The 2014 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit is Sunday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 am EDT. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be shown on NBC Sports this Sunday morning but for race fans out there that will not have be in front of the TV when the lights go out, be sure to catch the live stream online by signing up for NBC Sports LiveExtra here.
It has been an electrifying Formula 1 season and we can hardly believe that the Formula 1 driver's world championship title fight will come down to the final Grand Prix at Abu Dhabi. Lewis Hamilton is currently leading the points score at 334, but Nico Rosberg is only trailing behind by 17 points.
So what does a 17 point gap mean for Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg ahead of Abu Dhabi? If Nico Rosberg finishes 1st, Lewis must finish 2nd to win the 2014 championship title. If Nico Rosberg finishes 2nd, Hamilton has to finish no lower than 5th to win the title. Finally, if Nico Rosberg fails to finish any higher than 6th, then Hamilton will become champion by default.
The pressure is on for the two Mercedes drivers but it looks like Nico Rosberg managed to take the early advantage during qualifying after he clinched what is arguably the most important pole position of his career thus far. Towards the end of Q3, Lewis Hamilton made an error at the penultimate corner due to a lock up that caused him to run wide. This costly error caused Lewis Hamilton's fastest lap to be 0.4 seconds behind Rosberg's flawless 1m 40.480s. In fact, the formidable Valtteri Bottas almost managed to outqualify Lewis Hamilton as well. Bottas in his Mercedes-powered Williams was fastest through the first two sectors of his final flying lap. However, Lewis Hamilton dominated the second half of the lap to stay ahead of the Williams team.
“I'm not particularly disappointed with [my performance],” answered Lewis Hamilton in a post-qualifying interview, “Of course, you always want to be on pole as that's what we work for. I had good pace throughout practice - and particularly on the long runs, which is comforting - then Q1 and Q2 was good. Q3 was just about not putting a comfortable lap together - it wasn't really a lot of mistakes or anything, just not a great lap. Nico did a great job, but we're still there for the fight tomorrow.”
“Of course pressure is one of the hopes that I have,” reflected Rosberg on his crucial pole against his teammate. “If Lewis feels the pressure and makes the mistakes as a result, a bit like today – I haven't seen it but if you're saying that – and a bit like Brazil, that's the sort of opportunities that I'm looking for and I'm going to try and push for. I'm going to push flat-out all the time to try and keep the level extremely high. That's all I can do really. Try and go for the win and keep the pressure on.”
Williams driver Felipe Massa also demonstrated an immensely quick pace and will start fourth on the grid alongside teammate Bottas for Sunday. The Red Bulls lock out the third row. Shockingly, Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat qualified 5th, just behind Sebastian Vettel, who he will be replacing at Red Bull Racing for the 2015 season.
Next, due to silly contract negotiations, Jenson Button is without a confirmed ride next year and Abu Dhabi may or may not be the final race in his Formula 1 career. Despite the distractions, Button managed to qualify 8th and is the sole McLaren that will start within the top 10 on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen outqualified teammate Fernando Alonso on the fifth row.
The 2014 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is Sunday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 am EDT. Be sure to catch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix live stream online by signing up for NBC Sports LiveExtra here. Be sure to watch the post-qualifying press conference below. As a bonus, don't miss the interview with McLaren head Ron Dennis regarding his new 2015 driver's lineup as Fernando Alonso will join the legendary Woking team.
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