Postpublished at 17:12 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Jack Nicholls
BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator
It is so dusty on the start, even the practice starts.
Summary
Racing Point's Sergio Perez claims maiden victory in penultimate race for team
George Russell was closing in on win before pit stop mix-up and puncture ended hopes
Mercedes also had problem with Valtteri Bottas, dropping him down order
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) & Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) out on first lap
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Postpublished at 17:12 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Postpublished at 17:11 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Formation lap time. Lando Norris down in 19th.
Postpublished at 17:09 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extraThere is going to be pressure on Russell. He has a good history in qualifying but often it has been the start that has let him down in the Williams. He has got to hope for a bit of traction from the dirty side of the grid.
Postpublished at 17:08 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Jack Nicholls
BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentatorThere are only 10 corners. It will be interesting to see what sort of race this track provides. It was a good race in the Formula 2 race.
Listen livepublished at 17:08 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports ExtraPress the play button at the top to listen to BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra commentary to our team of Jack Nicholls, Jolyon Palmer, Jennie Gow and Andrew Benson.
‘Nothing to lose’published at 17:07 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Mercedes' George Russell, speaking to Sky Sports: "Feeling good. I had a good night's sleep. I've got nothing to lose. As long as I can stay top three or four off the line I'll be happy. It is going to be a long race and a fight until the end."
‘Hopefully we get a cleaner start’published at 17:06 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extraI imagine the drivers will be a little more mindful [than last weekend]. Grosjean's crash will probably still be on their minds. Hopefully we get a cleaner start.
How they startpublished at 17:06 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
- Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Sergio Perez (Racing Point)
- Daniil Kvyat (Alpha Tauri)
- Daniel Ricciardo (Renault)
- Carlos Sainz (McLaren)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
- Lance Stroll (Racing Point)
- Esteban Ocon (Renault)
- Alexander Albon (Red Bull)
- Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
- Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
- Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
- Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
- Jack Aitken (Williams)
- Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Pietro Fittipaldi (Haas)
‘I’m here to try to win’published at 17:03 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Mercedes Valtteri Bottas on Sky Sports: "It maters to be on pole on this track. Last weekend it was an advantage on the pole side. Hopefully it will be the same today. It feels different [without Hamilton]. I can't describe how. In the end it doesn't change. I am here to try and win the race."
'Thank you Romain'published at 17:03 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
The 'ThankYouRomain' hashtag is trending in the United Kingdom for fans to say 'thanks and goodbye' to Romain Grosjean.
Lovely stuff.
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End of twitter postWeather watchpublished at 17:03 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
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End of twitter postPostpublished at 17:03 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
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End of twitter post'Easy to get frustrated'published at 16:57 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who starts fourth, speaking to Sky Sports: "It [qualifying] was quite a lot above expectations. Whenever we have a good Saturday it is easy to get frustrated on Sunday. Today we have to be careful with too much expectations."
get involved Get Involvedpublished at 16:55 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
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Nulla Pax: Looking forward to unpredictability and crazy mad driving please :)
Francesca Gunn: I didn’t tear up during that Roman interview, I’m not crying you're crying!!
A gift for Romainpublished at 16:55 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
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End of twitter postMercedes open for Grosjean testpublished at 16:54 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Romain Grosjean might not be racing again this season, but may still be sitting in an F1 car again in the future as Mercedes are prepared to give him a test in one of their cars to close off his Formula 1 career.
The Frenchman says he does not want the accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix to be the last time he drove an F1 car.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said: "If we were allowed and nobody else in the universe of teams he has raced for will do it, we would do this."
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End of twitter postGrosjean to miss Abu Dhabi Grand Prixpublished at 16:49 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer
Image source, Getty ImagesRomain Grosjean will miss the final grand prix of the season as a result of the burns he suffered in his fiery crash in Bahrain last weekend.
Grosjean wanted to race in Abu Dhabi next weekend to close off his Formula 1 career but will return home for further treatment on his injured hands.
Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi, who is standing in for Grosjean in today's Sakhir Grand Prix, will race instead.
"The risk of racing is too big for my recovery and my health," Grosjean said. "We've tried as much as we could with the doctor to recover and to repair my hand. It's one of the hardest decisions of my life, but it's obviously one of the wisest."
Grosjean is out of contract for next year after his Haas team decided to sign two new drivers for 2021 and 2022, and his racing future is uncertain.
The 34-year-old joined Haas for their debut season in F1 in 2016 and has driven there ever since.
get involved Get Involvedpublished at 16:47 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
#bbcf1
Jezz: Expectations waaaay too high on Russell for this race! The only way he is going to win is if Verstappen takes out Bottas on the fist corner!! I think it's very likely he will lose places at the start. He'll do well to get on the podium tbh!
Karen Waddy: For my health and my safety, it's better I don't take the risk to race in Abu Dhabi. It's a very difficult decision but it's the best one for my future" Absolutely the right decision for Romain Grosjean. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
Postpublished at 16:47 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
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End of twitter post'A race of attrition is expected'published at 16:44 Greenwich Mean Time 6 December 2020
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer
Image source, EPAThe race is expected to be a two-stop, and it will be new demands on the strategists. The short lap means they will have less time to make decisions, and new factors will come into play, especially for those not in the fight for the front, as blue flags to let the leaders by are costly in terms of time loss.
Only Mercedes succeeded in their attempt to have the medium as the start tyre, but those who failed to manage it don’t believe that the soft will too much of a disadvantage. For a start, it gives extra grip off the line and in the first laps, and Carlos Sainz proved last weekend that it was possible to do a long first stint on it.
One-and three-stop races are theoretically possible, but the predictions suggest they are too slow to be seriously considered. A race of attrition is expected, partly because the kerbs in the new section of track are aggressive and can easily damage cars, as has been seen a number of times through practice, and partly because it’s the end of the season and engine life is coming to an end - as demonstrated by Lando Norris needing a new engine and turbo after qualifying.
The chances of a safety car are considered to be high as a result of this, too. Both F1 races have been action-packed, but the F1 teams and drivers expect overtaking to be harder than it might appear because it is tough to follow through the chicane in the middle of the lap.