F1 Raceweek: Hamilton hunting more records – Abu Dhabi GP in numbers
It has been another successful season for Lewis Hamilton and the newly crowned Formula One world champion has more records in his sights in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton now only trails Michael Schumacher for F1 titles, and the Mercedes man has already overtaken the German’s record for pole positions and front-row starts this year.
Further opportunities lie in wait at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the Briton looks to end the year on a high.
Here, we take a look at the best numbers ahead the final weekend of the 2017 campaign at the Yas Marina circuit.
#AbuDhabiGP MOST WINS
3 HAM, VET ( 2010)
1 RAI, ROS #F1FastFact #F1 pic.twitter.com/mKLtUvGHoW
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 21, 2017
– Lewis Hamilton is enjoying his best run of points scoring finishes (24 races in a row) equalling Michael Schumacher’s best run and only bettered by Kimi Raikkonen (27).
– Hamilton needs one more pole position to equal his record in a single season (12 in 2016).
– Vettel – who won his first in Abu Dhabi in 2010 – is the driver with the most wins in F1 on the Arabian Peninsula (6, one more than Hamilton).
– Raikkonen has gone 94 races without a win, the longest run from one win to the next is held by Riccardo Patrese (99).
– Force India need 23 more points to reach 1,000 in F1, they’d be the eighth team to reach this milestone.
– Mercedes have won the last three races in Abu Dhabi (twice Lewis Hamilton, once with Nico Rosberg), the longest run of any team there.
– Valtteri Bottas needs to win at Yas Marina and Sebastian Vettel finish ninth or worse to secure second place in the Championship.
– If Max Verstappen (20 years, 1 month and 24 days) secures pole in this race he would be the youngest driver to do so in F1 history, Vettel whose first pole position came at 21 years, 2 months and 11 days currently holds the record.
– Abu Dhabi will be Felipe Massa’s last race in F1 – it will be his 269th outing, putting him sixth on the all-time list.
– In Brazil, Pierre Gasly gained the joint most positions in the first lap of any driver in a first lap of a race this season (same as Max Verstappen in China, nine positions).
– If Carlos Sainz finishes ninth he will equal in four races, and with the same car, the same number of points that Jolyon Palmer earned in his first 16 (8).
