F1 Talk: Time to race one more time; Robert Kubica returns

One race remains in the 2018 F1 season and hopefully it will end on a high after a dramatic and eventful year. As it has done since 2014, Abu Dhabi plays host to the final round of the season. I personally wouldn’t have Abu Dhabi as the finale but that’s a topic for another day.

There are lots of talking points coming into the weekend: Can Valtteri Bottas win a race this year? Can Daniel Ricciardo end his Red Bull career on the podium? (or even a win) How will Fernando Alonso fare in this final race? May Kimi Raikkonen end his time at Ferrari with a victory? All will be answered this weekend.

20 drivers will do battle for one last time around the 3.4 mile Yas Marina Circuit which has two long straights to try and aid overtaking but a nasty third sector which has endless 90 degree bends. It puts a lot of stress on the cars (to find the right balance) but is horrible in terms of creating good racing.

Ferrari have never won at Abu Dhabi with Red Bull and Mercedes taking multiple wins since F1 went there in 2009. McLaren and Lotus took wins in 2011 and 2012 respectively with Lewis Hamilton and Raikkonen. Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton both have three wins each with Bottas winning last year.

Hamilton may find it tough to make it four wins in Abu Dhabi. Mercedes say that Hamilton was one lap away from an engine failure in Brazil and damage was done to the power unit. They will test it in FP1 to see if the engine is okay but from what I have read, I think Hamilton will likely take a grid penalty because it will be too much of a risk to run the engine for qualifying and the race, especially if the engine has to be turned up at times.

Mercedes may have struggled anyway to be honest. Tyre wear is still a weakness for them and it’s taken some masterful driving from Hamilton to get them out of trouble. The Yas Marina Circuit should favour Ferrari as they seem to have the best acceleration out of the corners which will really help this weekend. Red Bull will be strong as well, especially on Sunday.

The three softest compounds are being used in Abu Dhabi (the hypersoft, the ultrasoft and the supersoft) which will play into Red Bull’s hands as they use their tyres brilliantly and can keep them in the operating window.

Ricciardo still hasn’t had a podium since Monaco and knows Sunday could be his last opportunity to be on the podium for a while. But Max Verstappen won’t give him a Christmas present that early and with the form he has shown recently, he will almost certainly be fighting for the win that escaped him in Brazil.

Ferrari will be trying to take some momentum into 2019. For Vettel, more than anybody else on the team, a win is needed. We all know Vettel hasn’t had a good season at all, but this doesn’t mean he can’t win the championship next year. Don’t be surprised if Vettel dominates the weekend.

The big news this week came in the form of confirmation that Robert Kubica will make his return to F1 in 2019 with Williams. I cannot say how happy I am about this news. Kubica has been through so much in the last 10 years and he has done a full circle to get back behind the wheel of an F1 car.

He was centimetres away from not being with us today, and now at the age of 33, he will be on the grid in Melbourne ready to race and to get back to how he was before his nasty rally accident. He has said “if I didn’t think I was 100%, I wouldn’t be here.” After missing out on a drive last year, I honestly thought that the dream wouldn’t happen – but it has. It’s inspirational what Kubica has done and it’s excellent news for F1, for Williams and for the fans.

I do feel a little bit sorry for Sergey Sirotkin because he hasn’t been awful this year. I still believe he has been better than Lance Stroll (who will be at Racing Point Force India in 2019). But, to have Kubica is simply amazing news. It’s not just a motorsport story but a human story; the comeback and recovery is extraordinary

Without being a bit half glass empty over this, I fear that he will struggle next year, especially against (to be) F2 champion George Russell. For now though, it’s a feel good story and the whole F1 paddock is booming about this news. Kubica will take part in FP1 on Friday before he properly restarts his F1 career in a few months time.

I can’t wait for 2019 now, with such a good driver line-up and the potential of an even better season than this one but first, everyone will want to end the season on a high and with no championship on the line, it will be all guns blazing with fireworks on and off the track.