Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

6 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I A s the sun set over the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit, it signalled the end to another historic season of F1 which crowned a six-time world champion but there was a final twist in the plot just moments before the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix roared into life. It might have been a cruisy victory for Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team but behind him a hard fought battle for the remaining podium positions raged. However even before the race started, a stewards inquiry was scheduled to be held immediately after the event over allegations that the Ferrari of Charles LeClerc was carrying too much fuel. The team was found guilty post-race and handed a hefty fine but LeClerc kept his result in what was a symbolic end to a tough weekend the Italian team had endured from the very first practice session. PRACTICE: Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas started the final weekend of the year on top after out-pacing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and his own teammate Lewis Hamilton during the first practice session while Sebastian Vettel finished with a spin and crashed his Ferrari into the barriers. Bottas, who was already braced for a back-of-the-grid start due to taking a new engine, made the most of his car’s fresh power unit by finishing more than half a second clear of his closest rivals. Mercedes looked most at home around the sweeping circuit but Verstappen edged Hamilton to second while Alex Albon was fourth in the second Red Bull. Hamilton, who, as the season's champion, briefly ran with the No 1 on his Mercedes rather than his usual No 44, had an earlier scare when limping back to the pits, which was put down to a sensor issue. Many teams decided to trial new parts for 2020 in the opening session including Ferrari with Vettel and Leclerc 1.9 and 2.2 seconds off the pace respectively. The Scuderia had a disastrous end as Vettel lost control of his car in the final sector hitting the barriers at Turn 19 just hours after he stepped off the plane in Abu Dhabi, opting to stay home an extra day following the birth of his third child in Germany. Daniel Ricciardo also suffered a dramatic engine failure in his Renault with fire and oil pouring from the back of his car. The second practice session in the evening once again saw Bottas set the fastest laps with Hamilton just ahead of Ferrari's LeClerc. The Finn maintained his advantage from earlier in the day with a fastest lap of 1:36.256 which was three tenths of a second faster than Hamilton and LeClerc under the 'twilight' evening conditions. Bottas though was later involved in an unusual crash with the Haas of Romain Grosjean, the two cars colliding at Turn 11 as the Mercedes attempted to overtake with both sustaining damage. There was just 0.076 of a second separating Hamilton and Photography: Yas Marina Circuit