Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Statistics, Final Series Of 2021 F1 Champion

Illustration (Photo: formula1.com)

JAKARTA - This weekend, whoever between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen finishes with more points in Abu Dhabi is the 2021 Formula 1 world champion.

After completing 21 races, the two rivals head to the closing series at Yas Marina with the same points collection to battle to determine who will be king this season.

A hat-trick with victory at the chaotic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hamilton has closed an eight-point deficit to the Red Bull driver and will look to maintain his momentum to make history as the first driver to win eight world titles.

While Verstappen will try to stop the dominance of Mercedes drivers in the last seven years and win the first title of his career.

Meanwhile, the Yas Marina Circuit itself has undergone a number of modifications to offer riders more overtaking opportunities, and Verstappen likes it.

"The track is now much faster. It will be interesting to see how it affects the setup of the car. Good qualification in Abu Dhabi is important so we hope we can make that happen."

The following are the statistics for the closing race of the 2021 Formula 1 season at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, as reported by Antara from Reuters.

Lap distance: 5,281km Total race distance: 306.183km (58 laps) Pole position 2020: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull 1:35,246 Champion 2020: Verstappen Start: 13:00 GMT or 20:00 WIB

Abu Dhabi

The races at the Yas Marina Circuit run counter-clockwise. Mercedes have won six of the last seven Grand Prix held there.

The five riders on the grid this season have tasted victory at Yas Marina. They are Sebastian Vettel (2009,2010 and 2013), Lewis Hamilton (2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019), Kimi Raikkonen (2012), Valtteri Bottas (2017), Verstappen (2020)

Hamilton has started five times from pole position there.

Only one race has been won by a racer who did not start from the front row, namely Kimi Raikkonen when he was in uniform for Team Lotus in 2012.

Number of Wins

Hamilton holds a career record of 103 wins, 82 of them with Mercedes, from 287 starts. He has been on the podium 181 times.

Red Bull team leader Max Verstappen has won nine times this season compared to Hamilton's eight. Sergio Perez (Red Bull), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) and Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) each bagged one win.

Ferrari has 238 wins since 1950, McLaren 183, Williams 114 and Red Bull 74.

Pole position

Hamilton has won 103 pole positions in his career and has won 61 races from pole position. His team mate, Valtteri Bottas has won four pole positions this season.

Meanwhile, Verstappen has nine pole starts in 2021, while Charle Leclerc has brought the fastest Ferrari in qualifying for the Azerbaijan and Monaco Grand Prix. Lando Norris presents pole for McLaren in Russia.

Championship standings

Verstappen and Hamilton are level on points of 369.5 after 21 races. Verstappen has a nine-win lead compared to Hamilton's eight.

This is the second time in F1 history a driver is on the same points before the season's closing race. A similar moment that first occurred in 1974.

That means if Hamilton fails to finish or does not score points, then Verstappen is world champion.

Or if Hamilton finishes P9 and Verstappen finishes P10 with one bonus point for the fastest lap, then the Dutch racer will become world champion for the first time.

P10 for Hamilton when Verstappen finishes outside the points zone but with the best lap, the British rider will become world champion for the eighth time, because the fastest lap points are only awarded to the rider who finishes in the top ten.

Meanwhile the constructors' title is also still open as Mercedes bagged a 28-point lead over Red Bull, with a maximum 44 points available this weekend.

Behind the two teams, Ferrari also has the opportunity to take third place in the constructors' ranking with a 38.5-point advantage over McLaren.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez have secured third and fourth place in the drivers' standings but the battle for fifth will be tight as Charles Leclerc is four points clear of Lando Norris, who is 4.5 points adrift of Carlos Sainz.

Mercedes have the chance to become the first team to win eight constructors' titles in a row. Ferrari have won six times from 1999-2004. While a series of four titles won by McLaren in 1988-1991, as did Red Bull who did the same in 2010-2013.

Farewell

The Abu Dhabi GP will be the last race for 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen who will retire.

It will also be Valtteri Bottas' last appearance for Mercedes before taking the place where Raikkonen left at Alfa Romeo for next season.

Meanwhile, George Russell will make his final appearance with the Williams team before replacing Bottas.

Antonio Giovinazzi will also bid farewell to Alfa Romeo this weekend.

Meanwhile, Honda will resign from F1 after being the engine supplier for the Red Bull team for the last three years.

This season will also be the last time fans will see 13-inch tires on drivers' cars as F1 switch to 18-inch tires next season as part of a change in their technical regulations.