A dramatic race in Qatar has set up the final round of the F1 World Championship to be a cracker.
Whilst champion Max Verstappen stormed to victory for Red Bull, it was a nightmare weekend for McLaren’s Lando Norris – as he watched Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc close the gap in the drivers’ standings to just eight points. That had an impact on the constructors championship too, with 21 points now separating McLaren and Ferrari – and millions in additional prize money up for grabs for whoever tops the table come Sunday evening.
Away from the championship battle, history will be made as Lewis Hamilton ends a 26 year association with Mercedes that has seen the British veteran lift seven world titles and win 105 races. Hamilton’s entire F1 career has been in cars powered by the German brand, but he will be in red next season – after agreeing a dream move to Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc. A horrible weekend in Qatar saw the 39-year-old fail to score any points in the GP, but he will be fully focused on adding more silverware to his collection with the Brackley team.
Record Sport has all the details so you don’t miss a single lap of action.
When does the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix take place?
Action gets underway from 9.30am (UK time) on Friday December 6 with free practice one, before FP2 between 1pm and 2pm the same day. Saturday begins with FP3 10.30am and 11.30am, before the all-important qualifying session to set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix between 2pm and 3pm. With no sprint race, the GP itself is the final chance for drivers to score points this year – and that gets underway at 1pm on Sunday December 8.
What has changed since Qatar?
There’s been one change to the grid since Qatar, with Esteban Ocon released from his Alpine contract a race early – allowing the Frenchman to test with his new team, Haas, in Tuesday’s post-season test event. He will be replaced by rookie Jack Doohan, son of seven times motorcycle world champion Mick, with the Aussie F2 ace set to drive for Alpine full-time in 2025.
Can I watch the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on TV?
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix can be watched on Sky Sports F1 with every session live on the broadcaster’s dedicated F1 channel from 9am on December 6. Channel 4 airs free highlights of every race with these on air on Sunday at 5.30pm.
Can I live stream the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
You can stream the action with a Now TV subscription, priced at £14.99 for a 24-hour pass or £34.99 for a monthly membership. There is also the official F1 TV channel which is £19.99 per year or £2.29 per month and offers delayed coverage of all races after the event as well as access to live timing.