Race report by Aramco

Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi

2022 season

Lance fought hard throughout the race to pick up an eighth-place finish, while Sebastian battled with some of the fiercest rivals throughout his legendary career to secure a championship point in his final Grand Prix.

2022 season

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit figures

Number of pitstops

Longest stint (laps)

280

Total laps in Abu Dhabi

1479

Total km in Abu Dhabi

Fastest lapM:S.MS

1.29.620

Lance

1.30.312

Sebastian

Max speedKM/H

314.6

Lance

319.7

Sebastian

I am happy with the performance and the result: it was a great team effort.
Lance Stroll

Abu Dhabi GP

Lance Stroll

"We had a competitive race with a good strategy today to round out the year. I am happy with the performance and the result: it was a great team effort.

"It was a shame not to pass Alfa Romeo in the Constructors' World Championship at the end. We gave it everything we could as the races ticked by and we were so close to jumping them today.

"The team here at the track and back at Silverstone did a really good job throughout the year to help us get much more out of the car in the second half of the season.

"We were able to fight for points on a much more regular basis recently and that progress is a good preparation for next year."

Overall, it has been a big and emotional weekend, so thank you to everybody for all the support.
Sebastian Vettel

Abu Dhabi GP

Sebastian Vettel

"I enjoyed the race this evening, but it was a shame that we could not quite get past Daniel [Ricciardo] at the end. The lead-up to the race was a bit different with so many tributes and activities on the grid, but once the lights went out it was full-on race mode.

"It was not an easy race because it was a close call between a one-stop and two-stop strategy. On my car, we tried to make the one-stop work, but as the tyres were getting older it was quite challenging to hold on. It was nice to fight the last couple of laps with Daniel and to have us both finishing in the points, but we just missed out on moving up a place in the Constructors' World Championship.

"Overall, it has been a big and emotional weekend, so thank you to everybody for all the support. Seeing so many flags and so many smiling faces has been very, very special. I am sure I am going to miss it more than I understand right now. The past two years have been great for me personally so thank you for all the support – all the messages, the letters and all the love in general. I will miss that but it has been an absolute joy throughout my career so thank you all again."

On behalf of all at AMF1, I want to pay tribute to Sebastian – one of our sport's all-time greats.
Mike Krack - Team Principal

Abu Dhabi GP

Mike Krack

"On behalf of all at Aston Martin, I want to pay tribute to Sebastian, who drove his last Formula One Grand Prix this evening. One of our sport's all-time greats - his four World Championships and 53 Grand Prix wins attest to that.

"He has been a brilliant driver for us this year and last, and his excellent qualifying lap yesterday and his combative race drive to P10 today showed that he has bowed out at the peak of his form. We will miss him.

"As for Lance, today he drove a strong race to P8. The five points we scored here in Abu Dhabi lifted our total to 55: not quite enough to wrest sixth place in the Constructors' World Championship from Alfa Romeo, whose points total we drew level with, because they stayed ahead of us on countback.

"Last but very far from least, I would like to say congratulations and thank you to all our staff - at the races and back at Silverstone - who worked incredibly hard all year. Next year we are determined to do better."

Your guide to Abu Dhabi

With Cognizant

Insight and Speed

Overtaking

The re-profiled corners have changed the dynamic of how a race can play out here in terms of overtaking, and these ground-effect cars are set to take that a step further again this year. Eighty percent of all passes take place at the end of the two long DRS zones – the runs down to Turns Six and Nine.

Strategy

Pirelli brings the softest three compounds to the finale. Despite the softness of the tyres and the characteristics of the circuit, tyre wear has traditionally not been particularly high here. However, wear has increased in 2022, and easier overtaking may promote additional pit-stops in the race.

Safety Cars

In its earlier years, there were not many Safety Cars in Abu Dhabi but the frequency has picked up somewhat as time has gone on. The past four races have featured three Safety Cars and three VSCs between them, so there is an increasing chance of an interruption altering the outcome of the race.

With SentinelOne

Unlocking the Lap

The first big change made to the circuit for 2021 was to what is now Turn Five. This is now a hairpin that really promotes overtaking. A lunge down the inside is possible, but this then can compromise the exit which leads onto the 1.2-kilometre back straight. Getting this right is pivotal to lap-time in qualifying.

At the end of the second DRS zone is the reprofiled Turn Nine. Long and banked, it may be possible to run side-by-side through the corner, although this is tricky and it is easy to run wide on the exit, which is detrimental to lap-time. Keeping the tyres in the temperature window is important for the next sequence.

One of the trickiest corners on the circuit is Turn 12. This has caught many drivers out over the years. Cars are still loaded through Turn 11 as drivers line the turn up before braking. But this sets up the next two corners under the Yas Viceroy Hotel. Braver drivers can catch others off guard and make a move down the inside here.