Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Pre-race thread: Time to say goodbye to F1 2019

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/50436876 - BBC overview

 

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Second best 'not good enough for Ferrari', admits Mattia Binotto
Team chief Binotto "looking ahead to a very intense winter to keep building as a group" as Ferrari bid to go again for glory next season

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/11870856/second-best-not-good-enough-for-ferrari-admits-mattia-binotto

 

Charles Leclerc to outscore Sebastian Vettel? F1 team-mate head-to-heads
What's still left to play for between team-mates going into Abu Dhabi...

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/11870677/charles-leclerc-to-outscore-sebastian-vettel-f1-team-mate-head-to-heads

 

The only real question is which Ferrari will finish fifth and which will finish sixth. The last race of the season will be between the Mercedes and the Red Bulls.

 

Just imagine, 20 years in the future, we'll look back and not even remember this year, since it will be just another lost Ferrari year during the current turbo era, another Mercedes win, another HAM win (before his record 7th or 8th or whatever WDC he ends up with). Ouch.

Just maybe it will be known as LEC' first year in red, before he ran off 7 straight titles too!

 

Race Stewards

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track layout

- Length of lap: 5.554km
- Lap record: 1:40.279 (Vettel, Red Bull, 2009)
- Start line/finish line offset: 0.115km
- Total number of race laps: 55
- Total race distance: 305.355km
- Pitlane speed limits: 80km/h in practice, quali, and the race.


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Race Itinerary

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Poles and podiums and fastest laps

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Number of components used prior to the AbuDhabiGP

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Steiner says they've offered Kubica a back-up position for 2020, no Haas drivers signed for 2021.

Haas have an offer on the table for Robert Kubica to join the team for 2020, and team principal Guenther Steiner hopes for an answer by “next week”.

Kubica will leave Williams at the end of 2019 after a disappointing season, but one which saw the Polish driver return against all odds following the severe injuries he suffered in a 2011 rally crash.

He is yet to finalise his 2020 plans, but Haas have given Kubica the chance to serve as a development and test driver for 2020, and though Steiner accepts that it’s a big decision, he’s hoping to have an answer by “next week”.

“At the moment, that’s a little bit on stand by,” Steiner is quoted by GPToday.net when asked about the Kubica situation.

“There is no developments in the last two weeks and I hope we get news next week.

“It’s more from his side, he needs to decide on what he wants to do. We are patiently waiting and it is what it is. It’s a big decision and we respect that.”

There has been talk that the deal could include the chance of Kubica earning a race seat for 2021, but Steiner made it clear that no driver line-up for 2021 has been agreed.

“If you delay or stop something now, you will never catch up,” he said. “Nobody is certain to be here in 2021 because nobody is certainly signed so I think everybody is making the same comments.

“We haven’t signed anyone by the way but as soon as you do they’re fine with it because you have no leverage.

“It’s a little bit of a game. It’s not my decision what to do in 2021 but you cannot stop thinking about what we are going to do so you cannot stand by. You do everything like you would in 2021 otherwise the time you will never make back.”

 

They needed to be educated on this lol ???


Binotto: Vettel/Leclerc know F1 Brazil clash unacceptable after meeting

 

Good morning gents...that looks a nice track.

Anyone have the World Time graphic to view it live??
We have a huge Ferrari Festival, in Houston Texas USA that morning, and early afternoon.

As to the season, my "Long View" is that we have learned that one mistake, is too many.
And there were many....one each event is enough.

Heartbreaking to see Seb's car broken at COTA, and the Track getting blamed.
Personally I think there is maintenance to be done , as the Lemans cars commented as well.

 

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/26082657/espn-f1-tv-broadcast-schedule-2019
The schedules for the upcoming races are listed below (all times Eastern).

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Practice 1 - Friday, November 29 - 3:55 AM - ESPN2
Practice 2 - Friday, November 29- 7:55 AM - ESPNU
Practice 3 - Saturday, November 30 -4:55 AM -ESPN2
Qualifying - Saturday, November 30 - 7:55 AM - ESPN2

Pit Lane Live - Sunday, December 1 - 6:30 AM - ESPN3
On The Grid - Sunday, December 1 - 7:30 AM- ESPN2
Race - Sunday, December 1 - 8:05 AM - ESPN2

 

Ah thanks so much!!

A 7:00AM breakfast in the Weight Room, then!
Well before the Ferrari Event.

Thx so much....

 

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I’ve heard rumours RK got a similar offer from Racing Point.

 

Yeah, but what's the point of all that ?

 

End of not just the racing season.......

Might be why VB seemed to struggle this season.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/10441234/f1-valtteri-bottas-marriage-wife-emilia/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=sunsportfacebook281119&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1574938835

 

Very sorry to read this. He certainly made a warm statement reference her support to him. In the face of something emotionally painful that was very intimate and loving.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/147381/bottas-gets-abu-dhabi-grid-drop-for-new-power-unit

Valtteri Bottas will take a grid drop for the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi with Mercedes having elected to fit a brand new powerunit for this weekend.

The Finn retired from the last race in Brazil with an engine problem that was triggered as the result of high oil consumption.

The broken powerunit was flown back to Mercedes' engine headquarters in Brixworth for checks to see if it could be used again, but it was discovered that it could not be saved.

With Bottas's other powerunits at the end of their mileage and unable to get him through the Abu Dhabi race weekend, Mercedes had no choice other than to bring a brand new engine to use for the last race of the season.

The team confirmed the Finn would start from the back of the grid.

 

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/28182581/leclerc-seb-gone-left-knows-it

Leclerc: 'Seb shouldn't have gone to the left, and he knows it'

Go Charles!!

 

Kerching for Mrs Porridge?

 

Sorry about that VB.
Divorce is never easy and always expensive and painful.
Unless you are a “family lawyer” obvs.