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F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2024 preview: The last race decides the Championship

Red Bull is out of the running for the top spot, but McLaren and Ferrari both have a chance.

By Bruce Brown Published December 4, 2024

Yas Marina Circuit for the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2024. — Courtesy of Formula 1

The 2024 F1 racing season ends with the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 6 to 8. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen locked in the Drivers’ Championship during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, but the Constructors’ Championship remains undecided as Ferrari still has a chance to outscore McLaren to win the biggest team prize of the season.

The challenges of the Yas Marina Circuit

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is run on the Yas Marina Circuit. It consists of 58 laps of the 3.28-mile track, or 190.14 miles. Max Verstappen set the lap record in 2021 at 1:26.103 (minutes: seconds). Verstappen won the race in 2023 when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came in second, and Mercedes driver George Russell was third.

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The track has sixteen turns, with two DRS zones allowing overtaking. The current weather forecast is for highs in the 80s. The track temperatures will be higher, which could make staying cool a challenge during the race.

The Constructors’ Championship is at stake

McLaren currently has 640 Constructors’ Championship points. There is a potential for any team to win a total of 44 points (during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, so Ferrari’s current 619-point total puts the team in reach of the prize. Red Bull cannot win the Championship, although they could place second if Verstappen and Sergio Perez finish in the top three and Ferrari doesn’t gain more than four points – neither of which outcome is likely. The McLaren and Ferrari race cars have been exceptionally fast recently, and both drivers have delivered, so it’s possible that either team could win.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix schedule

The best way to watch F1 race events live is with F1TV Pro, a subscription streaming service from Formula 1. The paid service includes an option to choose a cockpit view from any of the 20 race cars live, pre- and post-race shows, archives of past races and seasons, and much more. ESPN subscribers can also watch the races live with the additional content. F1TV also has a free, ad-supported version that posts race replays five days after the race.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Race Event	Date	Local Time (UTC +4)	U.S. Time (EDT)
Free Practice	December 6	1:30 PM	4:30 AM
Free Practice	December 6	5:00 PM	8:00 AM
Free Practice	December 7	2:30 PM	5:30 AM
Qualifying	December 7	6:00 PM	9:00 AM
Grand Prix	December 8	5:00 PM	8:00 AM

Former Contributing Editor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

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