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The final round of 2017 brings us to Abu Dhabi for the curtain call on a twenty race escapade which has delivered an intriguing and entertaining season. From Round 1 in Australia the signs were encouraging, and when Vettel chased Hamilton so closely in the early stages it confirmed that Ferrari had indeed responded to the new regulations with a big jump in competitiveness. Using that pace around the pitstops allowed Ferrari to take the first win, although as it turned out, probably the only victory over Mercedes at a track that favoured neither in particular. Hamilton bounced back in China to make it one all, and the game was on.
Bahrain saw a significant first pole position for Bottas but what struck me more about that scenario was the fact that Hamilton did not have a car in full health on his final qualifying lap and yet never mentioned it, instead praising his team mate's efforts, demonstrating that this was indeed an entirely new dynamic at work within Mercedes. Ultimately, the lack of internal strife allowed Hamilton to soar to new levels, and he was equally gracious when Bottas took his first win next time out in Russia. Barcelona saw a real contest between Hamilton and Vettel throughout the full distance, but this time Hamilton triumphed, and Mercedes looked to have made some useful gains compared to winter testing at the same track. But Monaco was Ferrari terrain, and a missed victory for Kimi Raikkonen. His pole position and early lead should have been converted, but Vettel's more favoured pit stop strategy swapped them around and that was the closest Kimi ever came to winning a race this year. Hamilton has an extra gear in Canada no matter what he's driving, but Baku certainly caught the attention. This was another proper two way dice between our pair of title protagonists, but it ended in temper tantrums, penalties and pop-up headrests in one of the most bizarre races of the season. Bottas made the most of an electrifying start in Austria but at Silverstone Hamilton was again in a world of his own, equalling records established by Jim Clark and watching the Ferraris flounder with overworked tyres. The Italian team that had taken a drubbing on the high speed sweeps in Northamptonshire returned with gusto and a one-two in Hungary, but here once again we saw the consequences of a new relationship within Mercedes as Hamilton returned third place to Bottas. Remember how we wondered if he would regret it? Seems an irrelevant question now.. Vettel should probably have won Spa, but he was out-raced by Hamilton on the crucial restart and in Italy Lewis became the all time record holder for pole positions, setting his lap in wet conditions yet also dominating in the dry on raceday. The Asian tour followed, and a Ferrari meltdown in terms of reliability and points-scoring effectively ended the challenge. As much as Vettel threw at the race in Austin, he still couldn't prevent Hamilton scorching past as early as Lap 6 and the writing was on the wall. To be fair, Vettel was like a dog with a bone until it was mathematically out of sight in Mexico but after a scrappy race for both of them, Hamilton could celebrate his huge achievement of a fourth world title; game over. Minor compensation came the way of Ferrari in Brazil and now we arrive in Abu Dhabi for the concluding episode. It has been a fascinating season in many ways, pitching two great drivers against each other, seeing new records established and a resurgence from Red Bull which may bode well for an even more open contest next year, especially if McLaren can also join in. I shall remember it for a proper rivalry, more often than not played out cleanly and respectfully, and for a generation of cars that has genuinely put the smiles back on the faces of the fastest drivers in the world.
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Max Verstappen has scored more points in the last four races than anyone else, and this weekend we return to the venue where last year he turned in one of his most impressive F1 performances to date. Emerging from the pits in 14th place with 16 laps to go, he scythed his way through the field to claim third position by the time the chequered flag came out, finding grip on the wet track surface where others were sliding and slithering about. Earlier in the race he had needed every ounce of his skill, and a certain element of luck, to avoid hitting the barrier on the pit straight, but avoid it he did and the incident didn't slow him down one iota. This weekend he comes off the back of a masterful drive in the dry in Mexico, and while Hamilton and Vettel were unable to challenge him due to their own contretemps, there's no question that Verstappen is now a potential race winner wherever we go. He passed Hamilton in a clean fight in Malaysia, he hounded the Mercedes in the closing stages of Japan and his recovery from 16th on the grid to 3rd before the penalty in Austin further emphasised the sheer pace of both the Red Bull and the Flying Dutchman. If it stays dry at Interlagos this weekend, the Renault power unit may not deliver the sheer grunt necessary for the long hill that climbs from the last of the infield corners and sweeps past the grandstands on the start finish line, but if any of the rain that's forecast happens to fall during qualifying then you would fancy Max's chances of starting from the front row, and from there anything is possible. Red Bull have a good record in Brazil, having won three in a row and then again in 2013 having been beaten at the race in between by McLaren in that whacky title deciding race of 2012 when Vettel was facing the wrong way on Lap 1 and yet still recovered sufficiently to win the championship. That McLaren victory was the last I commentated on, and I fervently hope it doesn't remain that way for too much longer. Fernando Alonso seems convinced that Renault power will help McLaren reach the front again in 2018, but there isn't much hope for them in their final Brazilian GP with Honda; bear in mind that two years ago he ended up in a deckchair in Free Practice, while last year he was let loose with a TV camera in a similar session after yet another glitch with the power unit. Alonso never won this race when he was with Ferrari, in fact he's never won here at all, although he did wrap up both of his driver's titles here. The last Ferrari win 'Between the Lakes' was in 2008 when Felipe Massa commanded the race but lost the championship and that was another Constructor winning sequence that came to an end after three in a row. Since then Ferrari have enjoyed five podium finishes, but no sign of adding to their total tally of eight victories in São Paulo which ties for the record with McLaren. In theory, this track should suit the 2017 car, with the twisty infield section combined with that long flat-out drag race up the hill but morale is low in the camp and you wonder if they can re-energise this faltered campaign in time to hit the ground running again next year. As ever the team to beat is Mercedes. Not only have they won the last three races here but they have done it with 1-2 finishes from an all-Mercedes front row. But analysis of the statistics shows that of the dominant teams in various eras, none have been able to win four in a row on this characterful and unpredictable circuit and if momentum is anything to go by, you'd have to say that Max is the man once again to upset the form guide. Come rain or shine, his star is in the ascendant. |
AuthorF1 commentator Ben Edwards sets out some thoughts. Archives
May 2018
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