2020 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - As it happened

FOLLOW CRASH.NET'S LIVE COVERAGE OF THE 2020 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16.
Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16.
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CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CRASH.NET's F1 COVERAGE OF THE 2020 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX

For the 17th and final time in 2020, F1 takes to the track as the United Arab Emirates plays host to this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

A compressed campaign due to the COVID-19 outbreak earlier in the year has meant we've had 17 races in just 23 weeks.

After missing last weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix following a positive COVID test, Lewis Hamilton is set to return to action with Mercedes alongside Valtteri Bottas.

 

 

George Russell returns to Williams, while Jack Aitken is forced to take to the sidelines again.

Romain Grosjean will miss his final F1 race as he continues to recover following his massive shunt in the Bahrain Grand Prix, allowing Pietro Fittipaldi to make his second grand prix start.

Mick Schumacher will get a taste of this year's Haas F1 car as he replaces Kevin Magnussen in FP1.

The battle for second in the drivers' championship is still on with Bottas leading Max Verstappen by 16 points.

In the constructors', Racing Point holds a 10-point lead over McLaren in the race for third.

What to expect from this weekend?

Pirelli has nominated the C3, C4 and C5 tyres for this weekend's race - the softest three tyres in its allocation range.

Mercedes has won every Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2014, having taken pole position in each one.

Another race in the desert means don't expect any rain throughout the race weekend.

Mario Isola, Pirelli's head of F1 said ahead of this weekend: "The teams are very familiar with the Yas Marina circuit, which should allow them to extract maximum performance straight away to decide the final championship positions. The fastest lap in the 10-year previous F1 history of the track was set last year in qualifying, so it will be interesting to see if that benchmark is lowered even further this weekend.

"There will also be an emphasis on testing: both with the 2021 tyres in FP2, which the teams previously tried on Friday in Bahrain nearly two weeks ago, and at the post-season test, which will take place on Tuesday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 2021 tyre test should provide very useful data and the post-season one should allow drivers to get familiar with the car for what will hopefully be a much more normal 2021."

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