Mercedes vs Ferrari: Toto Wolff hopes for podium-finishing finale at Abu Dhabi GP in second-place fight

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Try the funniest moments from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, together with Shaquille O’Neal’s three phrases for Martin Brundle and Ted Kravitz dressed to impress in a tuxedo!

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is hopeful the crew may have tempo to return to the rostrum at this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi GP, as they goal to carry off Ferrari for second place within the Constructors’ Championship.

Mercedes’ benefit over their Italian rivals has come down to simply 4 factors – the identical because it was after 2023’s season-opening race in Bahrain again in March – after a Las Vegas GP race day which didn’t go their manner regardless of the W14 displaying much-improved tempo in comparison with the race earlier than in Brazil.

Lewis Hamilton, who completed seventh, twice misplaced floor in unlucky collisions whereas George Russell noticed fourth place become eighth by a five-second penalty for colliding with Max Verstappen.

Ferrari completed second with Charles Leclerc and sixth with Carlos Sainz, that means they outscored Mercedes by 16 factors to deliver themselves into putting distance within the standings for Sunday’s Abu Dhabi finale.

“Unhappy to say one more time that we had tempo however simply no consequence,” Wolff advised Sky Sports activities F1 about Mercedes’ Las Vegas GP.

“George after the incident with Verstappen, the place he obtained the penalty, that was just about sport over. [The car had] tempo for the entrance. Possibly not [to challenge] Max, however behind. It’s what it’s.”

On Abu Dhabi, Wolff added: “We’ve seen pace-ish at present. I believe we hopefully can get better and rating strong podiums.”

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George Russell and Max Verstappen collide and particles goes in every single place, ultimately resulting in a security automotive

Two years on from the controversial conclusion to the 2021 drivers’ title race in Abu Dhabi, when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton began degree on factors, Wolff, in a thinly veiled swipe at former race director Michael Masi, added to the written media: “We’re going there just about on equal factors – with a correct race director, in order that ought to be nice – and let’s race.

“It is all right down to the final weekend. They’re very fast, they’ve finished an excellent job. I believe we might have been on par [in the Las Vegas race] however the consequence reveals one thing totally different. So let’s race.

“To be trustworthy, it is good to have P2 as a optimistic to complete the season, however P2, P3 for me, that it would not make it higher for me.”

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With Pink Bull completely dominant this season, Mercedes and Ferrari – the winners of 24 constructors’ titles between them – have needed to revise their pre-season targets downwards and every attempt to at the very least safe the subsequent finest place on supply, even when, as Wolff alludes, ending second will finally not be trigger for explicit celebration.

However along with sporting pleasure, there are helpful prize cash issues too – the distinction between second and third within the Constructors’ Championship is regarded as within the area of $10m.

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One of the best of the motion from an eventful Las Vegas Grand Prix

Since overtaking fast-starting Aston Martin for second within the groups’ standings at June’s Spanish GP, Mercedes have seen their benefit over third place fluctuate amid the season’s unpredictable race-to-race pecking order behind Pink Bull.

Ferrari had been a season-high 56 factors behind Mercedes after July’s Hungarian GP however have whittled that hole down to simply 4 within the 10 races since.

After a problematic begin to the yr, crew boss Frederic Vasseur says the way in which the factors hole has come down reveals Ferrari are on a “good path”. However he additionally made clear, that whereas Vegas went nicely for them, “Abu Dhabi shall be one other story”.

“4 factors is nothing or so much,” added Vasseur.

“We had been in a position to carry out in Monza, in Singapore, in Austin, in Mexico, throughout this weekend on totally different tracks with totally different race situations, totally different [tyre] compounds, and we could be greater than motivated earlier than Abu Dhabi.

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Charles Leclerc blames the security automotive for his second-place end on the Las Vegas Grand Prix and says that ‘at present ought to have been our day’

“The momentum is for us and let’s examine what occurs.”

The struggle is a task reversal of final yr when it was Ferrari who had been defending second from Mercedes going into the Abu Dhabi finale, albeit holding a bigger 19-point lead. Nonetheless, the Scuderia outscored their rivals at Yas Marina to verify the runner-up Pink Bull.

Which automotive will Abu Dhabi go well with?

Ferrari’s superior straight-line velocity shall be essential once more at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, so they are going to be very fast within the first half of the lap which additionally options the Flip 5 hairpin, the place Max Verstappen overtook Hamilton within the controversial 2021 Grand Prix, and the Flip Six-Seven chicane.

Considered one of Ferrari’s greatest strengths is traction out of the sluggish corners, so they may even be a menace to Pink Bull as soon as once more right here.

It is the second half of the lap which options extra flowing, medium-speed turns which ought to deliver Mercedes again into play. Nonetheless, the corners had been opened up forward of the 2021 race, so the ultimate sector is just not that technical anymore.

Total, Ferrari are going to have the outright tempo, significantly over one lap, and it is only a case of will there be sufficient tyre put on for Mercedes to come back again at Leclerc and Sainz over an extended stint.

Sky Sports activities F1’s dwell Abu Dhabi GP schedule

Thursday November 23

• 11am: Drivers’ Press Convention

Friday November 24

• 7am: F2 Observe
• 9am: Abu Dhabi GP Observe One (session begins at 9.30am)
• 10.55pm: F2 Qualifying
• 12.45pm: Abu Dhabi GP Observe Two (session begins at 1pm)
• 2.15pm: The F1 Present

Saturday November 25

• 10.15am: Abu Dhabi GP Observe Three
• 12.15pm: F2 Dash
• 1.15pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying build-up
• 2pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying
• 4pm: Ted’s Qualifying Pocket book

Sunday November 26

• 9.10am: F2 Characteristic Race
• 11.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Abu Dhabi GP build-up
• 1pm: The ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
• 3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP response
• 4pm: Ted’s Pocket book

After the thrills of Las Vegas, Method 1 heads to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit for the 2023 season finale and one other beautiful spectacle underneath the lights. Watch the Abu Dhabi weekend dwell on Sky Sports activities F1, with lights out on Sunday at 1pm. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW