The final Grand Prix of the 2019 Formula One season takes place this weekend at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes secured their titles a few weeks ago, and a fortnight prior to the teams arriving in Abu Dhabi, a phenomenal race took place at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull of Max Verstappen finished first, Pierre Gasly got an emotional, and improbable, second. The two Ferraris crashed into each other on a straight, leading to a team inquest.

Drivers’ and Constructors’ honours aren’t at stake, but this will still be a fiercely competitive Grand Prix. Let’s take a look at some history before focusing on this weekend’s Formula One tips and odds

 

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Brief History

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix arrived on the Formula One calendar in the summer of 2008. With the schedule released for 2009, the Grand Prix was set to become the first day-night race in Formula One history as the season finale in mid-November.

However, the plans changed a few months later with the inaugural race moved to 1st November. Every Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been a day-night race, starting at 5pm local time.

Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel dominated the early races at Yas Marina, winning in 2009 and 2010.

The first of which was a dead rubber, but the 2010 race was a title decider on the final weekend of the season. Vettel’s victory secured the championship ahead of Fernando Alonso.

Moving to the penultimate slot for 2011, Lewis Hamilton claimed victory after Vettel retired with a puncture.

Kimi Raikkonen won ahead of Alonso and Vettel in 2012 – Vettel stood atop the podium for a third time in 2013 after Red Bull and the German had secured their fourth consecutive titles in India.

Mercedes have controlled the race in the recent seasons. Nico Rosberg won his first and only drivers’ title in 2016 despite a Hamilton victory and Valtteri Bottas won in 2017. The 2018 edition was famous for being Alonso’s final race in Formula One.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Yas Marina Circuit

It isn’t the first time Hermann Tilke has appeared in this section. The 64-year-old German has designed many Formula One circuits, including Sochi and the Hanoi Street Circuit, which is due to host its inaugural race in 2020.

Hosted on Yas Island, just off the coast of Abu Dhabi, Tilke designed Yas Marina as a challenging track with 21 corners with a few straights mixed in.

Rosberg praised the track back in 2009, claiming that every turn was ‘unique’. Alonso was similarly complimentary, and the lighting at Yas Marina has been popular with many drivers, particularly when compared to Marina Bay in Singapore.

One main criticism of the track would be the lack of overtaking opportunities other than the two DRS sections. Alonso suffered from this when he was stuck behind Vitaly Petrov in 2010, unable to find a passing spot.

The lap is split into three very different sections. Sector one has high-speed corners; sector two has two lengthy straights and heavy breaking zones; sector three is the tightest part of the lap, featuring slow corners and has drawn comparisons to the harbour section in Monaco.

 

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Recent Winners

2018 – Lewis Hamilton

2017 – Valtteri Bottas

2016 – Lewis Hamilton

2015 – Nico Rosberg

2014 – Lewis Hamilton

 

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Most Wins

4 – Lewis Hamilton 

3 – Sebastian Vettel

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: F1 Betting Tips

Pirelli have brought the softest tyre compounds to Abu Dhabi. That’s no surprise, considering this has usually been a one-stop race with very little tyre degradation.

It’s a tough weekend to predict, such is the varied nature of the lap. Ferrari’s raw power will benefit them in sector two, for instance, but they could lose considerable time to the Red Bulls and Mercedes in sector three.

Ferrari, who have held clear the air talks this week, will be looking to build bridges between their two drivers after the humiliating end to their weekend at Interlagos. Charles Leclerc looks a great bet at 2/1 to take pole in 888sport’s F1 betting.

For all the glitz and glamour of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the plush hotels, the theme parks and incredible photography, the track hasn’t tended to provide us with much drama.

A repeat of Brazil is improbable, though the midfield contest will be interesting as Racing Point and Alfa Romeo battle for seventh and Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz fight it out to finish best of the rest.

Albon has been tipped frequently in these previews and after a heart-breaking collision with Hamilton in Brazil, he could get some backing at 9/2 to finish on the podium.

Hamilton is edging closer to history – the Brit could be 12 months from matching Michael Schumacher – but he doesn’t offer much value at 8/5 to win this Sunday.

The Mercedes couldn’t keep up with the Red Bull in Brazil, and despite dominating in Abu Dhabi over the last few years, they are unlikely to have the quickest car this weekend.

Ferrari to win the race at 7/4 is the best bet. Their pace has been superb (bar the US Grand Prix) since the break, and their advantage on the straights should give them enough of a lead to hold off the Red Bulls and Mercedes.

 

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Hassan Ammar / AP Photo*

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.