Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix 2018: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More
November 24, 2018
The final race of the 2018 Formula One season is upon us, with the drivers set to battle it out at the Yas Marina Circuit in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The drivers' championship and constructors' championship have long been decided, so Sunday's main battle should be for third and fourth place in the driver standings, with Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen still in the running.
Channel 4 F1 shone a light on the situation:
Channel 4 F1® @C4F1There's still several spicy battles remaining in the drivers' championship, particularly between Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen for P3 👀 Bottas is 14 points behind Raikkonen and only three points ahead of Verstappen 😋 Game on! 🥊 #C4F1 🇦🇪 #AbuDhabiGP https://t.co/nlDlEvtlhO
Date: Sunday, Nov. 25
Start Time: 12:10 p.m. GMT/7:10 a.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports F1 (UK), Channel 4 (UK), ESPN2 (U.S.)
For a full drivers list, visit the Formula One website.
The main focus leading up to Sunday's race has been on the 2019 season, with teams finalising their lineups and plans for the future.
Next season will see the triumphant return of Robert Kubica, a fan-favourite making an unlikely comeback:
BBC Sport @BBCSportOne of sport's greatest comebacks. Eight years ago, Robert Kubica suffered a partially severed right arm, among many other injuries, in a rally crash. He still has partial movement in that limb, but will race for Williams in 2019. ➡️ https://t.co/9ZhSOYCSOS https://t.co/lEbyPKO34w
Mercedes have also confirmed Esteban Ocon will return to the Silver Arrows in a reserve role, likely setting him up as a replacement for Bottas in 2020:
There's racing still to be done, however. The Yas Marina Circuit has served up plenty of excellent races over the years―although overtaking has been a problem, as it has been with numerous modern Hermann Tilke tracks―and the combination of gorgeous setting and day turning to night during the race should provide a fitting end to the year.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have won this race a record three times, and both made the podium last year behind Bottas. The Finn will be gunning for a similar result, as he has some ground to make up on Raikkonen.
Mercedes are expected to back Bottas this weekend after a difficult season that saw him move over for Hamilton on several occasions.
He showed his pace in Friday practice:
Bottas' battle to hold off Ocon for a seat in 2020 will start on Sunday, and a win in Abu Dhabi could be just what he needs entering the winter months.