Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 2:00 pm
The last race of the 2024 Formula 1 season is just around the corner. Max Verstappen managed the freestyle in Qatar last weekend after winning the title in Las Vegas, with the Dutchman securing the race victory ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.
On the hard tire, a thrilling duel with Lando Norris has begun. The McLaren driver was able to match the pace of the four-time world champion for the entire race, but received a stop-and-go penalty during a caution phase and dropped to tenth place.
The McLaren was the fastest car on almost every track. I will also be keeping an eye on Norris again in the season finale. He also wants to secure the team world championship for McLaren.
In my Formula 1 Abu Dhabi GP betting tip, I see the Briton at least in the top 3. Behind him should come his team-mate, who, however, has not been able to keep up with Norris’ pace in the last few races. Instead, I predict that Verstappen will make it to the podium from fourth place. Oddset offers the appropriate odds.
Last week was quite chaotic. Collisions, debris on the track and tire blowouts. In total, Bernd Mayländer had to deploy the safety car three times. The finale is also likely to be action-packed.
McLaren and Ferrari are battling it out for the title in the constructors’ championship, while in the midfield, Alpine, Haas and the Racing Bulls are still fighting for important positions and millions.
Test: Starting lineup for the Abu Dhabi GP
Before I go into the odds of victory in detail, I’ll start by mentioning the classics from Interwetten. We get odds of 1.67 for at least one safety car deployment.
I also find the option that under 18.5 drivers will finish in the final classification interesting again. The odds, which are always in the 1.80 range, have been a good choice in recent races.
Abu Dhabi, the race that begins at sunset and ends in the pitch-black night, has long been a cult event in the premier class of motorsport.
Since 2009, the season finale has been held at the desert circuit. Only in 2012 and 2013 did it take place in Brazil as in previous years.
The scenes of Sebastian Vettel, Verstappen or Nico Rosberg celebrating their first world championship title here after a thrilling race are unforgettable.
Norris leads the field after pole, and McLaren was also ahead in the long run. A one-two victory is very likely. However, Piastri’s performances were not consistent enough for me over the course of the season.
Nevertheless, he is ranked second behind Norris (1.63) in the victory odds overview (4.30). Behind them comes Verstappen (5.75), who would have achieved second place in the qualifying without a mistake in the last corner. But he should be able to pass Sainz quite quickly and then chase the McLarens.
For Mercedes, on the other hand, things got worse and worse after the one-two victory in Las Vegas. Russell was able to get a third place in the sprint of Qatar, but after that the pace was missing in the race to achieve a podium finish.
The warmer it gets, the worse it is for the Silver Arrows, because of “massive understeer when there is too much grip on the track”, as team principal Toto Wolff himself revealed on Sky. The task for 2025 is to eliminate this weakness.
The last 5 races at the Yas Marina Circuit:
And Ferrari? They were the clear number two, especially at the beginning of the season, but were then rarely able to benefit from the problems of the Red Bulls and could not quite keep up with the pace of the McLarens.
The race in Abu Dhabi should be a reflection of the season for the Scuderia. I don’t expect Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to be at the front, but I think the 2.00 for Sainz missing the podium is great for a Sunday combination ticket.
The bet is also available at Oddset, where you can get a first-class new customer bonus.
I also expect a strong finish from Alpine. Pierre Gasly came in third in the rain of Sao Paulo and in Doha he easily made it into the points even in dry conditions. He owed his confident fifth place partly to the safety car chaos.
But it would have been enough for the top 10 even without that. I definitely think the Frenchman can score points again, and we are getting odds of 1.36 for it, combi ticket material.
The 2.62 offered for Magnussen is not bad either. The Dane may be starting outside the top 10, but Hülkenberg showed what the Haas is capable of with fourth place in qualifying. It is not unlikely that he will finish in the points. Besides, a few retirements are always possible at the front.
Conclusion: McLaren should wrap up the Constructors’ Championship. Norris in particular should be able to take first place. However, it shouldn’t take long for the Dutchman to appear larger in McLaren’s rearview mirror.
Can he actually challenge for victory? That’s hard to say. After all, McLaren has dominated the weekend. Ultimately, Piastri has often been a few tenths of a second per lap behind Norris in the races.
In any case, I am convinced that the four-time world champion can at least overtake Sainz. Ferrari has been behind Red Bull’s pace all weekend, and if Verstappen hadn’t made a rare mistake, he wouldn’t even be starting ahead of the Red Bull star.
So my Formula 1 Abu Dhabi GP tip is: Verstappen in the top 3
