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The final race of the 2021 F1 season will be held at Abu Dhabi and by all means, the race is going to draw more eyes to it than any race has drawn this season. There’s a lot at stake in the last race as the season brings to a close some of the most dramatic races we’ve had this F1 season.
The season started under the lights of Bahrain and will end under the lights of Abu Dhabi. In between, so many battles have ebbed and flowed. All of these battles end with the checkered flag waving at the end of the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In this piece, we take a look at the top 3 key battles that are worth keeping an eye on this weekend.
F1 Abu Dhabi GP 2021: Top 3 key battles to watch out for
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#1 Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton
The battle that has run countless comparisons, speculations, expectations and surprises, has to be the biggest battle that will keep everyone hooked this weekend.
Max Verstappen is looking to secure his very first F1 world title while Lewis Hamilton is looking to secure a record eighth title in F1, the first in the sport's history. The stakes couldn’t be higher going into the last race.
Adding to this is the drama we’ve had in the last few races where we've seen Max Verstappen trying to cross a few lines here and there in extracting a lot more than is possible from his car. After what happened in the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the battle for the championship between these two drivers is surely going to take the limelight this weekend.
#2 Charles Leclerc vs Lando Norris vs Carlos Sainz Jr.
The battle for the best of the rest in F1 is yet to be decided with Charles Leclerc leapfrogging Lando Norris at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Going into the last race of the season, we have Charles Leclerc at 158, Lando Norris at 154, and Carlos Sainz Jr. at 149.5 points.
At the halfway stage of the season, Lando Norris seemed to have the position secured after a run of impressive podiums and even a pole position in Russia. But all of this was turned on its head when Ferrari introduced that new engine in Turkey.
The subsequent races have seen Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. both put together impressive drives to cut down the advantage enjoyed by Lando Norris. With just 8.5 points covering the three drivers, they are all in contention to pick up the honors this weekend.
#3 Fernando Alonso vs Esteban Ocon
A battle that has gone under the radar to an extent but could mean bragging rights for either of the drivers is the battle at Alpine between the young Frenchman Esteban Ocon and the (old?) Spanish legend Fernando Alonso.
Alonso leads the battle in the standings with 77 points to his name, but Ocon roared back into contention with a fourth position finish in Saudi Arabia to bring his tally up to 72 points. With just 5 points as the gap between the two drivers, it would not be a surprise if Esteban Ocon can bridge the gap and become the first teammate since Jenson Button to beat Fernando Alonso.
Having said that, knowing the fighter Fernando Alonso is, the Spaniard will do everything he can to make sure that does not happen.
