2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Report
- Muhammad Humais
- Nov 25, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 19, 2019
It was a humid evening in Abu Dhabi. Might have been boring for the rest of the world but for F1 fans around the world, it would turn into the most amazing and emotional evening as it was the Finale of 2018 Season.
Drivers and everyone standing on the gird was presented by a beautiful flyby by Etihad Airways and the UAE Air Force. After that, it was time for the National Anthem of UAE. Just before the Formation Lap, Lewis Hamilton sidepod had some problems and had to be refitted to ensure it won’t create a problem in the race. Formation lap started at 18:10 PM (PST). The lights were out at 18:14 PM (PST), and Lewis Hamilton got a good start. Everyone in the top 4 got a good start and didn’t gain nor lose any place. Romain Grosjean went wide at turn 3 but came back on the track, Max Verstappen was charging his way through the field and had managed to get in points. At turn 8 Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg collided which caused Nico’s to flip and he was into the barriers with his car upside down. SC was deployed, Max Verstappen was in 9th by the time SC was deployed. Nico got out of the car and he was okay. Hartley had a front wing damage and he pitted under SC conditions.
Grosjean was under investigation but wasn’t penalised for the incident. As the field was getting bunched up behind the SC and track was clear for racing, the SC decides to come in on lap no. 4. Lewis Hamilton got away and created a one-second gap from his teammate, Sebastian Vettel was caught napping at the restart. Max Verstappen was losing power due to overheating but then he attacks Estaben Ocon for 8th position and they engage in a fantastic fight for 2 laps, at the end Max Verstappen finally takes the position from Ocon. Just two weeks Ocon and Verstappen collided at the Brazilian GP but this time around they were fighting fairly. Kimi had some issues with his car and was too busy with his steering wheel but on lap 7 he lost all his electronics and was forced to retire on the pit straight. VSC was deployed for that reason. Mercedes took advantage of the VSC and decided to pit Lewis Hamilton on lap 7, he went for SuperSofts and re-joined in 5th. Bottas was leading the race now. VSC came to end on lap 8. Max Verstappen and Lewis were fighting for 4th and Max Verstappen won the battle, it was quite useless for Lewis to fight as he had pitted earlier than scheduled, he had to nurse his tyres till the end. At the end of lap 10, top five was as follows: Bottas, Vettel, Riccardo, Verstappen and Hamilton.
Sainz and Ericcson were battling for 8th and it was Spaniard who won the battle for 8th. Vettel finally pits on lap no. 16 and too goes for SS, he re-joins in 4th position, behind Lewis Hamilton who was in 3rd. It wasn’t an efficient pitstop for Vettel, 3.4s is quite a slow pitstop. Ferrari wanted to undercut the Mercedes but it didn’t work. Riccardo is in first with Max in second, they both still have to make a pitstop. Red Bull finally decides to pit Max Verstappen on lap no. 17, he goes for SS and re-joins the track in 5th behind Vettel, Riccardo is still leading the race with Hamilton in second and Bottas in third. Ocon who was running best of the rest in 5th pits on lap no. 19 and chooses SS, he re-joined the track in last position (18th). There were some reports that it is raining in Downtown, Abu Dhabi. As of now, Riccardo is the only driver in top 6 who hasn’t pitted yet. Lewis is still not pushing as he has 34 laps more to go on those Supersofts. As of lap no. 20, the top 5 are as following: Riccardo, Lewis, Bottas, Vettel and Verstappen.
Alonso makes his way into the points. Marcus’s engineer warns him that the rain is expected in 5 mins. Few drops of rain on turn 8 and 9 grandstands at 18:59 PM (PST). It's raining on the back straight on lap 25. Problems for Marcus on lap 26 and he retires. It’s Marcus’s last race in F1 and it didn’t end well for him. In the meantime, Will Smith is having fun at the track. He is supposed to wave the chequered flag. One hour into this race and 30 laps have been completed, the top five are as following: Riccardo, Hamilton, Bottas, Vettel and Verstappen. Sainz is in 6th, he is best of the rest.
Vandoorne, Ocon and Grosjean are battling for 11th on lap 31 but its Vandoorne in McLaren who won the battle. Ocon attacks Vandoorne again but this time it’s the Frenchman who won the battle for 11th. Grosjean takes back 12th position from Vandoorne and Vandoorne is back in 13th now. Alonso pitted for fresh sets of Supersofts, he dropped to the back of the field in 17th but manages to pass Sirotkin on lap 33. Red Bull finally pits Daniel Riccardo on lap 33 for Supersofts and he re-joins the track in 5th. On lap 34 Hamilton takes the lead from Riccardo, Hamilton, Bottas and Vettel are back where they started. Ocon is awarded a 5-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Bottas struggling too much with his tyres and is under pressure from Vettel, who manages to pass him on lap 35 for 2nd. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:40.847, a time which is almost 6 seconds slower than the pole lap. Bottas missed the apex at turn 8 and slows down so that he can’t gain an illegal advantage, he wasn’t penalised for his action. Verstappen and Daniel Riccardo both pressurize Bottas and he loses 2 positions in 2 laps. Mercedes decides to pit Bottas on lap 40 for UltraSofts and re-joins in 5th. Mercedes pitted Bottas because the team saw something wrong with the right rear. At the end of lap 40, the top five are as follows: Lewis, Vettel, Verstappen, Riccardo and Bottas.
On lap 46, there was a smoke coming from the back of Ocon’s car and he is forced to retire on lap 47 in pits. Smoke from the back of Gasly’s car too forces him to retire on lap 48. 2 retirements in 2 laps. A total of 5 retirements. 3 laps to go and Alonso is penalized for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. It's lap no. 55 and Lewis is in the lead of the race, he is coming around the last few corners of 2018 F1 Season. Lewis Hamilton wins the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Vettel in 2nd and Max Verstappen in 3rd. It's his 73rd win in F1. Lewis, Alonso and Vettel, all three do some donuts as Alonso departs from F1 forever. There won’t be any race for the next 110 days. It’s the end of the 2018 Season, a season of emotions, one of the best seasons in the 2010s.
Muhammad HumaisSenior Motorsports Reporter, Member news desk.
In his own words, “17-year-old Pakistan
Formula One fan and sim racer. Ayrton Senna my inspiration. Dare to be the greatest.”
Humais can be easily reached by the following address: Gmail: humaismuhammad55@gmail.com
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