2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton signed off the 2018 F1 World Championship with victory in Abu Dhabi, finishing ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. The finale combined a commanding performance from the champion with dramatic incidents and emotional farewells across the grid.

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:34.794
Fastest lap
Driver	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Time	1:40.867 on lap 54
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari
Third	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
23 November 2018	Practice 1	13:00 – 14:30
23 November 2018	Practice 2	17:00 – 18:30
24 November 2018	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
24 November 2018	Qualifying	17:00 – 18:00
25 November 2018	Race	17:10

All times are local (UTC+04:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Both championships were settled before the field reached the Yas Marina Circuit, but the battle for third in the drivers’ standings and several midfield positions remained open. The finale also marked the end of important partnerships at Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, Renault, Sauber and McLaren.

Race entries

The regular 20 drivers contested the final race. Antonio Giovinazzi replaced Charles Leclerc at Sauber for FP1, while Robert Kubica drove Sergey Sirotkin‘s Williams. Several race drivers were preparing for their last appearance with their current teams.

Free Practice

Max Verstappen led FP1 with a 1:38.491, followed by Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull Racing made a strong start in the warmer daytime conditions.

Valtteri Bottas headed the more representative evening FP2 with a 1:37.236. Max Verstappen was just 0.044 seconds behind, with Daniel Ricciardo third.

Lewis Hamilton moved to the top in FP3, recording a 1:37.176. Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel followed as the final qualifying preparations were completed.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP1, 23 November 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:38.491	27
2	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.454s	19
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.961s	29
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.052s	26
5	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	+1.611s	26
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.744s	21
7	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.926s	24
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.962s	21
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+2.097s	21
10	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.172s	24
11	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.180s	17
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+2.532s	24
13	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	+2.584s	23
14	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+2.646s	26
15	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+3.002s	22
16	36	Antonio Giovinazzi	Sauber	+3.171s	24
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.437s	22
18	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+3.623s	22
19	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+3.822s	16
20	40	Robert Kubica	Williams	+4.501s	26

Free Practice 2 Classification

2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP2, 23 November 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:37.236	37
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.044s	32
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.192s	31
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.207s	35
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.225s	40
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.333s	39
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+0.824s	30
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+0.994s	36
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.082s	30
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	+1.166s	33
11	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.270s	32
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.275s	37
13	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.489s	35
14	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	+1.570s	31
15	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+1.595s	33
16	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+1.721s	35
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.266s	36
18	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.702s	18
19	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.810s	33
20	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+3.699s	39

Free Practice 3 Classification

2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP3, 24 November 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:37.176	17
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.288s	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.411s	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.571s	15
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.757s	16
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.914s	11
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.128s	13
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.674s	15
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.794s	16
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	+1.835s	7
11	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	+1.877s	15
12	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+1.898s	18
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+2.106s	10
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.436s	13
15	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.564s	12
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.798s	13
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.821s	20
18	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.941s	18
19	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+3.057s	14
20	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+4.006s	22

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton claimed the last pole of the season with a 1:34.794. Valtteri Bottas completed an all-Mercedes front row, while Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen locked out the second row for Ferrari.

Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth ahead of Max Verstappen. Romain Grosjean, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg completed the top ten, setting up several midfield contests beneath the floodlights.

Qualifying Classification

2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying, 24 November 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:36.828	1:35.693	1:34.794	19
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:36.789	1:36.392	1:34.956	19
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:36.775	1:36.345	1:35.125	18
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:37.010	1:36.735	1:35.365	18
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:37.117	1:36.964	1:35.401	16
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:37.195	1:36.144	1:35.589	14
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:37.575	1:36.732	1:36.192	15
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	1:37.124	1:36.580	1:36.237	20
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	1:36.936	1:36.814	1:36.540	18
10	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:37.569	1:36.630	1:36.542	15
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	1:37.757	1:36.982	—	9
12	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:37.619	1:37.132	—	14
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:37.934	1:37.309	—	12
14	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	1:37.255	1:37.541	—	12
15	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:37.890	1:37.743	—	15
16	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	1:37.994	—	—	9
17	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:38.166	—	—	9
18	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:38.577	—	—	9
19	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	1:38.635	—	—	6
20	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:38.682	—	—	6

What happened in the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton held the lead at the start, but the opening lap was interrupted by a frightening accident. Contact between Nico Hülkenberg and Romain Grosjean sent the Renault rolling into the barriers, where it came to rest upside down. Hülkenberg escaped unhurt and the safety car was deployed.

Kimi Räikkönen‘s final Ferrari race ended with an electrical problem on lap seven. The resulting virtual safety car gave Lewis Hamilton an opportunity to stop early, leaving him to manage a long final stint.

Max Verstappen recovered from a poor start and fought his way back towards the leading group. Daniel Ricciardo extended his opening stint much further than the other front-runners, briefly leading before making his stop.

Valtteri Bottas lost ground in the second half of the race. Sebastian Vettel moved past him, followed by Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, leaving the Mercedes driver to finish fifth after another tyre change.

Lewis Hamilton kept control to take his 11th victory of the season, with Sebastian Vettel second and Max Verstappen third. Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth in his last Red Bull Racing race, while Carlos Sainz delivered sixth on his final outing for Renault.

Charles Leclerc took seventh for Sauber ahead of Sergio Perez, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. Fernando Alonso finished just outside the points in his McLaren farewell. Hamilton ended the year on 408 points, Vettel on 320 and Kimi Räikkönen on 251, while Mercedes completed the season with 655 constructors’ points to Ferrari‘s 571.

2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race results

The 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on 25 November 2018, with a scheduled start of 17:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	55	1:39:40.382	25
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	55	+2.581s	18
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	55	+12.706s	15
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	55	+15.379s	12
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	55	+47.957s	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	55	+72.548s	8
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	55	+90.789s	6
8	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	55	+91.275s	4
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	54	+1 lap	2
10	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	54	+1 lap	1
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	54	+1 lap	0
12	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	54	+1 lap	0
13	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	54	+1 lap	0
14	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	54	+1 lap	0
15	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	54	+1 lap	0
Ret	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	46	Engine	0
Ret	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	44	Engine	0
Ret	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	24	Power loss	0
Ret	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	6	Power loss	0
Ret	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	0	Collision	0

Fernando Alonso received three five-second penalties for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Esteban Ocon received one five-second penalty for the same offence.

2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	54	18:51:36	1:40.867	198.225
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	42	18:31:37	1:40.953	198.056
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	35	18:19:13	1:41.249	197.477
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	54	18:52:44	1:41.351	197.278
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	18:49:50	1:41.357	197.267
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	51	18:46:36	1:41.909	196.198
7	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	53	18:51:58	1:42.393	195.271
8	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	53	18:51:19	1:42.816	194.467
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	53	18:51:56	1:42.822	194.456
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	54	18:53:01	1:42.876	194.354
11	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	54	18:53:38	1:43.195	193.753
12	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	53	18:52:22	1:43.249	193.652
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	41	18:30:48	1:43.591	193.012
14	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	54	18:54:22	1:43.831	192.566
15	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	42	18:32:42	1:43.988	192.276
16	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	53	18:52:21	1:44.033	192.192
17	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	53	18:52:19	1:44.174	191.932
18	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	5	17:25:45	1:45.198	190.064
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	22	17:57:07	1:46.077	188.489

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h. No championship point was awarded for fastest lap in 2018.

2018 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2018 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	408
2	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	320
3	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Ferrari	251
4	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	249
5	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	247
6	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Red Bull Racing	170
7	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	69
8	Sergio Perez	MEX	Force India / Racing Point Force India	62
9	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	56
10	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Renault	53
11	Fernando Alonso	ESP	McLaren	50
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Force India / Racing Point Force India	49
13	Charles Leclerc	MON	Sauber	39
14	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	37
15	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Toro Rosso	29
16	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	McLaren	12
17	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	Sauber	9
18	Lance Stroll	CAN	Williams	6
19	Brendon Hartley	NZL	Toro Rosso	4
20	Sergey Sirotkin	RUS	Williams	1

2018 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	655
2	Ferrari	571
3	Red Bull Racing	419
4	Renault	122
5	Haas	93
6	McLaren	62
7	Racing Point Force India	52
8	Sauber	48
9	Toro Rosso	33
10	Williams	7
EX	Force India	0

The original Force India entry was excluded from the championship before the Belgian Grand Prix and its 59 constructors’ points were forfeited. Racing Point Force India entered as a new constructor from Belgium; the drivers retained their points.

2018 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2018 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	25 March
2	2018 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	8 April
3	2018 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April
4	2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	29 April
5	2018 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
6	2018 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
7	2018 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
8	2018 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	24 June
9	2018 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	1 July
10	2018 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
11	2018 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July
12	2018 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	29 July
13	2018 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	26 August
14	2018 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	2 September
15	2018 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	16 September
16	2018 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 September
17	2018 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	7 October
18	2018 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	21 October
19	2018 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	28 October
20	2018 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	11 November
21	2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	25 November