s horrifying crash last weekend.

Albon says Russell has done an “amazing job” on first weekend in top team
Alexander Albon praised George Russell’s performance after he qualified second for today’s Sakhir Grand Prix in his first weekend with Mercedes.

Bottas has nothing to prove alongside “impressive” Russell, says Wolff
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is not concerned about potential rivalry between his drivers in today’s Sakhir Grand Prix, following George Russell’s arrival as a substitute.

Grosjean to miss Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Fittipaldi to substitute again
Romain Grosjean will not take part in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his Haas team have confirmed, as he continues to recover from his burns.

Steiner says Haas ‘have their work cut out’ with Mazepin after F2 penalties
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says Nikita Mazepin’s two penalties in yesterday’s Formula 2 race shows they have work to do with their new Formula 1 driver for 2021.

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Perez rebounds from 18th to take first win after heartbreak for Russell
Sergio Perez has scored the first victory of his Formula 1 career despite a first-lap collision which left him 18th at the end of lap one.

Sakhir GP
Race Results
Pos Driver             Car                   Laps Time         Gap     Reason
 1  Sergio Perez       Racing Point/Mercedes  87  1:31:15.114s  -
 2  Esteban Ocon       Renault                87  1:31:25.632s 10.518s
 3  Lance Stroll       Racing Point/Mercedes  87  1:31:26.983s 11.869s
 4  Carlos Sainz Jnr   McLaren/Renault        87  1:31:27.694s 12.580s
 5  Daniel Ricciardo   Renault                87  1:31:28.444s 13.330s
 6  Alexander Albon    Red Bull/Honda         87  1:31:28.956s 13.842s
 7  Daniil Kvyat       AlphaTauri/Honda       87  1:31:29.648s 14.534s
 8  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes               87  1:31:30.503s 15.389s
 9  George Russell     Mercedes               87  1:31:33.670s 18.556s
10  Lando Norris       McLaren/Renault        87  1:31:34.655s 19.541s
11  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri/Honda       87  1:31:35.641s 20.527s
12  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari                87  1:31:37.725s 22.611s
13  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari     87  1:31:39.225s 24.111s
14  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo/Ferrari     87  1:31:41.267s 26.153s
15  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari           87  1:31:47.484s 32.370s
16  Jack Aitken        Williams/Mercedes      87  1:31:48.788s 33.674s
17  Pietro Fittipaldi  Haas/Ferrari           87  1:31:51.972s 36.858s
Not classified
 -  Nicholas Latifi    Williams/Mercedes      52  35 laps               Oil leak
 -  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari                 0  87 laps               Accident
 -  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Honda          0  87 laps               Accident

Here is the Championships Standings after the Sakhir GP:

World Championships Standings
Driver Standings
Pos Driver              Total
 1  Lewis Hamilton       332
 2  Valtteri Bottas      205
 3  Max Verstappen       189
 4  Sergio Perez         125
 5  Daniel Ricciardo     112
 6  Charles Leclerc       98
 7  Carlos Sainz Jnr      97
 8  Alexander Albon       93
 9  Lando Norris          87
10  Lance Stroll          74
11  Pierre Gasly          71
12  Esteban Ocon          60
13  Sebastian Vettel      33
14  Daniil Kvyat          32
15  Nico Hulkenberg       10
16  Kimi Raikkonen         4
16  Antonio Giovinazzi     4
18  George Russell         3
19  Romain Grosjean        2
20  Kevin Magnussen        1
21  Nicholas Latifi        0
21  Jack Aitken            0
21  Pietro Fittipaldi      0
Constructors Standings
Pos Team           Total
 1  Mercedes        540
 2  Red Bull        282
 3  Racing Point    194
 4  McLaren         184
 5  Renault         172
 6  Ferrari         131
 7  AlphaTauri      103
 8  Alfa Romeo        8

Leclerc takes blame for first-lap crash with Perez, Verstappen says: “He should”
Charles Leclerc said he was to blame for a first-lap collision with Sergio Perez which put the Ferrari driver out of the race and caused Max Verstappen’s retirement.

Perez says he could have kept Russell behind after taking first win
Sergio Perez is convinced he would have won the Sakhir Grand Prix even if George Russell hadn’t suffered a late puncture.

Russell’s race-losing tyre mix-up was not due to “human error” – Wolff
The pit stop error which cost George Russell the lead of the Sakhir Grand Prix was caused by a problem with Mercedes’ radios, team principal Toto Wolff has revealed.

Leclerc given three-place grid penalty for Perez clash
Charles Leclerc has been given a three-place grid penalty for the final race of the season for his collision with Sergio Perez during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Russell keeps first F1 points as stewards fine Mercedes €20,000
George Russell has kept the first points he has scored in his Formula 1 career after the stewards fined Mercedes for their error with his tyres.

Russell “gutted but proud” after “having victory taken away twice”
George Russell said chances to win the Sakhir Grand Prix were taken away from him twice after leading more than half of the race.

“Not the best drivers are in F1” rues Perez as he faces losing drive after win
Sergio Perez says he faces losing his F1 drive at the end of the year partly because “not the best drivers are in Formula 1”.

‘Perez deserves Red Bull seat, I hope he gets it’ – Lawrence Stroll
Racing Point co-owner Lawrence Stroll says he hopes Sergio Perez is offered a drive with Red Bull next year after leaving his team.

Podium a relief for emotional Ocon after “very difficult” criticism
Esteban Ocon said his first podium finish in the Sakhir Grand Prix was an “awesome” result following the criticism he has faced over a difficult season since he returned to F1.

Hamilton faces obstacles to Abu Dhabi return even if he tests negative for Covid
One week on from his positive test for Covid-19, Lewis Hamilton is waiting to discover whether he will test negative for the virus in time to return to racing at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Leading first race for Mercedes “felt too good to be true” – Russell
George Russell said he found it hard to believe how well his first race weekend with Mercedes was going, until a pit stop error cost him victory.

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Kvyat hoping for F1 comeback in 2022 as Tsunoda closes on AlphaTauri debut
Daniil Kvyat expects he will not be on the grid for the 2021 F1 season and is hoping to return with another team in the future.

2021 AlphaTauri favourite Tsunoda confirmed for Young Drivers Test
AlphaTauri have confirmed Yuki Tsunoda will drive for them in the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit one week from today.

Sakhir performance risked making me look a fool, admits Bottas
Valtteri Bottas admitted his Sakhir GP performance risked making him look “a fool” as he spent much of the race behind team newcomer George Russell.

Here is the Timing Schedule for this weekend's Season Finale Abu Dhabi GP:

Abu Dhabi GP
Friday
Practice Session 1   14:00 To 15:30
Practice Session 2   18:00 To 19:30

Saturday
Practice Session 3   15:00 To 16:00
Qualifying Session   18:00 To 19:00

Sunday
Race                 18:10 To 20:10

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Hamilton says he’s “feeling great” and begins training as he aims for Abu Dhabi return
Lewis Hamilton says he intends to return to racing at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and has resumed his training programme after testing positive for Covid-19.

Sainz, Vettel and others barred from joining Alonso at Young Drivers Test
Carlos Sainz Jnr and other drivers who are joining new teams for the 2021 F1 season have been told they cannot join Fernando Alonso in participating in next week’s Young Drivers Test.

Haas condemns “abhorrent” Mazepin social media video
Haas has issued a strongly-worded statement criticising the behaviour of Nikita Mazepin, its new driver for the 2021 F1 season, in a video posted to his social media account yesterday.

Buemi and Kubica to join Alonso at Young Drivers Test
Red Bull and Alfa Romeo have joined Renault in announcing they will run experienced drivers in the post-season test which was originally designated for rookies.

Cooler conditions and no support races mean reduced grip at Yas Marina
A slightly cooler Abu Dhabi Grand Prix than usual will take place on a little-used track.

FIA joins Haas in criticising Mazepin’s “inappropriate” behaviour in social media video
The FIA has joined the Haas Formula 1 team in criticising the behaviour of the team’s new signing Nikita Mazepin in a video posted on social media two days ago.

Aitken eager for chance to show improvements after short-notice debut
Jack Aitken says he can perform “even better” for Williams if he gets a chance to drive for them in this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Grosjean deserves more praise for his speed, less criticism for his mistakes – Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen has paid tribute to his Haas team mate Romain Grosjean, who will miss his final Formula 1 race this weekend due to injury.

“One race doesn’t change your life” – Perez unsure first win will boost Red Bull chances
Sergio Perez doesn’t expect his breakthrough victory in the Sakhir Grand Prix will guarantee Red Bull pick him to drive for them next year.

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Sainz and Vettel criticise Alonso testing decision as illogical and unfair
Carlos Sainz Jnr and Sebastian Vettel are disappointed they will not be allowed to take part in next week’s post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Russell certain he will drive for Williams in 2021 despite strong Mercedes debut
George Russell says he will drive for Williams next year despite speculation that his impressive debut for Mercedes last week could lead him to join the team next year.

Bottas blocked out social media and news coverage of Sakhir GP
Valtteri Bottas says he avoided all coverage of his tough weekend in the Sakhir Grand Prix.

Mercedes make “minor modifications” to help Russell fit better if he drives
Mercedes have made changes to help George Russell fit into their car better if he drives for them during this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton tests negative for Covid-19, will return to race in Abu Dhabi
Lewis Hamilton has tested negative for Covid-19 and will return to the cockpit at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Grosjean reveals extent of burns to right hand
Romain Grosjean has revealed the extent of the burns he suffered to his right hand during his shocking crash in Bahrain 11 days ago.

Ferrari CEO Camilleri retires “with immediate effect”
Ferrari has announced its CEO Louis Carey Camilleri has stepped down from the company and its board of directors “with immediate effect”.

McLaren gained confidence in past two years, says Sainz before farewell race
Carlos Sainz Jnr says he is leaving behind a McLaren team which has grown in confidence as he prepares for his final race for them.

Grosjean unable to wear his children’s helmet design as he misses final race
Romain Grosjean has revealed the helmet he intended to wear at his final Formula 1 race in Abu Dhabi this weekend, which he will miss due to the injuries he suffered in his Bahrain Grand Prix crash.

Perez and Magnussen to start at the back after power unit changes
Two drivers will receive grid penalties for taking new power unit components at the final race of 2020.

De Vries and Vandoorne to test for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi
The Mercedes Formula 1 team will give testing opportunities to its Formula E drivers Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne at the Yas Marina Circuit next week.

Verstappen shades Bottas as brake problem delays Hamilton
Max Verstappen pipped Valtteri Bottas by three hundredths of a second in the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Abu Dhabi GP
Practice Session 1
Pos Driver             Car                   Time      Gap    Laps
 1  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Honda        1:37.378s  -      26
 2  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              1:37.412s 0.034s  32
 3  Esteban Ocon       Renault               1:38.515s 1.137s  34
 4  Alexander Albon    Red Bull/Honda        1:38.547s 1.169s  25
 5  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              1:38.744s 1.366s  24
 6  Lance Stroll       Racing Point/Mercedes 1:38.831s 1.453s  25
 7  Sergio Perez       Racing Point/Mercedes 1:38.956s 1.578s  25
 8  Daniil Kvyat       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:39.150s 1.772s  27
 9  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:39.160s 1.782s  30
10  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1:39.199s 1.821s  22
11  Carlos Sainz Jnr   McLaren-Renault       1:39.330s 1.952s  27
12  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari               1:39.344s 1.966s  25
13  Lando Norris       McLaren/Renault       1:39.352s 1.974s  28
14  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               1:39.670s 2.292s  19
15  Robert Kubica      Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1:39.905s 2.527s  19
16  George Russell     Williams/Mercedes     1:40.446s 3.068s  24
17  Nicholas Latifi    Williams/Mercedes     1:41.063s 3.685s  27
18  Mick Schumacher    Haas/Ferrari          1:41.235s 3.857s  23
19  Pietro Fittipaldi  Haas/Ferrari          1:44.069s 6.691s  24
20  Daniel Ricciardo   Renault                -      	-       3

Magnussen: Second F1 departure more positive than ‘depressing’ 2014 exit
Kevin Magnussen says his farewell drive for Haas this weekend will be “emotional”, but he’s excited for his future move to IMSA.

‘It’s a shame we can’t see Russell in the Mercedes again’ – Roberts
Williams’ acting team principal Simon Roberts says it’s “great” to have George Russell back in their car this weekend, but admits he also wanted see him in the Mercedes again.

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Bottas leads Hamilton as Raikkonen fire causes red flag in second practice
Valtteri Bottas led Lewis Hamilton in second practice, with the Red Bulls within a second of the Mercedes pair’s lap times.

Abu Dhabi GP
Practice Session 2
Pos Driver             Car                   Time      Gap    Laps
 1  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              1:36.276s  -      28
 2  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              1:36.479s 0.203s  30
 3  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Honda        1:37.046s 0.770s  30
 4  Alexander Albon    Red Bull/Honda        1:37.263s 0.987s  33
 5  Lando Norris       McLaren/Renault       1:37.438s 1.162s  29
 6  Esteban Ocon       Renault               1:37.505s 1.229s  30
 7  Sergio Perez       Racing Point/Mercedes 1:37.506s 1.230s  35
 8  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari               1:37.508s 1.232s  31
 9  Daniel Ricciardo   Renault               1:37.508s 1.232s  29
10  Lance Stroll       Racing Point/Mercedes 1:37.560s 1.284s  29
11  Daniil Kvyat       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:37.596s 1.320s  32
12  Carlos Sainz Jnr   McLaren/Renault       1:37.616s 1.340s  31
13  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:37.900s 1.624s  32
14  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1:38.068s 1.792s  28
15  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               1:38.198s 1.922s  32
16  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari          1:38.504s 2.228s  35
17  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1:38.564s 2.288s  31
18  George Russell     Williams/Mercedes     1:38.817s 2.541s  24
19  Pietro Fittipaldi  Haas/Ferrari          1:39.027s 2.751s  25
20  Nicholas Latifi    Williams/Mercedes     1:39.132s 2.856s  31

Hamilton: Russell did an “amazing job” as substitute
Lewis Hamilton said he’s “super-excited” to return to racing this weekend and praised George Russell for doing an “amazing job” as his substitute at the last race.

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Verstappen leads Red Bull one-two, top Mercedes sixth in final practice
Max Verstappen headed the final practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the second time this weekend he has topped a session.

Abu Dhabi GP
Practice Session 3
Pos Driver             Car                   Time      Gap    Laps
 1  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Honda        1:36.251s  -      16
 2  Alexander Albon    Red Bull/Honda        1:36.752s 0.501s  15
 3  Daniel Ricciardo   Renault               1:36.877s 0.626s  12
 4  Esteban Ocon       Renault               1:36.899s 0.648s  15
 5  Lando Norris       McLaren/Renault       1:36.994s 0.743s  13
 6  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              1:37.012s 0.761s  16
 7  Lance Stroll       Racing Point/Mercedes 1:37.030s 0.779s  16
 8  Carlos Sainz Jnr   McLaren/Renault       1:37.068s 0.817s  12
 9  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              1:37.085s 0.834s  16
10  Sergio Perez       Racing Point/Mercedes 1:37.227s 0.976s  13
11  Daniil Kvyat       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:37.266s 1.015s  17
12  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari               1:37.270s 1.019s  14
13  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:37.371s 1.120s  18
14  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               1:37.728s 1.477s  16
15  George Russell     Williams/Mercedes     1:37.886s 1.635s  16
16  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1:37.900s 1.649s  16
17  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1:38.269s 2.018s  16
18  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari          1:38.457s 2.206s  14
19  Nicholas Latifi    Williams/Mercedes     1:38.765s 2.514s  17
20  Pietro Fittipaldi  Haas/Ferrari          1:39.159s 2.908s  15

Vettel: Hockenheim 2018 error wasn’t only turning point in relationship with Ferrari
Ahead of his final race as a Ferrari driver tomorrow, Sebastian Vettel gave insight into why they were unable to win the world championship over their six years together.

First practice outing for Haas was “a hell of a ride” – Schumacher
Mick Schumacher said his postponed first official practice run in a Formula 1 car gave him a valuable opportunity to experiment with driving techniques.

“Nothing scary” about fire during practice – Raikkonen
Kimi Raikkonen said he wasn’t concerned about the fire that gripped his Alfa Romero during the second practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Mazepin’s “extensive testing programme” at Mercedes won’t include young drivers’ test return
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the team’s decision not to run Nikita Mazepin in next week’s test for young drivers has nothing to do with the recent controversy over his behaviour in a video posted on social media.

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Verstappen stuns Mercedes by seizing pole for season finale
Max Verstappen, Red Bull and Honda broke Mercedes’ six-year dominance of pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by just two hundredths of a second.

Abu Dhabi GP
Qualifying Session
Pos Driver             Car                   Time
 1  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Honda        1:35.246
 2  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              1:35.271
 3  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              1:35.332
 4  Lando Norris       McLaren/Renault       1:35.497
 5  Alexander Albon    Red Bull/Honda        1:35.571
 6  Carlos Sainz Jnr   McLaren/Renault       1:35.815
 7  Daniil Kvyat       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:35.963
 8  Lance Stroll       Racing Point/Mercedes 1:36.046
 9  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari               1:36.065
10  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:36.242
11  Esteban Ocon       Renault               1:36.359
12  Daniel Ricciardo   Renault               1:36.406
13  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               1:36.631
14  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1:38.248
15  Sergio Perez       Racing Point/Mercedes  -
16  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1:37.555
17  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari          1:37.863
18  George Russell     Williams/Mercedes     1:38.045
19  Pietro Fittipaldi  Haas/Ferrari          1:38.173
20  Nicholas Latifi    Williams/Mercedes     1:38.443

Verstappen thrilled to end run of “frustrating” qualifying sessions with pole
Max Verstappen says he is “very, very happy” to have taken pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after admitting his frustration at being unable to beat the Mercedes in qualifying previously this year.

Hamilton says he’s not fully fit after contracting “nasty” Covid-19 virus
Lewis Hamilton says he still isn’t fully fit after returning to racing since contracting the Covid-19 virus.

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Radio encouragement from Wolff was “a personal thing”, says Bottas
Valtteri Bottas said Toto Wolff’s words of encouragement on his radio during qualifying followed talks between the pair ahead of this weekend.

Russell: Going from top three to bottom three is “sad reality of F1”
George Russell expected he wouldn’t get a second chance to drive for Mercedes in this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Verstappen was “steering towards the wall” after hand jammed in cockpit
Max Verstappen has explained an unusual incident during qualifying when his hand became stuck in his cockpit, which nearly caused a crash.

Vettel: No other team has this big a gap between cars
Sebastian Vettel said the gap between him and Charles Leclerc in qualifying remains “a mystery” after failing to join his team mate in Q3 again at the season finale.

Up to Hamilton to decide if he’s fit enough to race – Wolff
Lewis Hamilton will decide whether he is fit enough to compete in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after admitting he is not fully recovered after contracting Covid-19, says Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Mazepin faces further Haas talks over grope video but team may keep outcome private
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says discussions between the team and its 2021 F1 driver Nikita Mazepin over his conduct are still ongoing.

Norris surprised to be just two-tenths off pole after ‘best lap of the year’
Lando Norris says he and McLaren were surprised by how close he was to pole position after he secured fourth on the grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

McLaren to sell stake in F1 team to US-based investors
McLaren is expected to announce it will sell a stake in its Formula 1 team to a group of American investors, one of which has previously tried to buy a rival outfit.

Kvyat hopes “best ever” qualifying lap helps open doors to 2022 F1 return
Daniil Kvyat says his performance over the final rounds of the season are crucial to his chances of racing in Formula 1 in 2022.

Wolff insists Mercedes will not replace Bottas with Russell for 2021
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has ruled out the possibility of George Russell or any other driver replacing Valtteri Bottas in the team’s line-up for 2021.

McLaren confirms MSP Sports Capital deal bringing £185 million into team
McLaren has confirmed a group led by investor MSP Sports Capital will take a 33% stake in McLaren Racing, which includes its Formula 1 team.

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Verstappen wins dreary season finale in Abu Dhabi
Max Verstappen scored his second victory of 2020 as the season ended with a processional Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Abu Dhabi GP
Race Results
Pos Driver             Car                   Time         Gap
 1  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Honda        1:36:28.645s  -  
 2  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              1:36:44.621s   15.976s
 3  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              1:36:47.060s   18.415s
 4  Alexander Albon    Red Bull/Honda        1:36:48.632s   19.987s
 5  Lando Norris       McLaren/Renault       1:37:29.374s 1:00.729s
 6  Carlos Sainz Jr.   McLaren/Renault       1:37:34.307s 1:05.662s
 7  Daniel Ricciardo   Renault               1:37:42.393s 1:13.748s
 8  Pierre Gasly       AlphaTauri/Honda      1:37:58.363s 1:29.718s
 9  Esteban Ocon       Renault               1:38:09.714s 1:41.069s
10  Lance Stroll       Racing Point/Mercedes 1:38:11.383s 1:42.738s
11  Daniil Kvyat       AlphaTauri/Honda      1 Lap
12  Kimi Raikkonen     Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1 Lap
13  Charles Leclerc    Ferrari               1 Lap
14  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               1 Lap
15  George Russell     Williams/Mercedes     1 Lap
16  Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari    1 Lap
17  Nicholas Latifi    Williams/Mercedes     1 Lap
18  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari          1 Lap
19  Pietro Fittipaldi  Haas/Ferrari          2 Laps
-   Sergio Perez       Racing Point/Mercedes Transmission

Here is the World Championships Standings after Season Finale Abu Dhabi GP:

World Championships Standings
Driver Standings
Pos Driver              Total
 1  Lewis Hamilton       347
 2  Valtteri Bottas      223
 3  Max Verstappen       214
 4  Sergio Perez         125
 5  Daniel Ricciardo     119
 6  Carlos Sainz Jnr     105
 6  Alexander Albon      105
 8  Charles Leclerc       98
 9  Lando Norris          97
10  Pierre Gasly          75
10  Lance Stroll          75
12  Esteban Ocon          62
13  Sebastian Vettel      33
14  Daniil Kvyat          32
15  Nico Hulkenberg       10
16  Kimi Raikkonen         4
16  Antonio Giovinazzi     4
18  George Russell         3
19  Romain Grosjean        2
20  Kevin Magnussen        1
21  Nicholas Latifi        0
21  Jack Aitken            0
21  Pietro Fittipaldi      0
Constructors Standings
Pos Team          Total
 1  Mercedes       573
 2  Red Bull       319
 3  McLaren        202
 4  Racing Point   195
 5  Renault        181
 6  Ferrari        131
 7  AlphaTauri     107
 8  Alfa Romeo       8
 9  Haas             3
10  Williams         0

Hamilton “grateful for my health and to be alive” after taking third on return
Lewis Hamilton said he is relieved to have survived his bout of Covid-19 after returning to take third place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Verstappen: Red Bull “did everything right” in dominant win
Max Verstappen says that Red Bull did “everything right” after he dominated the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to take his second victory of the season.

[genius83]

Hamilton unaware if Mercedes turned their engines down but says it would “make sense”
Lewis Hamilton says he is unaware whether Mercedes had to turn their power units down for reliability reasons in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but it would “make sense” if they did.

McLaren take third in championship as stewards clear Sainz over slowing in pits
McLaren have learned they will finish third in the constructors championship following the stewards’ ruling on an investigation concerning Carlos Sainz Jnr.

Albon proud of his end to the season as Horner praises his “strongest race weekend”
Alexander Albon says he can feel proud of the way he has ended his 2020 campaign amid uncertainty over whether he will race in F1 next year.

Even fully-fit Hamilton wouldn’t have beaten “quicker” Red Bulls – Wolff
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton would not have won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix even if he had been fully fit.

Ferrari knew its worst season in 40 years would be “extremely difficult” before it began
Ferrari’s sporting director Laurent Mekies says the team expected an “extremely difficult” season in 2020 after pre-season testing.

Mercedes say they ran engines “as conservative as we can” due to MGU-K failures
Mercedes have confirmed concerns over reliability led them to reduce the strain on their power units during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Perez: Second retirement in three races left team in tears
Sergio Perez said he had to comfort some members of his Racing Point team who cried after he suffered his second retirement in three races yesterday.

Haas ‘weren’t really racing’ in finale, admits Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen says Haas were not really racing with the competition in Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which he finished almost 40 seconds behind their nearest rival.

Hamilton aims to agree new contract for 2021 before Christmas
Lewis Hamilton says he wants to agree a new deal to drive for Mercedes next year within the next 11 days.

[genius83]

Stoll to step down after “very intense” five years as president of Renault Sport
Jerome Stoll, who has headed Renault Sport Racing since 2016, will step down as its president at the end of the year.

Alonso leads Mercedes in Abu Dhabi young drivers’ test
Fernando Alonso put in the fastest time at the post-season test, beating Mercedes’ Formula One rookie Nyck De Vries by two tenths.

Abu Dhabi Young Drivers Test
No. Driver            Team       Car    Time      Laps
14  Fernando Alonso   Renault    RS20   1:36.333s  105
21  Nyck de Vries     Mercedes   W11    1:36.595s  110
22  Stoffel Vandoorne Mercedes   W11    1:36.840s   82
99  Robert Kubica     Alfa Romeo C39    1:37.446s   89
38  Yuki Tsunoda      AlphaTauri AT01   1:37.557s  123
25  Juri Vips         Red Bull   RB16   1:37.770s  101
32  Antonio Fuoco     Ferrari    SF1000 1:37.817s  126
37  Callum Ilott      Alfa Romeo C39    1:37.826s   93
45  Guanyu Zhou       Renault    RS20   1:37.902s   98
89  Jack Aitken       Williams   FW43   1:38.153s   78
35  Robert Shwartzman Ferrari    SF1000 1:38.157s  129
24  Sebastien Buemi   Red Bull   RB16   1:38.284s   77
39  Marino Sato       AlphaTauri AT01   1:38.495s  127
40  Roy Nissany       Williams   FW43   1:39.800s   75
50  Mick Schumacher   Haas       VF-20  1:39.947s  125

[zia1288]

Young Drivers Test & Alonso

[genius83]

Sir Frank Williams admitted to hospital
The Williams family have confirmed that Sir Frank Williams has been admitted to hospital. The 78-year-old is in a ‘stable’ condition.

Mazepin plans appeal after losing case over sale of Force India to Stroll
The High Court has dismissed claims the sale of Force India in 2018 to a consortium headed by Lawrence Stroll – father of F1 driver Lance Stroll – was mishandled.

Tsunoda replaces Kvyat in AlphaTauri line-up for 2021
Tsunoda replaces Kvyat in AlphaTauri line-up for 2021
AlphaTauri has confirmed Yuki Tsunoda will replace Daniil Kvyat in their line-up for the 2021 F1 season.

@zia1288
Alonso is young or are you doubting that claim??

[zia1288]

2021 rookie young driver with 2 WDCs

[genius83]

Interlagos to hold renamed Sao Paulo Grand Prix for next five years
Formula 1 has confirmed Brazil’s round of the world championship will return to the calendar at the same venue but under a new name.

Hamilton hopes McLaren-Mercedes join “three-way” 2021 title fight
Lewis Hamilton says he hopes McLaren’s switch to Mercedes power next year brings them into championship contention with his team and Red Bull.

Ferrari hail “outstanding professional” Vettel after his final drive for team
Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari said an emotional farewell to each other following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after six years together.

Williams confirms Capito to become CEO, Roberts remains team principal
Jost Capito, who oversaw Volkswagen’s highly successful World Rally Championship programme, will join Williams as its CEO in the new year.

Mercedes also had MGU-K concerns over Russell’s car
Mercedes has revealed more about the MGU-K problems which led it to run its power units more conservatively in last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Mercedes sells stake in team to Ineos as Wolff extends contract as team principal
Daimler has announced changes to the ownership of its Mercedes Formula 1 team, selling stakes to sponsor Ineos and team principal Toto Wolff.

Hamilton contract to be settled before testing at the latest – Wolff
Lewis Hamilton’s new contract to drive for Mercedes in the 2021 F1 season must be signed before pre-season testing begins at the latest, says team principal Toto Wolff.

@zia1288
FIA have to change the rules of YDT for this "rookie young driver", so he must have some talent and 2 WDCs doesn't only justify it.

[zia1288]

Now that it has already been conducted, either other drivers switching should have been allowed too or only young / out drivers should have been allowed. 2nd option should've been adopted.

[zia1288]

Perez joining RedBull is fine but it is probably unfair with Albon. Yes Albon didn't perform as expected but he's just in, should've got fair chance like Grosjean, Magnusson, Kvyat etc.

[genius83]

Mazepin controversy “none of my concern” – Schumacher
Mick Schumacher says the controversy surrounding his future F1 team mate Nikita Mazepin is a concern for Haas and not him.

Verstappen gave “honest opinion” on Albon’s difficulties to Red Bull
Max Verstappen says he shared his views on the difficulties Alexander Albon was having at Red Bull with the team’s management before they decided to replace him.

Ferrari name their 2021 Formula 1 car ‘SF21’ and reveal launch plans
Ferrari has chosen the name for the car they will compete with in the 2021 F1 season.

Todt vows to “go even further to improve safety” in wake of Grosjean crash
FIA president Jean Todt said Romain Grosjean’s astonishing escape from his fiery Bahrain Grand Prix crash was the best motivation to continue improving safety standards in motorsport.

“It’s a day I will never forget”: Sainz begins life at Ferrari
Five days after his final race for McLaren, Ferrari’s newest driver Carlos Sainz Jnr spent his first day with his new team on Friday.

Design freeze means no quick rebound for Ferrari after “very bad” 2020 – Binotto
Speaking to the media in an end-of-season event arranged by Ferrari on Friday, team principal Mattia Binotto admitted their performance in 2020, which saw them fall to sixth place in the constructors championship, was “very bad”.

@zia1288
Perez joining RedBull is a gamble that RedBull have to take because of the future uncertainity, as Honda is leaving at the end of next season. If RedBull will not have a works engine for 2022 onwards there are rumours that Verstappen's contract have an exit clause that allows him to leave the team if no works engine. So, if that happens and with new rules coming into effect they will need an experience driver to give the technical feed back for the new car which Albon can't do. So they have to rely on an outside driver for the next season to build a good working relationship with the team engineers so the technical feed back can be understood and changes can be made through out the season to solve the problems that will surely rise.

Also, Perez may help them in the fight for constructor championship next season which could be a bit tough then what we have this season as McLaren with the Mercedes engines will surely compete for the second place after finishing 3rd this season and Aston Martin also will be in the mix after missing the 3rd place just by bad luck this season. If Ferrari also sorted out the problems for their next season's car, and Renault with Alonso will also be in the mix which means that every point finish will be important for all these teams for the fight for second place as most probably first place will be all about Mercedes.

In such scenario, RedBull can't afford to lost points like they did this season with Albon, especially if all the 23 races happened then the chances of mechanical problems will be high and grid penalties for new components will decide the final championship table.