The 2022 Formula One season is looking like it’s going to close with a bang at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Although the drivers’ and constructors’ titles have been decided for weeks with Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing clinching the championships, a jolt of drama last week in Brazil has electrified things heading into the finale.
It'll also be bittersweet though as we bid farewell to some drivers who will not return to the grid in 2023 if at all.
Here's a rundown of what to watch for Sunday:
Alain Prost vs. Ayrton Senna. Sebastian Vettel vs. Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton vs. Fernando Alonso/Jenson Button/Nico Rosberg.
Team in-fighting has produced some of the biggest rivalries in the F1 history books and Red Bull’s Verstappen vs. Sergio Perez is just the latest chapter.
In case you missed it, Verstappen was told to let Perez pass during last week's Sao Paulo Grand Prix to allow his teammate to score another point in his battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second place in the standings. Verstappen ignored team orders and now Perez enters Abu Dhabi level on points with Leclerc. A disappointed Perez said, "it shows who he really is."
Although it appears they've hashed things out, let's face it, Verstappen does his real talking on the track. We'll just have to wait until Sunday to see if Verstappen can play nice should the opportunity present itself again.
It should be an emotional event as Vettel suits up one last time. Although the 35-year-old German driver announced his retirement back in July, the farewell tour concludes in Abu Dhabi.
The stats speak for themselves. Vettel is third all-time in Grand Prix wins with 53. He holds the record for most consecutive wins with nine, achieved during his dominant 2013 season, and he was also the youngest world champion at 23 years, 134 days when he captured his first of four consecutive titles in 2010. Vettel was tied with Michael Schumacher for most wins in a single season with 13 until Verstappen broke the record this year.
Canada plays a role in his legacy as Vettel has won at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve two times — well, three if you count 2019. Vettel was the first to cross the finish line, however, he received a five-second penalty that handed the victory to Hamilton. That led to the infamous moment when Vettel took the No. 1 marker from Hamilton's spot on parc ferme and placed it where his car should've been.
Will Vettel one day return? Hamilton is convinced he'll be back. For now, we'll just have to accept Vettel riding off into the sunset.
Mercedes returned to victory lane this past Sunday when George Russell earned his first-career Grand Prix win in Brazil. Hamilton wasn't too far behind and made it a 1-2 finish.
After looking out of sorts at points during the first half of the season, Mercedes has been trending in the right direction lately. The German manufacturer is just 19 points back of Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship.
Too little, too late? In order to leapfrog Ferrari they'll need a repeat and then some. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Leclerc finished third and fourth in Brazil, respectively, resulting in a net advantage of only 17 points for Mercedes. (Russell also earned the bonus fastest lap point on top of his victory.)
It might seem tough although wouldn't it also be something if Hamilton picked up his first win of the season, and the record-extending 104th of his career, in Abu Dhabi after what happened there last year?
The other side of that coin is if Ferrari could return to its winning ways and hold on for second in the constructors' championship. Leclerc can also still finish second in the drivers' standings should he beat Perez to the line Sunday.
Ferrari started the year off strong with a 1-2 finish in Bahrain, but the team became a meme as its double title hopes imploded.
Leclerc has qualified for pole position nine times. However, the Monegasque driver has converted for wins just twice — both of which came within the first three events of the season. Verstappen has had more success with Leclerc on pole than Leclerc himself.
Sainz, who scored his first career victory at Silverstone, has retired six times. That's very un-Sainz-like for someone who completed every single Grand Prix last season and only missed out on points twice.
A strong finish wouldn't erase the pain, of course. It would put the team in good spirits heading into the off-season though and lofty dreams for 2023. There's always next season, right?
The grid will get a makeover next season. Not only will Vettel not be back, Daniel Ricciardo, Mick Schumacher and Nicholas Latifi are all out of their rides for 2023.
Ricciardo has been released from his contract a year early at McLaren. The 33-year-old Australian driver has finished on the podium just once in his two seasons with the team — a victory at Monza last year — and is on pace for his worst season since driving for Red Bull's B-team Toro Rosso in 2013.
Haas announced Thursday that Schumacher will not return and Nico Hulkenberg will take over next season. It might seem like a puzzling move for Haas to give up on the 23-year-old, but points have been quite elusive for the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. Hulkenberg, 35, has proven to be a reliable points-finisher in the past.
Latifi spent most of the season last in the standings with zero points and was even classified 21st in a 20-car field at one point after Nyck de Vries filled in for Alex Albon at the Italian Grand Prix and came in ninth to earn two points. Latifi scored a P9 finish of his own in Japan to match de Vries, but so far those are the only points the Toronto native has earned this year. Although fellow Canuck Lance Stroll has his seat secure at Aston Martin, Sunday might be the last time we see two Canadians on the grid in F1 for a while.
We likely haven't seen the last of all three and you know they'll want to put in a good performance Sunday to prove they deserve another opportunity someday.
