Abu Dhabi: Daniel Ricciardo believes 2016 has been his best season yet in Formula One and is confident of mounting a title challenge next year. The Australian has sealed third place in the drivers’ championship ahead of Sunday’s Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and admits his performance has exceeded his expectations. The Red Bull ace has enjoyed eight podium finishes this year, including victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix, to hit back from a challenging 2015 when the team battled with an uncompetitive Renault power unit before this year’s successful upgrade. While Ricciardo scored three race wins in his breakout 2014 season — when he also finished third in the driver standings — he said his recovery from last year’s struggles and the stern competition from new teammate Max Verstappen rated this year his best on track. “The year has been pretty solid. I have been really happy with how it has gone pretty much from start to finish,’’ said Ricciardo, at a Red Bull event at Yas Viceroy hotel on Friday evening to announce the team’s extension of their engine naming partnership with TAG Heuer for a further two years. “Obviously there was a lot of success in 2014 and that was new success for me because it was my first real big year with wins and podiums and that, but I think on a personal level I think this year has been my strongest one. “The level of how it has all gone with Max [Verstappen] the competition and all that, it’s been fun. “I think it’s been a very good year. Mainly because of where we came from last year to this year, we didn’t expect to be in that position so that definitely made the results this year a lot sweeter. “We didn’t really think we would fight for a win, let alone fight for three of them. And then I think the rate of development and improvement that the team took on was really encouraging, so there was just a really good mood and atmosphere within everyone and that made it fun. “It gave us good energy and good motivation to go out there and drive well.’’ Having clearly established himself as the best of the rest of the Formula One field behind dominant Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, Ricciardo knows the next step is to put the car and himself in championship contention. He is confident Red Bull — second in the constructor standings behind Mercedes this year — can make a major leap forward in 2017. “If we make the same sort of steps, I think it is realistic [that we can challenge], but we do need to keep improving because obviously Mercedes still have a buffer on everyone,’’ Ricciardo said. “I think it’s just fine-tuning now, the package is very good, it’s just not perfect and I think we’ve just got to clean it up in a few areas and I can improve a few parts here and there and if we put all that together then it should put us on Mercedes level.’’ Preparing to enter his fourth season with Red Bull, Ricciardo, who cited his maiden career pole position at Monaco as his highlight of the year, believed his best racing is ahead. “I think there will always be, for the next few years, some improvement,’’ the 27-year-old, said. “It’s a complex sport, you’re always learning. I still feel like there’s places I can improve. “Hopefully the best is still yet to come. If I’ve got a good car next year, then hopefully I can get a couple of positions further than I did this year and that will be very nice.’’
Abu Dhabi: Damon Hill says it will be “a big deal” for Nico Rosberg if he becomes the second Formula One driver after him to emulate his father’s feats in winning the world title on Sunday. Hill ruled the world in 1996 after his late father, Graham, was twice a world champion in 1962 and 1968. Rosberg, who is 12 points ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton heading into Sunday’s Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is on the verge of doing likewise. The German’s father, Keke, claimed the world title with Williams in 1982. “I think it’s a big deal for someone who’s gone into the same profession as their parents,” said Hill, in an exclusive interview with Gulf News at Yas Marina Circuit. “If your parent has achieved the very highest thing, there’s always that measurement there. You can’t avoid it and you’re going to be compared if you like it or not. Did you achieve the top? “So he’s got a great chance of getting this done and equalling his dad in his career and being able to hold his head up. That would be a nice thing for the Rosbergs.” Does he see any similarities between the two? “They have very different styles and different personalities, it’s fair to say,” replied the 56-year-old, who is here as a pundit for Sky Sports Television. “Nico has got his own way of going about it. He’s done it very well and worked very hard.” Hill was involved in a world title decider of his own when, in 1994, Michael Schumacher deprived him of glory by a single point after the pair controversially collided at the final round in Adelaide. How does he think Rosberg and Hamilton will be feeling ahead of their ‘Duel in the Desert’? “Lewis is in some ways off the hook from the tension it all,” said Hill. “He can’t really do any more than he’s done. He can put on a good show. “Whatever he’s done is out of his hands. The pressure is pretty much on Nico and Mercedes, who have to deliver a good and reliable car. There might be some spoilers in there, such as Red Bull.” Hamilton, a three-time world champion while Rosberg is chasing his maiden title, is widely regarded to be the better driver of the two. So would a Rosberg victory be deserved? “The sport works on points and results,” Hill said. “You can’t deprive someone of the result just because you might feel one driver is better than the other. The game is getting the points. “He [Rosberg] is still one of the world’s best racing drivers and that can never be taken away.”
Lewis Hamilton took a stunning pole position for the decisive Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but Nico Rosberg remains on course for the title. The German, who needs only to finish in the top three on Sunday to win the world championship, qualified second fastest, 0.303 seconds behind Hamilton. Hamilton needs two other cars between himself and Rosberg on Sunday, but Mercedes' rivals were off their pace. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was third, but 0.834secs slower than Hamilton. Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were fourth and fifth, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen sixth. Sunday's race is live on the BBC Sport website and radio 5 live. Hamilton imperious in qualifying - most of the season Hamilton's performance was one of the most impressive of a season in which he has now taken 12 poles to Rosberg's eight despite not even being able to compete in qualifying in three races because of reliability problems. Hamilton topped all three sessions of qualifying - and was 1.024secs quicker than Rosberg in Q1, 0.108secs in Q2 and then the final margin of nearly a third of a second. It was the 61st pole of his career, four behind his hero Ayrton Senna and seven behind all-time record holder Michael Schumacher. Media playback is not supported on this device Wolff plays down Hamilton & Rosberg colliding Hamilton said: "Wow, 61 poles. I am going to try to catch Ayrton. It has been a strange feeling coming here and realising it was going to be the last session, the last qualifying in such a great car - you never know when you are going to have a car like this again. "We got the car in a great sweet spot and I want to thank everyone - I would not have the 61 poles if it was not for them. The perfect position for tomorrow." Rosberg said: "I had a good balance and was feeling quite pleased. I got a good lap in the end but it was not good enough. I gave it everything but it wasn't possible to beat Lewis today. But I will give it everything tomorrow." Media playback is not supported on this device Hamilton v Rosberg - F1 world title previewRed Bull wildcard Red Bull have thrown a curve ball ahead of the race by choosing to start on the super-soft tyres rather than the faster but less durable ultra-softs, used by the rest of the top 10. The plan will be to try to mix things up and get in amongst the Mercedes, and this could play a role in strategy in the race. Ricciardo said: "We have to try something. It seems to be in a bit of a trend, if we are in a position to qualify on a different tyres we will try and see if it gives us a good opportunity. We will see if it puts us in the fight." The team showed strong pace in the long runs on Friday practice - at least as good as the Mercedes. "We were strong on the long runs and it looks good," Ricciardo said. "I think it is going to be fun. There will be a fight between these guys and hopefully we can do something to make it even more exciting than it already is." Red Bull will try to a different strategy to other teams on Sunday, which could interrupt the title raceButton prepares to bow out Jenson Button will start the final race of his Formula 1 career 12th. He was 0.228 seconds slower in second qualifying than team-mate Fernando Alonso - in the region of the typical gap between the two. Alonso ultimately qualified ninth, behind the Force Indias of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez and ahead of Williams' Felipe Massa, who like Button is retiring after this race. Button said: "Fernando did a good job but I think we did too. We start just outside the top 10. With that, we can start with new tyres and tyre a different strategy, which could be good. I'm looking forward to the race." Party time: Abu Dhabi is the final race of a record-breaking number of races this seasonThat's three pole positions now in Abu Dhabi for Hamilton, level with the man on the left Sebastian Vettel, here in 2009 when Hamilton got his first. Source: ForixHamilton vs Rosberg: what has happened to whom, up to Brazil Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying results Abu Dhabi Grand Prix coverage details
ABU DHABI: Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday with Mercedes team mate and championship favourite Nico Rosberg joining him on the front row. Rosberg has a 12-point lead and will be champion if he finishes in the top three, regardless of other results. Hamilton, who now has 61 career pole positions, has to be on the podium to have a chance of becoming Britain's first four- times world champion. Both drivers have won nine races this season. Australian Daniel Ricciardo qualified in third place for Red Bull and will share the second row with Ferrari's 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
Abu Dhabi: The start of the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will once more be marked with the spectacular Etihad Airways and Fursan Al Emarat fly-past at 4.47pm on Sunday. While Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg mentally prepare themselves for an epic title battle. on the ground, Etihad Airways’ A380 Chief Pilot, Captain Ali Al Jabri, will be in the left-hand seat of the superjumbo (tail number A6-APC) as it skims the start line of Yas Marina Circuit at 900 feet and 210 knots, trailed by the jets of the UAE’s air-display team Fursan Al Emarat. “It’s an honour for our flight crew to be selected to take part in the fly-past alongside the UAE’s display team and be a part of the spectacular event that is the F1 race,” said Captain Al Jabri. “The weekend is a showpiece event for Abu Dhabi and provides a huge opportunity to demonstrate our aircraft to an audience of billions. “We’ve conducted similar fly-pasts in previous years, and based on the many positive comments we hear from people, we know they take it away as an abiding memory of the event.” The Etihad Airways fly-past has become synonymous with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and this year’s event will see the airline’s ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ livery flying over the iconic circuit to mark the beginning of the race on Sunday. Months of planning take place before the formation is performed ahead of the Formula 1 showpiece on race day. The total flying time is 50 minutes from take-off to landing at Abu Dhabi International Airport and once in the air, the aircraft enter a holding pattern for about 10 minutes, during which they complete several passes over Yas Marina Circuit. Captain Al Jabri spoke of the team effort and dedication required to ensure the best possible visual experience on race day by saying: “Safety is obviously of major importance to us when flying the aircraft so we’ve been working alongside the display team and practising the fly-past over the last few weeks. “Many of us in the Etihad Airways crew have been involved in previous fly-pasts but we couldn’t achieve it without the support of the Fursan Al Emarat display team, the military, air-traffic control and the airport, so we can give people a spectacle that they will remember for years to come.” The Etihad Airways fly-past will take place before and after the UAE national anthem, 13 minutes before the start of the 2016 Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at 5pm.
ABU DHABI: Sebastian Vettel lapped fastest for Ferrari in the final practice session of the Formula One season on Saturday with Mercedes title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fourth and fifth. Vettel, facing a winless year after three victories in 2015, set a quickest lap of one minute 40.775 seconds on the ultrasoft tyres in a hot afternoon session at the Yas Marina circuit. Dutch teenager Max Verstappen was second fastest for Red Bull, 0.137 slower, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen third on the timesheets. Rosberg leads team mate Hamilton by 12 points going into Sunday's season-ending showdown, with both on nine race wins, and the German needs only to finish on the podium to secure his first championship. Hamilton, who was fastest in both Friday practice sessions, has won the last three races but knows the title battle is out of his control. Both Mercedes drivers set their quickest times earlier in the session than rivals, with the main focus on later qualifying. Hamilton reported a loss of power early on, a problem Mercedes made light of and described as just an "unexpected de-rate" of the engine. The Briton also complained that he was "constantly getting an issue" with the brakes. (Editing by Ed Osmond)
By Alan Baldwin ABUDHABI(Reuters) – Sebastian Vettel lapped fastest for Ferrari in the final practice session of the Formula One season on Saturday with Mercedes title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fourth and fifth. Vettel, facing a winless year after three victories in 2015, set a quickest lap of one minute 40.775 seconds on the ultrasoft tyres in a hot afternoon session at the Yas Marina circuit. Dutch teenager Max Verstappen was second fastest for Red Bull, 0.137 slower, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen third on the timesheets. Rosberg leads team mate Hamilton by 12 points going into Sunday’s season-ending showdown, with both on nine race wins, and the German needs only to finish on the podium to secure his first championship. Hamilton, who was fastest in both Friday practice sessions, has won the last three races but knows the title battle is out of his control. Both Mercedes drivers set their quickest times earlier in the session than rivals, with the main focus on later qualifying. Hamilton reported a loss of power early on, a problem Mercedes made light of and described as just an “unexpected de-rate” of the engine. The Briton also complained that he was “constantly getting an issue” with the brakes. (Editing by Ed Osmond)
Jenson Button’s retirement looms large this weekend and fans everywhere prepare to mourn the loss of a true character from Formula One. But the Brit isn’t the only driver who says the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be his last in motorsport’s premier competition – Brazil’s Felipe Massa is also on his way out of the door after 14 years in F1. With a wealth of experience and some golden moments behind him, is it the loss of the Williams driver we should really be mourning? He’s more consistent(Paulo Whitaker/AP) While it is true Massa has no driver’s championship to his name – one behind Button, who won with one-hit-wonder team Brawn in 2009 – his overall performance has been more consistent than the Brit’s. Massa has never come lower than 13th in the standings while button has come lower than that five times – the lowest being 18th. Meanwhile the Brazilian has finished in the top eight in 69% of his completed seasons, compared with 53% from Button. Plus in this, his last, season Massa sits four places above Button going into the final race, in 11th – you know what they say, go out on a high. His race stats are all about speed(LUCA BRUNO/AP) While it is true Button has four more GP wins and nine more podiums than Massa, the Brazilian has had two less seasons in F1 – and he still beats Button in some key race statistics. With 16 Massa has twice as many pole positions than Button, meanwhile he has had 15 fastest laps in his career compared with only eight from Button. (Luca Bruno/AP) It’s all about that consistency again too, as Massa managed to get on the podium in 69% of his completed seasons, compared with only 42% for Button. Class. He did all this and cheated death(Rui Vieira/PA) In July 2009 Massa’s career – at something of a high having finished in the top third, fourth then second in the previous three seasons – very nearly came to a tragic end. Though protected by his helmet, Massa suffered a life-threatening head injury after a spring which fell off Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn car struck him at high speed. (Petr David Josek/AP) Despite the gruesome injury Massa recovered more quickly than expected, managing to return to racing the following season eight months after the accident. Amazingly Massa managed to come sixth that season. He’s dealt with emotional turmoil too(Oliver Multhaup/AP) Only the season before that, in 2008, Massa endured the ultimate heartbreak. Seven points behind the championship leader – a young Lewis Hamilton – Massa knew going into the final race he needed to win or come second and Hamilton had to finish outside the top five and he would win the season. As Massa crossed the finishing line in first position, having qualified on pole, he believed he had won the championship, as Hamilton had made a mistake and was currently in sixth place. But in the ultimate cruel twist of fate, for the Brazilian at least, Hamilton managed to pass fifth placed Timo Glock on the second to last corner to snatch the championship from under Massa’s nose – by one point. (Oliver Multhaup/AP) Oh and this was all at the Brazilian GP – in front of his home crowd! But he’s still the nicest guy in F1(Rob Griffith/AP) We hear many of you cooing, saying “but no Button is so nice” – we’ve got news for you, Massa out-nices our smiley Brit. After Hamilton’s last-ditch victory in 2008 Massa said he wanted to meet with the young Brit to congratulate him personally, saying: “I want to meet Hamilton and his father to tell them they deserved the title.” (ALBERTO PELLASCHIAR/AP) What’s more his fellow drivers have paid tribute to the Brazilian since he announced his retirement. “He’s a really nice guy, really funny,” said Sebastian Vettel. “It’s a shame to see that he quits because he will be missed.” (Antonio Calanni/AP) His teammate Valterri Bottas said “For sure he is a very nice guy to work with, and he is still fast, a very underestimated driver.” You may have noticed a theme from some of the photos in this article also – Button likes Massa too. (Mark Baker/AP) There is a wealth of photos that show these two getting along, and we think the outgoing Briton would be more than happy for his Brazilian counterpart to steal a bit of his retirement spotlight – just for a moment at least. (Andre Penner/AP)
Abu Dhabi: When you have two of the world’s best and fastest drivers in your line-up, then the toughest job is to maintain serenity within the setup. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff so far has played the role of a shock absorber to par excellence and his ploy of rotating Nico Rosberg’s and Lewis Hamilton’s mechanics has worked as a perfect shield. Compared to previous years where one has witnessed some ugly flare-ups between the two drivers, this year both have managed their relationship better. With the title challenge down to the wire, where Hamilton needs a dramatic comeback to win and also hopes that Rosberg fails to finish on the podium to overturn his 12-point deficit, things will be super hot in the Mercedes team garage, akin to a ticking time bomb. And with the title having boiled down to the wire, Wolff will be keeping his fingers crossed, hoping that the finale would end without any glitch. “It was clear that they would be the greatest rivals for winning the Drivers’ title and we’ve seen that this weekend is somehow a bit different; you can see that there is pressure coming up, which I guess is pretty normal at this stage of the season,” said Wolff, who was however, pretty happy with the way both have gone about their business this season. “I find it very remarkable how they’ve managed the relationship between the two of them for the benefit of the team, taking into consideration that it must be very intense and very high pressure for them,” added Wolff and asserted that his move to switch his staff around was the ideal thing to do to maintain harmony among the drivers and within the team. “If you change a crew that is directly involved with a driver, such as mechanics or a number, one that a driver constantly looks at when he’s pulling out of the garage, it can have a psychological effect and we acknowledged that. It was part of our thinking when we shuffled it around. But as a matter of fact we are 1,500 people in Brixworth and Brackley and it’s about developing personnel.” Hamilton with his impressive show in the practice has clearly sent in a strong message that he will not be sparing an inch. Rosberg, more than anything, will have to sustain that constant barrage of pressure and Wolff backs the German to weather it. “Yes, Nico deals with it very well and there is nothing that somehow affects him. This is at least my impression. Whether it’s a difficult weekend, he has learnt to assess it in the right way at the right time and move on — or whether it’s a good weekend, to stay humble, both feet on the ground and try to understand why that was. “Whether spirits are high or spirits are down it was all pretty stable with him — and certainly, as far as I can see, that is one of the keys why he’s leading the championship today.”
Lewis Hamilton is gently turning the screw on Nico Rosberg this weekend, on Friday stating outright a belief he has always held - that he is simply a faster driver than the German. I have come here to be quickest, Hamilton said. I know I am quicker so it is about going and actually doing it. For sure it feels good, but it doesn't really matter if hes second, so hes probably more relaxed, whereas I am fighting and chasing. Hamilton even made a reference to the Rosbergs wins in the final three races of 2015, after the title had been decided. I wasn't pushing so much last year clearly hence why the other dude won the last few races, he said. But it was not important at the time. But I will be pushing this weekend to the max.
Lewis Hamilton has indicated that, in his heart at least, he will be the true Formula One world champion even if Sunday’s title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix goes against him. If he was to beat the odds and deny Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg a first championship, it would represent the biggest achievement of the uncompromising Briton’s stellar career. “I think in my heart I will feel - and maybe I should keep that private to myself - but I feel a certain way in my heart how I have performed,” Hamilton told reporters ahead of the season’s finale at Yas Marina. “If he is labelled ‘the world champion’ it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the way it’s labelled in my heart,” said the 31-year-old, who was quickest in both Friday practise sessions, making gestures for inverted commas. Like Rosberg, Hamilton has won nine races this campaign but unlike the German he has suffered more reliability problems. The Briton said his feelings did not mean Rosberg could not be considered a worthy winner but world champions were supposed to be “the best in all areas, all year long”. “Just like 2007, in my heart I feel like I actually won that championship,” he explained. “Whilst it doesn’t show that on paper, and people only remember who won the championship, in my heart I know and that’s good enough for me.” Hamilton missed out on the 2007 title by a point to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, taking it the next year instead. OUTSIDE CHANCE This season he has fought back from 43 points down, taken the lead and then fallen behind again before finally having a chance of becoming Britain’s first four times champion. Hamilton’s fans will always argue that without a late engine failure while leading comfortably in Malaysia, the Briton would be in charge instead of being 12 points adrift with his fate in Rosberg’s hands. Despite winning the last three races, he is well aware that Rosberg need only finish on the podium to be crowned champion. All the British bookmakers have the German as clear favourite, with Hamilton very much an outside chance. “If I was to win? Oh, by far it would be the greatest, it would be the greatest achievement of my career for sure,” he said. “It would be a battle... similar to the years and years of battle that I have had, particularly in our younger days as a family, all coupled into one year. “I never want to write a book. I get offers to do books all the time and I turn them down.... but I get excited about one day talking about this year. There are so many thoughts I have on my mind which I can’t share with you just yet,” he added.
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