2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Must-know statistics, trivia and insights[F1-Gate.com]

The 2023 F1 World Championship concludes with this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after an action-packed world tour. Ahead of the season’s ending, check out Formula1.com’s Need to Know collection of stats, trivia, insights and more. The first two practice sessions at Yas Marina Circuit will take place on Friday 24th November, followed by final practice and qualifying on Saturday 25th November and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday 26th November.

Key statistics ■ First event: 2009 ■ Track length: 5.281 km ■ Lap record – Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2021, 1 minute 26.103 seconds ■ Most pole positions – Lewis Hamilton (5) ■ Most wins – Lewis Hamilton Hamilton (5 wins) ■Trivia: Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Max Verstappen clinched their first F1 title in Abu Dhabi. ■Pole run to turn 1 braking point – 194 m■Number of overtakes completed in 2022 – 113■Safety car introduction rate – 38% *■Virtual safety car introduction rate – 38% *■Pit stop time loss – 22.12 seconds *Driver verdict from the last eight Abu Dhabi GPs Jolyon Palmer (former Renault F1 driver): The circuit used to be very nasty, but now there are no wayward chicanes like Turns 5 and 9. As a result, the circuit is faster and better suited for racing. Braking into Turn 6 and exiting Turn 9 present opportunities for overtaking. The trickiest part was the triple right corner towards the end of the lap. It’s blind braking into Turn 12, so it’s easy to make a mistake. Although the corners are wider, Turn 13 is still tricky and getting your car positioned correctly is important. The final sector is in many ways the least fun to drive, but it’s where you win or lose. Abu Dhabi GP Pole Sitter Past 5 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2020 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2019 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) Past 5 Abu Dhabi GP Winners 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2020 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2019 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) Verstappen 2021 He has won the last three races in Abu Dhabi, including his first title in 2015. The key to strategy and set-up Bernie Collins (former Aston Martin F1 strategist): Abu Dhabi is another twilight race. This means that the track temperature drops during the second practice, qualifying, and race sessions. It all starts with sunset and progresses into full nighttime conditions. As it is the last race of the season, the atmosphere in the paddock will be different, with many drivers and team members stopping to talk to colleagues about their holiday plans and while it will be their last race for their team or in F1. do. Some features of this venue are that the pit lane passes under the track at turn one and exits at turn two. On the other hand, radio and GPS signals can be weak in the hotel section, which is often the point where drivers consider a pit stop. Abu Dhabi boasts the fifth highest DRS efficiency of the campaign, particularly with recent circuit changes made to facilitate overtaking and enable multi-stop strategies. However, since the second DRS detection point is located at the exit of the 7th corner, it is more difficult to operate than by setting up a detection point when entering a corner while braking, as it restricts the number of cars that press the accelerator. Other considerations include the lack of a practice start at the end of the pit lane, the need to manage traffic in the twisty final sector (particularly in qualifying), and the risk of a safety car being introduced due to the large run-off area. This is due to the fact that the number of races is low, and the reliability of the machines is high because the race is held in the second half of the season. As the sun sets on the 2023 season, another challenge lies ahead for drivers. Current form At the last Las Vegas Grand Prix, Max Verstappen took his 18th win of the season and 20th for the Red Bull team, with the Milton Keynes outfit surpassing Mercedes’ record of 19 wins in 2016 (albeit one less race). ). If Verstappen or teammate Sergio Perez wins this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Red Bull’s winning record will rise to 91.3%, second only to the 1988 McLaren MP4/4 (93.75%) in its 73-year history. . Given Verstappen’s past three wins at the Yas Marina circuit and Red Bull’s advantage this season, Red Bull is likely to win all but one race in 2023. However, there are still two championships left behind Mercedes, who are confirmed as world champions, so their rivals will be keen to make an impression in the final race of the season and maximize their points returns. . Mercedes is battling for second place in the constructors’ race, just four points behind Ferrari, with just 11 points separating McLaren and Aston Martin for fourth place. Meanwhile, in the driver’s category, there is a 12 point difference between fourth to seventh place between Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.