Formula 1 has now had 10 successive season finales in Abu Dhabi. But so few of these races have been thrillers. And when they have been exciting, this has come via tense affairs, such as Nico Rosberg hanging on as Lewis Hamilton backed him into threatening traffic in 2016, or 2021’s jaw-dropping off-track drama.
So, a week on from Max Verstappen’s wild Las Vegas win, his latest Abu Dhabi triumph at the conclusion of the season – and the devastatingly dominant circumstances in which he secured the year’s final victory – raises quite the question. With Sin City’s race sitting pretty in the rear-view mirror, is it time to seriously entertain what some were already saying: how about Vegas as the climax instead?
F1 has its financial affairs to consider here, given how Abu Dhabi pays for the privilege of hosting the last round. Plus there was much that could have been improved about its return to Las Vegas, and recency bias is an undeniable factor at times. But the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was once again a dull affair on which to end a campaign, won at a canter by a new F1 legend and his crack Red Bull squad. And yet, the race around Yas Marina really should have been better. Here’s why.
Leclerc once again had too much to lose early on
Again, we need to cast our minds back eight days to the start of the Vegas race. After all, the two drivers sharing the front row there – Verstappen and Charles Leclerc – did so again in Abu Dhabi. This time, Verstappen lined up on pole with his Ferrari rival behind and, when the lights went out in the twilight last Sunday, it was roles reversed from the full night setting
