Leclerc shows more nous than Ferrari strategy dept: Abu Dhabi Up/down

So, as Formula 1 wrapped up another season of DRS overtakes, press conference platitudes and yet more undeveloped Haas GP cars at the world championship’s spiritual home of Yas Marina, what have we learnt?

That Verstappen’s team-mates seem cursed to perform inversely to whatever he does. That Ferrari will endeavour to founder upon a new rock in every race. And that we’re so, so close to having an interesting title fight.

Just 0.6sec covered the top 18 cars in Abu Dhabi Q1. If Macca, Fezza and the Sliver Arrows can just reel in Red Bull slightly more, the title fight would erupt like one of Crofty’s misplaced, mid-race, misinformation pronouncements.

If it’s going to happen, we’ll need all fingers, toes, wheel gun wires and cable ties crossed – we’re so near, but sometimes if feels like so, so far.

 

Goin’ Down

Land of no opportunity

F1 is supposed to be exclusive. But surely not this much. Recent graduates to the top tier include Logan Sargeant, who finished fourth in the 2022 F2 championship, and Zhou Guanyu, who placed third in 2021 (in his third go at the category). Not exactly inspiring.

What happened to the drivers that beat them? 2022 F2 champ Felipe Drugovich is and will continue to be on the bench for Aston Martin. Runner-up then and this year’s F2 king, Theo Pourchaire, will do similar for Sauber in 2024. So too is 2022’s third-place finisher Liam Lawson for Red Bull.

Like some of the F2 hotshots, other high-achievers were given run-outs in Abu Dhabi. Formula E champion Jake Dennis turned some laps in anger for Milton Keynes’ finest, while arguably IndyCar’s fastest man – Pato O’Ward – was in for McLaren. But a full-time F1 opportunity looks unlikely for most of Abu Dhabi’s free practice heroes.

Give a bright prospect a race chance, like Oscar Piastri, and look what happens.

F1 could hand out exciting race cameos if it copied MotoGP’s wildcard system. Instead, we’re left with the likes of Zhou and Sargeant who have have hardly set the world alight.

 

Un-rapid reactions

The undercut appeared mighty when cars began diving into the pits earlier than expected in Abu Dhabi. Why did Ferrari do nothing then? Leclerc was circulating around 1.4sec behind Verstappen, and could have put the Dutchman under serious pressure by diving in to do the same.

The Scuderia might have been worried about losing out to a charging George Russell, but if it had got ahead of the Red Bull, the points advantage would have easily secured the second constructors’ place it was fighting Mercedes for.

Disappointing from Ferrari as usual.

 

Dead design

Yas Marina is surely the worst track on the calendar. It truly is a travesty that the world championship ends there – even an Abu Dhabi GP which had more overtakes than usual managed to be uninspiring.

A first corner that is a 90-degree left-hander? Wow. Give the finale to Vegas – being a street circuit, at least it makes 90-degree corners more interesting.

 

Driving lesson refresher course Christmas pressent?

Yet more incompetent driving from Perez. A man that used to be a master of threading it through the midfield now seems unable to make a basic overtake, as demonstrated by him spearing into Lando Norris – thus incurring yet another 5sec penalty.

The Red Bull fight would be far more interesting if it hired a driver closer to Verstappen’s talent level.

 

Packed schedule

All the key F1 and title-deciding MotoGP sessions clashed across the weekend. Surely the world of motor sport can do better to mutually help each other out?

 

Goin’ Up

Above and beyond

Once more Charles Leclerc was overexerting himself in a bid to make up for Ferrari’s deficiencies.

After learning of Perez’s late-race penalty, Leclerc told the team he was going to let the Mexican ahead, but keep Russell behind – the idea being that Perez would slot into third, giving the Scuderia the points it needed for second in the constructors’.

Some contrast to the initiative – or lack of – shown on the pitwall. Maybe they should put Leclerc on strategy duties, and Bobby Shwartzman or old boy Callum Ilott in the car. Then it might actually out-fumble someone on pitstops at last.

 

Unloved is the Drugovich

As mentioned above, Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich was put in the car for FP1 – and shone. The green machine was quick in his hands, just over 0.2sec off leader George Russell.

Shame it looks like the Brazilian once again might not be racing anywhere next year.

 

One-stop shop

Yuki Tsunoda almost single-handedly made a heroic (or foolish, depending on your outlook) one-stop work to snatch seventh in the constructors’ for AlphaTauri from Williams.

Sadly it didn’t quite work, falling to Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso late on. Where was big name driver Daniel Ricciardo? Labouring somewhere outside the points.