Abu Dhabi GP
Race 22 Summary
November 20, 2022
Full disclosure- I’m writing this on December 31, 2022 (aka New Year’s Eve). It was important for me to finish this project of writing a post for every race of the 2022 season actually in 2022, and leave the W13 behind. So in case you too have forgotten what took place at Abu Dhabi in 2022, allow me to refresh your memory.
A few things at stake this race:
Leclerc and Perez were tied for P2 in the Drivers Championship, so whoever finished ahead of the other would secure bragging rights for P2
The final GP for Sebastian Vettel who announcement his retirement from F1 racing
The top 10 at the start were:
Verstappen
Perez
Leclerc
Sainz
Hamilton
Russell
Norris
Ocon
Vettel
Alonso
At the start, Max Verstappen got out to an early lead, followed by teammate Sergio Perez. Hamilton was able to jump ahead of Carlos Sainz for P4. Russell meanwhile lost a place to Norris at the start. Leclerc attempted a lunge on Perez, which didn’t work and left him vulnerable to Hamilton from behind. Hamilton took a look up the inside, but didn’t quite have the pace or position to attempt a move on Leclerc. Unfortunately for Hamilton, Sainz attempted a late lunge up the inside, and with a little tap, forced Hamilton off track. Hamilton initially kept his P4 position, but because he “went off track” he had to give it to Sainz. In the moment I couldn’t believe that Sainz was penalized or at the very least, Hamilton wasn’t allowed to keep his position. Watching the replay over a month later, I still feel that way. Hamilton really had no where to go, and Sainz was never going to be able to complete the move without forcing Hamilton off track. It’s a shame because that incident ultimately compromised Hamilton’s entire race…
After giving Sainz P4 on lap 4, Hamilton was able to fight back and on lap 5 he retook P4 (with teammate George Russell overtaking Norris for P6 simultaneously). Sadly, by lap 8, Sainz was able to overtake Hamilton again, and hot on Hamilton’s heels was teammate George Russell. Russell was able to pass Hamilton on lap 9, as Hamilton was struggling with pace with the car.
For the middle stint of the race, here are the highlights (it was a bit of a snoozer):
Pit stops for most drivers to Hard compound tires
Unsafe release and 5 second penalty for Russell as his team struggled with a slow stop
Alonso retired from race, ending his tenure as an Alpine driver
On lap 39 of 58, Mick Schumacher and Nicholas Latifi had an incident, which immediately triggered me. If you’ll recall, it was their contact in 2021 that led to the safety car at the end of AD in 2021…
Later on, Perez was fighting through the field a little after a pitstop found him in P6. His contender in the driver’s championship, Charles Leclerc was running comfortably in P2, which left Perez with a lot of work to do to try to secure P2. On lap 45, Perez was up to P4 and gaining on Hamilton who was (to my surprise as I was rewatching it) running in P3. Perez initially overtook Hamilton, but a small lock up compromised his exit, giving Hamilton an opportunity to retake P3. Unfortunately, Perez was able to get back to P3 just one lap later. Despite the earlier moment with Sainz, Hamilton was riding comfortably in P4 now, ahead of Sainz in P5 and Russell in P6. However, as I was painfully reminded… on lap 55 of 58, Hamilton started complaining about his car- specifically that he couldn’t shift properly. He limped the car to the pits, and with the final race of the 2022 season, he retired the temperamental W13.
Verstappen won by an 8.5 second margin over Leclerc in P2 (who therefore secured P2 in the Driver’s Championship). Perez was 3rd, and Sainz finished the race in P4. Russell rounded out the top 5 with another stable performance. Notably, both Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo finished in the points (Ricciardo in P9 and Vettel in P10). In his final Formula One race, Vettel nipping a point in a really horrible Aston Martin car was stellar. He consistently outperformed his teammate, Lance Stroll, and showed his experience and maturity on and off track. I’ll miss Vettel’s presence on the grid. Happy trails, Seb!
Daniel Ricciardo’s time on the grid also comes to an end, as he lost his seat at McLaren, and no new contract came to be. As I am writing this on the final day of the year, I have the knowledge of his next career move, which is to be a “Number 3” driver for Red Bull.
>SILVER ARROW POINTS
>The W13’s time is over, and what a relief. Mercedes will have a lot of work to do in the offseason to try to catch the 2023 favorites, Red Bull.
>Despite his best efforts (and he gave the team his all), Lewis Hamilton wasn’t able to secure a win himself in 2022; HOWEVER, his expertise and early-season sacrifice gave the team a lot of valuable information to get the car in a better operating window- giving Russell the chance to secure his first F1 victory in Brazil.
>Russell was consistent all season, which is good to see. Hoping he can bring that consistency into 2023.
The 2022 F1 season is over, and I feel relieved. Honestly, I’ve quite enjoyed the past month of not having to watch the W13 suck, and Max Verstappen just cruise to a victory. I feel a lot more peace, and it’s quite nice. On a personal note… I am so happy that I followed through and wrote a piece for every race in the 2022 season. I set a goal and kept to it. When I lacked inspiration, I wrote. When I was frustrated, I wrote. When I was bored, I wrote. When I was feeling a little sassy, I wrote. Working on this project taught me the importance of discipline and determination over motivation. There were a lot of times (including now) that I didn’t want to write anything about the race, because how many different ways can I describe Max Verstappen winning easily? Regardless, I sat down, and wrote out my thoughts. If you have read any of my pieces for the 2022 season, thank you.
I will absolutely be back in 2023 to write about that season. For now, I’m going to enjoy watching Premier League Football, and NCAA College Basketball, while I brainstorm ideas and a strategy for my 2023 writing.
Until next season!
-Andrea