Adam Cooper F1

Oscar Piastri admits that the opening laps of the Abu Dhabi GP were “pretty miserable” as he was sent tumbling down the order.

At the start he was knocked into a spin by Max Verstappen, and then as he tried to recover he hit the Williams of Franco Colapinto, and picked up a 10-second penalty.

By the flag he had recovered to 10^th place, while victory for Lando Norris guaranteed that McLaren won the World Championship.

“Pretty miserable!”, said Piastri when asked by this writer about the opening laps. “Obviously Turn 1 was what it was. And I think on the restart with Franco, I need to look at it back, I think I just misjudged where everyone was going to brake.

“A lot of moves going on towards the braking zone. And yeah, I just think I got it wrong. So yep, that set me up for a pretty tough race and tough evening.

“But I think in the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t really matter at the moment, and just very, very proud of the whole team and what we’ve been able to achieve this year.”

Piastri accepted Verstappen’s apology for the incident.

“I think for me there was no overlap into the corner,” he said. “Max came and apologised, and the penalty speaks for itself. So it is what it is.

“Obviously, at that point, I knew I needed to try and get my way back through. I knew it was going to be going to be tough, but once I had come together with Colapinto that was pretty much the nail on the coffin for my race.

“So not the best way to end off the season for myself, but for the team couldn’t have obviously been any better.

“I’ll definitely ride the high of that and have a good off-season, like I’m sure the rest of the team will, and make sure we come in strong next year.”

Piastri admitted that being part of a title-winning team will take time to process.

“I’m sure it’ll take a little bit to sink in, as my own personal victories often take time to sink in,” he said.

“I think the junior championships I won, it didn’t sink in until sometimes days or weeks later. And I’m sure this is going to be a similar thing.

“I’m sure once we see everybody in the factory, and see the smile on everyone’s face, it’ll really start to sink in. As drivers obviously we have our eyes very firmly set on becoming drivers’ World Champions.

“But it’s also very clear how much the constructors’ championship means. And I think when we get to celebrate that with the hundreds and thousands of people back at back at McLaren, together with Mercedes HPP, that’s when it will really sink in, and the sense of pride will be there.”

Carlos Sainz admitted that he had “mixed feelings” after landing second place in the Abu Dhabi GP while Ferrari just missed out on the constructors’ title.

Sainz and team mate Charles Leclerc made the podium, but victory for Lando Norris ensured that McLaren held on to its advantage in the points.

The Spaniard will now have his first taste of the Williams FW46 in a 200kms filming day in Abu Dhabi on Monday afternoon, before he completes a full test day with the team on Tuesday.

“Obviously a bit of mixed feelings, I’m not going to lie,” said Sainz. “I think we all came into this race trying to win the constructors’ championship, and ultimately we didn’t manage to do it.

“McLaren have put together a very strong weekend. Lando hasn’t put a foot wrong all race and all weekend. And in the end, congratulations to them, because they deserve it.

“On my side, I tried to do everything I could to keep within reach of McLaren. Before the race we knew that McLaren might have one or two tenths of pace on us and that was enough to pull a bit of a gap before the pit stops or during the race to have a bit of a buffer and not to feel too much pressure.”

Sainz admitted that he thought Oscar Piastri’s first lap incident might have opened the door for Ferrari.

“I think I had a very strong first stint,” he said. “I managed to keep [Norris] within reach and within pressure margins, especially when I was told Charles was coming in a good comeback.

“Oscar had obviously that incident in lap one, I thought we might have a bit of a chance, but then little-by-little it started to fade.

“When we put on the hard tyres, like we’ve seen in many cases this year, the McLaren upped the pace a bit, and they started pulling away two/three tenths per lap, and that was enough for them to have that safety margin, and bring it home.

“And from our side, I think we did everything we could. Both Charles and I have given absolutely everything this weekend. It hasn’t been an easy weekend for me, obviously, knowing it was the last one.

“But I did the best I could to stay focused and to do the maximum that the car could do today, I think.”

He agreed that the realisation that it was his final race for Ferrari had an impact.
 
“Strange,” he said. “A bit emotional, I’m not going to lie. Probably, I would say it was more emotional the last time that I jumped in the car, in the grid. I knew that was obviously going to be my last race with a group of people that I’ve enjoyed these last four years.

“The last time that I would jump in a Ferrari car, probably, and I was just feeling emotional. I tried to remind myself to try and enjoy the race as much as possible and to give the absolute maximum for this team.”
 
Sainz admitted that he was already thinking about his first laps for Williams.

“I’m not going to lie, my last laps, as much as I was pushing like hell for this team I was already starting to feel things in the car and trying to say, remember how this feels. because tomorrow and Tuesday I need to remember why is this car quick in this corner and why does it feel good?

“Because I know probably what I’m going to find tomorrow and Tuesday needs some margin of improvement in the corners that I was feeling the car. So this just sums up that I’m already looking also ahead. I’m extremely motivated for the challenge that I have ahead of me.

“Today is a day to try and enjoy as much as possible with the team as my last day in red. We still have some days in Maranello coming up, but obviously my competitive mind is already looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and to see how I can make that Williams car faster.”

Lando Norris admitted that the thought the World Championship was “not looking as likely) after team mate Oscar Piastri was nudged into a spin by Max Verstappen on the first lap in Abu Dhabi.

The incident left Norris on his own out front with no margin for error while Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were set to bag big points.

In the end victory for Norris was enough to secure the championship despite the Ferrari drivers securing the other podium places.

“Today was a very special day for all of us,” said Norris. “It was ours to lose today and I’m sure at certain moments people thought that it was not far away from being lost. Two Ferraris up there, and Charles doing a great job to get back to the podium.

“Oscar was super unlucky. He got taken out in Turn 1. So for a minute, my heart was like, ‘Oh God, it’s not looking as likely’. But if I just kept my head down and kept focused, I knew I could deliver and do what I’d got to do.”

Norris made it clear he was proud of his contribution to the title success.

“The bigger picture of us winning a championship for the first time in 26 years,” he said. You wouldn’t have thought that when you say the name McLaren. It feels wrong to say that they’ve not won a championship in 26 years.

“But for me to be part of that, for Oscar to be part of it, is something we’re incredibly proud of. And delivering that for the team has put the biggest smile as possible on everyone’s face.

“This is the biggest reward you can give back to everyone who designs the car, builds the car, gets the partners. Everyone has played such a big part, so just proud. Pride is my biggest thing. Of course, I’m happy I finished the season this way, but I’m way more happy for the team than I am for myself.”

Charles Leclerc says he “believes in miracles” and is motivated to “do something  versy special” after a disastrous qualifying session in Abu Dhabi.

Leclerc had a 10-place penalty for taking a new battery and then lost his best lap to a track limits offence in Q2, leaving him 14^th.

He starts 19^th as Franco Colapinto was 19^th and had a five-place penalty, and thus starts behind the Ferrari.

With the McLarens on the front of the grid Ferrari’s chances of winning the 2024 constructors’ championship have faded, but Leclerc hasn’t given up.

“Obviously I don’t feel good after a qualifying like that,” he said. “I don’t think I would have managed to beat the McLarens, they were too strong, but we could have been fourth.

“Obviously I got my lap time deleted. We are not making our life any easier. However, it motivates me to do something very special tomorrow, and my goal remains the same, it’s to win the constructors’ championship, and I still believe in it as much as I did yesterday, even though on paper obviously is going to be hard.”

He added: “I believe in miracles. Again it makes our life very difficult, that’s for sure. But with the 10 grid places penalty, it was always going to be difficult.

“But I see an opportunity to do something very special, and I’ll do my best to do it. And I think, yeah, I’ll believe in it until the very last lap. Anything can happen.”

Leclerc is confident that Ferrari has a good car for the race.

“The race pace was okay, but McLaren seemed to be a lot stronger,” he said. “But again, we’ve changed quite a bit the car since FP3, so I think we went in the right direction.

“And if anything, our tyre degradation is better than others, so I would expect to go in a good position.”

Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated in qualifying in Abu Dhabi after a stray plastic bollard became stuck under his car for the last part of his final lap in Q1.

Hamilton hit it after it was dislodged by Kevin Magnussen, who cut across the inside of a corner in an effort to get out of the way.

He was left stranded in 18^th at the end of the session, but he gains two places thanks to grid penalties for Alex Albon and Charles Leclerc.

In contrast to his struggling team mate George Russell Hamilton was happy with his W15 after making set-up changes through the weekend, and thought he was in the fight for the top three.

He made his frustration clear on team radio, although later he downplayed his disappointment.

“I don’t have that many emotions,” he said when asked by this writer about his feelings in the circumstances. “I’m pretty chilled. It was an unfortunate session, and I got the bollard under the car.”

Hamilton acknowledged the special circumstances of his last weekend with Mercedes.

“I think for me I’ve just been very present, I’ve been enjoying every moment,” he said. “I’ve got the car in a really good place, the set up changes we’ve been making.

“The car has been completely different to the last five races this weekend, it’s been feeling really great. And so it is unfortunate.”

He noted that he’d been losing out in the slow last sector of the lap.

“That’s where we struggled the most as a team this weekend, but the car was feeling really good in general. In P3 I was third, and so I honestly, I thought we’re going to be fighting for podium, and my race pace was second quickest.”

He added: “It’s not going to be easy to overtake tomorrow. I’ve got to work on strategy now, and instead of fighting for a podium, let’s see how far I can get. If I can get into the top 10, that would be amazing.”

Asked how he might feel on Sunday he said: “It’s going to be like, I made it. I survived a very, very hardcore year. And kind of, I’m going to be sad not to be racing anymore this year, but hopefully next year comes around soon enough, and I’m just going to miss all these people that I got to work with.”

Veteran former Ferrari Formula 1 race engineer Dave Greenwood is to officially take up a fulltime role as Alpine’s racing director in January.

Greenwood has latterly been working for Hitech as the right hand man of boss Oliver Oakes, and he has been overseeing the F2 operation since Oakes moved into the Alpine team principal job.

Greenwood attended the recent US GP with Alpine, and in Abu Dhabi this weekend he is starting the transition into his new job, although Oakes has confirmed that he officially starts next month. He will leave his Hitech F2 job to focus solely on the F1 operation.

The new role sees him sit below Oakes and alongside executive technical director David Sanchez in the management structure.

In addition to his links with Oakes Greenwood is also the latest of a number of former Enstone staff members to have returned to the team since Flavio Briatore became involved as executive consultant.

“He’s been with me a long time,” Oakes told this writer. “He’s got a lot of F1 experience, he’s obviously returning to Enstone, and he’s been a right hand of mine for a few years.”

Defining Greenwood’s job description as racing director he added: “I think every team has a different remit. In his case, he’s in a leadership position with myself and David there.

“He’ll bring a lot of experience, as the title says across all the racing team, but also across technical and engineering as well. It’s a broad role, and it’s good to have him by my side.”

Greenwood is best known for his spell at Ferrari where he worked as Kimi Raikkonen’s race engineer, but he brings experience from several teams to the Alpine camp.

He started his F1 career as a vehicle dynamicist with BAR Honda in 2000. He joined Renault at the start of 2005 as a race and performance engineer, and was with the team through its two World  Championship seasons with Fernando Alonso.

He joined the startup Virgin/Manor team in 2010, staying with the new operation under the Marussia name until late 2014, when he joined Ferrari. He remained at Maranello until early 2018.

Greenwood then had a spell in sportscar racing, initially as technical director with Manor Endurance, before he took up a similar role with Zak Brown’s United Autosports operation.

He joined Hitech in early 2022 and was one of the key players in building up a fledgling team as Oakes tried to gain an F1 entry. When the bid was rejected the F1 operation was closed down.