The 2018 F1 season is finished and can be archived as one of the best since Mercedes dominates the Formula.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was also a lot more entertaining than last years edition.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was an easy win for Lewis Hamilton, he scored his 83rd pole and 73rd race win. The British driver also added another win from pole and now has scored 47 wins from pole, which is the all time record.
The race itself started off with a clean start and a spectacular flip of Hulkenberg in the Renault, which gave the Halo pro's and con's fuel to have some more debate.
Valtteri Bottas had probably the worst race of the season in the Mercedes. He started from P2 finished on P5 and was passed on track by Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. The Finnish driver also saw his only chance of a 2018 race win going up in smoke, when he out braked himself in turn 5..
A lot of drivers drove their last Formula 1 race yesterday and will not be driving F1 in 2019. Fernando Alonso (McLaren), Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren), Sergey Sirotkin (Williams), Esteban Ocon (Force India), Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) and probably Brandon Hartley (Toro Rosso) are or will be replaced by other drivers. You can see who will driving in the 2019 season on our 2019 F1 Teams page.
We also summed up again all the driver post-race Abu Dhabi GP comments for you of all 20 Formula 1 drivers that participated in the last race of 2018.
Mercedes Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Lewis Hamilton won
Lewis concluded the 2018 Formula One season in the style he wants to start 2019: with a commanding victory!
"I haven't really thought about next year," he said. "If I'm honest, there's days where, just being human, you wish days by. I can't wait till this happens, till that happens.
Then I take a step back and I'm like 'I don't want to wish the time to go by because, jeez, it's going by so quick'. I've been with this team for six years, I can't believe it's been so quick.
I'm perplexed, because I'm in two states of mind. But I really wanted to end the season strongly. I think on a personal note I was able to do that and I'm really, really grateful.
I had great support, people around me. And then on another side, the team did an exceptional job all year long and I really, really wanted to deliver for them, race on, race off.
I really wanted to end the way that I plan to start next year, that was kind of the new psyche. So, it's been a real strong weekend which I am really happy about."
I don't think it's been a year of particularly one thing that's been learned," he said.
If anything, as I've grown, I've understood myself more, able to centre myself and sense things, and balance things better, as you get with experience.
As you make mistakes, you learn from them. I've been able to be a better me all year long. And, that's never going to stop.
I'm going to continue to try and work on that and try to work on the output, on the energy I am projecting to people, my commitment to all the different things that I have.
I've loved driving, I loved every minute of driving today. While the tyres weren't that good, I have generally loved driving the car and I really hope I have many more days to go."
Lewis had a rather unusual way of celebrating his Abu Dhabi victory... by taking his fireproof undershirt off on the podium. What was the reason behind it?
"I've always kind of wanted to do it because I wanted to show Still I Rise and I think it was the perfect moment, because that is really how it has been this year," he explained.
I really would encourage anyone who doesn't know what Still I Rise is, it's a poem, please go and read it because it applies to anyone who's stumbling and falling.
Look at Billy Monger, he's been a real inspiration to me this year. I'm sure he'll find it really strange because he probably looks up to me in the sense that he wants to be in Formula One.
But, what he's done, and so many people who have gone through difficult times, who have stumbled and got back up stronger, that's really what Still I Rise is all about.
There have been many, many times this year and I'm trying to be as big a spokesman as I can about it. That's really why I did it and yeah, I'm excited for the future."
Valtteri Bottas
"I think overall the race sums up the season quite well - started off quite well and then everything turns to s**. I had initially a lock up into Turn 5, when Sebastian got close, and then he got DRS and overtook me.
I initially thought it was purely my mistake - which in the end it was - but the wind suddenly turned around.
At the same time, the team found on the rear right brake some vibration and some issue, so the front brakes had to work harder than the rear brakes to compensate and that meant there were sudden lock-ups.
Same thing happened when I went straight and Verstappen got close. So, we still need to investigate what was exactly the issue with the brakes.
And when I touched with Max there was quite a big floor damage, we saw in the car, which made the end of the race tricky."
Ferrari Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Sebastian Vettel
"I think today’s race sums up the year pretty well: a few ups and downs and in the end just being close, but not close enough. Today,
I really tried to hang on as long as I could, but it was tough being behind Valtteri. I believe I was a little bit quicker, but it was very difficult to get close, especially in the last sector, until he had some issues and I managed to get past. We were strong in the straights and we had speed, but we were struggling in the last sector to keep up, especially in the last two corners.
At one point, I had hopes of winning the race, so I was pushing as hard as I could, but in the end it was not enough. It has been a very intense year and I think we have to look at ourselves, as there are many things that we can do better and the potential this team has is still huge."
Kimi Raikkonen
"Obviously I’m a bit disappointed. It’s not the way we wanted this last race together to finish. We wanted to do well and I think we would have had a pretty good car for the job.
Unfortunately we had an electrical issue; in the back straight, I felt I was lacking power and then everything shut down. It’s a pity but that’s how racing goes sometimes. It’s been a pretty decent season, but the four retirements were not in our plans and obviously did not help; we wanted more for sure.
I want to thank all the Ferrari fans who always gave me a lot of support. We went through good and bad times together, and this makes it all the more interesting. Of course we wanted a better finish, but that’s part of the sport. We will always have the memories of winning the Drivers’ Championship and two Constructors Championship together."
Red Bull Racing Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Max Verstappen
“It wasn’t easy from the start, the engine had a bit of an issue which meant we lost a few places in the opening lap. It was a good launch but then I think it went into some sort of protection mode, we switched a sensor off and it seemed to be ok for the rest of the race.
Once we had sorted the problem I was able to get on the attack and enjoy some really nice overtaking, especially passing Bottas. I don’t think he saw me on the inside so we ended up touching, luckily we both escaped with no damage.
It is hard to follow here so although I got close, I never really had a shot at getting past Seb. I struggled in the closing laps a bit because I couldn’t see. My visor was covered in oil from the back of Pierre’s car, if I wiped it, it made it worse, it was like driving through fog. Luckily the tyres held on until the end and I managed to finish my season with another podium.
Everyone is ready for a bit of a break now, so we will take some time off once testing is complete, and come back refreshed and ready for a new challenge in 2019.”
Daniel Ricciardo
“I would have loved to sign-off this chapter with a podium, so I can’t be ecstatic with fourth and there is a little disappointment there.
I led for a while which was fun but staying out put me out of touch with the leaders. I don’t think we had much of a choice, maybe we could have pitted early and kept track position but nobody thought the Supersofts would hold on like they did.
The pace advantage after I pitted was strong but it fell away quite quickly and I couldn’t make a big enough impact on Max or the leaders. My thoughts are still on the race but once I cool off I will reflect on the last five years with the Team. I would have loved a championship with them but Red Bull brought me my first pole, victory and podium. Everything I have done in F1 is down the them and I’m incredibly grateful for that.
The moment before the race with everyone in the garage showing their love and appreciation was really cool and that’s certainly something I will never forget. I thank the Team for the last five years and Red Bull for the last 10. I would have loved to drink out of my shoe and celebrate with the Team one last time, but now I close this chapter with thanks and love for everyone in the Red Bull family.”
Renault Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Carlos Sainz (started P11 - finished P6)
Carlos Sainz Jr
“Today was a really great result for us and this sixth place feels a bit like pay back for France and Mexico. We deserve it!
I had a very strong pace all the way and it was a perfectly executed race. We achieved fourth in the Constructors’ Championship and it is a very big result for us. This last race of the season firmly demonstrates all the progress made this year. I leave this team feeling very happy with what we’ve achieved and as a driver it makes me especially motivated.
This was my last race with the Renault team and I thank everyone for the last year and a half. I’m not leaving the family and look forward to continue to see many of my Renault colleagues as I join McLaren.”
Nico Hulkenberg
“It was frustrating to be out of the race so early today and ultimately to finish the season this way having worked so hard with the team all weekend. It looks spectacular when cars flip but luckily it wasn’t a high impact crash. It was a racing incident; I didn’t see Grosjean – I thought that he went off the track and I took the apex, but the tyres touched and I flipped to go upside down.
Overall it has been a good positive season for us with strong points. The team got fourth today in the Constructors’ Championship and I got seventh in the Drivers’; on paper, the best season in my career.
I am very pleased about the progress we have made this season. It’s been great working with Carlos, he’s been an excellent team-mate. I’ve enjoyed the season a lot and look forward to an even better one next year, also with Daniel joining the team. It will be very exciting.”
Sauber Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Charles Leclerc
“I think that there was more in the race for us today, but we rounded off the season with a decent P7 and some more points.
I would like to thank the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for this incredible year and everything they have taught me. It has been great to work together and to see all of the effort reflected in the progress we have made.
We can all be proud to have been part of it, and I wish them all the best for the future.”
Marcus Ericsson
“The race did not end as I would have liked it to, and it is disappointing to have had to retire from it.
We started on the hardest compound and I struggled with the balance a bit in the first stint. Just a few laps before I had to retire the car started feeling better and the pace was good. It would have been great to continue like that and score some more points today, but I am still happy with our performance.
It has been a long year and I am very thankful for the hard work put in by the team. We should all be very proud of this season and the incredible progress we made. It has been my best season so far in Formula One and I will always remember it.”
Racing Point Force India Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Sergio Pérez (started P14- finished P8)
Sergio Pérez
“Considering everything that has happened this weekend, I am pleased to finish inside the points. I’ve not been happy with the car and I’ve not had the pace we expected. We just never solved the balance issue and I think there could be some damage somewhere in the car.
The start of the race was very important and after a strong first lap I was up inside the top ten. After that, the strategy worked as planned and my main competition was Leclerc. I was very close to him in the final few laps, but I just didn’t have the pace to overtake him.
I am pleased we could protect the seventh place in the team’s championship and it was important to end the season with some points.”
Esteban Ocon
“It’s a very frustrating way to end the season. Everything was going well, we had some fantastic battles and overtakes, and the pace we had was really good.
We weren’t on the best strategy because we had to start on the Hypersoft tyres, but we had managed to recover well and we were looking good for a finish in the points. We did everything right as a team but sadly the car had an oil leak which forced us to retire. That’s how racing is: days like these are disappointing, but they make you stronger.
I am grateful for all the support I have received from the fans, people inside the sport and of course inside the team this season.”
Haas Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Romain Grosjean
“It was complicated after the damage on the first lap. Obviously, there was (slight damage to) the front wing and maybe more.
I’m glad Nico (Hulkenberg) was OK, though. The car was not easy to drive today, but I’m very happy that Kevin finished 10th today, so we both finished in the points. We’ve got such a great relationship in the team.
We enjoy being together and, for the team to finish with double points, that’s great. Obviously, you always want more, and I think today more was achievable. But considering the damage to the car, I’m quite happy with where we were.”
Kevin Magnussen
“I’m very happy with the season. It’s easy to forget how young this team is. We’re only in our third year.
We set a goal this season to take a step forward, which for us would have been seventh in the championship. But we’ve scored fifth comfortably.
We’ve been strong all year. We challenged the likes of Renault and Force India all the way to the end. I’m very happy with that.
The year has exceeded expectations.”
McLaren Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Fernando Alonso
“It has been a very intense and good few days. I think I still need a couple of days to take everything in that I’ve lived and this weekend will always be in my heart. There have been so many nice things prepared for me from Formula 1, from my team and from the fans. I’ve been extremely busy, and didn’t have the right time for myself to think about what was going on.
“Thanks also to Lewis and Sebastian for the nice in-lap all together. It was quite emotional. I have a lot of respect for them, they are great champions and I feel very privileged to have raced with them for most of my career.
“Today it was a good race, focusing on tyre management, fuel saving, and fighting for points until the last lap. All my career I have always been fighting, sometimes in competitive cars, sometimes not, but I’ve never given up. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and for having raced for the best teams in the world.
“Thank you to my fans and all the people who have followed me over the past 18 years. I felt a lot of support and respect for me and this is something I take very seriously. I feel honoured.
“But, I’m not stopping racing. I love motorsport, so don’t give up on me!”
Stoffel Vandoorne
“No points today to finish the year, but nevertheless it was a pretty good race. I had fun out there today – we knew it was going to be a tough one for us, especially without there being many incidents. We fought very hard and closed in on a couple of cars, and that was a really enjoyable part of the race. I fought like hell to keep cars behind!
“I’m happy with what we did this year with what we had. It’s great to finish the season – today we gave everything and now I’m happy to see the chequered flag. Unfortunately, we weren’t quick enough for points, but that was always going to be the case. I’m happy with how the race went, I gave it everything.
“It’s time to celebrate a little bit and then time to move on to something fresh. I’m sure tomorrow my head will switch to my new challenge. I’m looking forward to it.”
Toro Rosso Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Brendon Hartley
"Unfortunately, my race was kind of over on the first lap. I didn't have anywhere to go with the crash into Turn 8 and I had to go off track to avoid the cars in front. I ran into some debris and damaged the front wing, so I had to stop on the first lap and then did a whole race on one set of tyres with the old spec front wing, which was always going to be an uphill battle.
I managed the tyres well, but after the issue on lap one, P12 was pretty much the maximum we could manage. I've finished the year a lot stronger than I started it as the past few races have been great, however today didn't work out as planned.
I'm happy with my progression throughout the season and I feel like I've come out of this year a stronger individual and racing driver."
Pierre Gasly
"It has been a difficult weekend for us between qualifying and the race. A few laps to the end we had an issue where smoke started to come out of the car, I don't know exactly what happened, but until that point it was a really fun race and I was enjoying it.
I started 17th and managed to move up the field to P10 and fight with Romain who finished P9, but unfortunately we ended the season the same way we started it, with a DNF. It was a bit emotional today because it was my last race with Toro Rosso.
I've had a great season with them and Honda and I really wanted to finish well. Overall, it was a positive season from my side, I really enjoyed working with Toro Rosso and I will remember the good weekends we had together
. I'm excited to start a new chapter with Red Bull Racing next year but, still, I will miss the guys here: they gave a lot to me and they're great people who have a lot of passion for what they do...it was a big pleasure to work with them!"
Williams Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Lance Stroll (started P20 - finished P13)
Lance Stroll
"I was very pleased with the start and the race in general and happy with my performance, but it was another one of those races where we just didn't have enough pace to pick up points.
It was challenging, but I thought for the package we had it was a good race and I am happy to have been fighting with the McLarens and to have finished in front of one of them.
We went really long in the first stint, which was good, but the wind picked up a little bit in the second stint and really impacted the performance of the car on the ultrasoft tyre, so I went downhill from there. Now I shall recharge my batteries as it has been a long year."
Sergey Sirotkin
"It was a really bad race. I didn’t get the best start and straight away I lost a lot of ground and wasn’t in the best position for the next sequences of corners.
I had problems with the car overheating so for one third of the race I had to do massive cooling. It was such a painful race, such a painful stint. I was trying my best to cool it down as quick as I could but as other cars pitted and came out behind me,
I tried to fight, protect and cool the car at the same time and it was a mess. I didn’t enjoy it. It has been a very, very painful race. I really wanted to enjoy it and it’s just so painful to finish the season like this."
See complete 2018 Abu Dhabi F1 GP Results
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The 2018 F1 season is finished and can be archived as one of the best since Mercedes dominates the Formula.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was also a lot more entertaining than last years edition.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was an easy win for Lewis Hamilton, he scored his 83rd pole and 73rd race win. The British driver also added another win from pole and now has scored 47 wins from pole, which is the all time record.
The race itself started off with a clean start and a spectacular flip of Hulkenberg in the Renault, which gave the Halo pro's and con's fuel to have some more debate.
Valtteri Bottas had probably the worst race of the season in the Mercedes. He started from P2 finished on P5 and was passed on track by Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. The Finnish driver also saw his only chance of a 2018 race win going up in smoke, when he out braked himself in turn 5..
A lot of drivers drove their last Formula 1 race yesterday and will not be driving F1 in 2019. Fernando Alonso (McLaren), Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren), Sergey Sirotkin (Williams), Esteban Ocon (Force India), Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) and probably Brandon Hartley (Toro Rosso) are or will be replaced by other drivers. You can see who will driving in the 2019 season on our 2019 F1 Teams page.
We also summed up again all the driver post-race Abu Dhabi GP comments for you of all 20 Formula 1 drivers that participated in the last race of 2018.
Mercedes Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Lewis Hamilton (started P1 - finished P1)
Lewis Hamilton won
Lewis concluded the 2018 Formula One season in the style he wants to start 2019: with a commanding victory!
"I haven't really thought about next year," he said. "If I'm honest, there's days where, just being human, you wish days by. I can't wait till this happens, till that happens.
Then I take a step back and I'm like 'I don't want to wish the time to go by because, jeez, it's going by so quick'. I've been with this team for six years, I can't believe it's been so quick.
I'm perplexed, because I'm in two states of mind. But I really wanted to end the season strongly. I think on a personal note I was able to do that and I'm really, really grateful.
I had great support, people around me. And then on another side, the team did an exceptional job all year long and I really, really wanted to deliver for them, race on, race off.
I really wanted to end the way that I plan to start next year, that was kind of the new psyche. So, it's been a real strong weekend which I am really happy about."
I don't think it's been a year of particularly one thing that's been learned," he said.
If anything, as I've grown, I've understood myself more, able to centre myself and sense things, and balance things better, as you get with experience.
As you make mistakes, you learn from them. I've been able to be a better me all year long. And, that's never going to stop.
I'm going to continue to try and work on that and try to work on the output, on the energy I am projecting to people, my commitment to all the different things that I have.
I've loved driving, I loved every minute of driving today. While the tyres weren't that good, I have generally loved driving the car and I really hope I have many more days to go."
Lewis had a rather unusual way of celebrating his Abu Dhabi victory... by taking his fireproof undershirt off on the podium. What was the reason behind it?
"I've always kind of wanted to do it because I wanted to show Still I Rise and I think it was the perfect moment, because that is really how it has been this year," he explained.
I really would encourage anyone who doesn't know what Still I Rise is, it's a poem, please go and read it because it applies to anyone who's stumbling and falling.
Look at Billy Monger, he's been a real inspiration to me this year. I'm sure he'll find it really strange because he probably looks up to me in the sense that he wants to be in Formula One.
But, what he's done, and so many people who have gone through difficult times, who have stumbled and got back up stronger, that's really what Still I Rise is all about.
There have been many, many times this year and I'm trying to be as big a spokesman as I can about it. That's really why I did it and yeah, I'm excited for the future."
Valtteri Bottas (started P2 - finished P5)
Valtteri Bottas
"I think overall the race sums up the season quite well - started off quite well and then everything turns to s**. I had initially a lock up into Turn 5, when Sebastian got close, and then he got DRS and overtook me.
I initially thought it was purely my mistake - which in the end it was - but the wind suddenly turned around.
At the same time, the team found on the rear right brake some vibration and some issue, so the front brakes had to work harder than the rear brakes to compensate and that meant there were sudden lock-ups.
Same thing happened when I went straight and Verstappen got close. So, we still need to investigate what was exactly the issue with the brakes.
And when I touched with Max there was quite a big floor damage, we saw in the car, which made the end of the race tricky."
Sebastian Vettel (started P3 - finished P2)
Sebastian Vettel
"I think today’s race sums up the year pretty well: a few ups and downs and in the end just being close, but not close enough. Today,
I really tried to hang on as long as I could, but it was tough being behind Valtteri. I believe I was a little bit quicker, but it was very difficult to get close, especially in the last sector, until he had some issues and I managed to get past. We were strong in the straights and we had speed, but we were struggling in the last sector to keep up, especially in the last two corners.
At one point, I had hopes of winning the race, so I was pushing as hard as I could, but in the end it was not enough. It has been a very intense year and I think we have to look at ourselves, as there are many things that we can do better and the potential this team has is still huge."
Kimi Raikkonen (started P4 - DNF)
Kimi Raikkonen
"Obviously I’m a bit disappointed. It’s not the way we wanted this last race together to finish. We wanted to do well and I think we would have had a pretty good car for the job.
Unfortunately we had an electrical issue; in the back straight, I felt I was lacking power and then everything shut down. It’s a pity but that’s how racing goes sometimes. It’s been a pretty decent season, but the four retirements were not in our plans and obviously did not help; we wanted more for sure.
I want to thank all the Ferrari fans who always gave me a lot of support. We went through good and bad times together, and this makes it all the more interesting. Of course we wanted a better finish, but that’s part of the sport. We will always have the memories of winning the Drivers’ Championship and two Constructors Championship together."
Red Bull Racing Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Max Verstappen (started P6 - finished P3)
Max Verstappen
“It wasn’t easy from the start, the engine had a bit of an issue which meant we lost a few places in the opening lap. It was a good launch but then I think it went into some sort of protection mode, we switched a sensor off and it seemed to be ok for the rest of the race.
Once we had sorted the problem I was able to get on the attack and enjoy some really nice overtaking, especially passing Bottas. I don’t think he saw me on the inside so we ended up touching, luckily we both escaped with no damage.
It is hard to follow here so although I got close, I never really had a shot at getting past Seb. I struggled in the closing laps a bit because I couldn’t see. My visor was covered in oil from the back of Pierre’s car, if I wiped it, it made it worse, it was like driving through fog. Luckily the tyres held on until the end and I managed to finish my season with another podium.
Everyone is ready for a bit of a break now, so we will take some time off once testing is complete, and come back refreshed and ready for a new challenge in 2019.”
Daniel Ricciardo (started P5 - finished P4)
Daniel Ricciardo
“I would have loved to sign-off this chapter with a podium, so I can’t be ecstatic with fourth and there is a little disappointment there.
I led for a while which was fun but staying out put me out of touch with the leaders. I don’t think we had much of a choice, maybe we could have pitted early and kept track position but nobody thought the Supersofts would hold on like they did.
The pace advantage after I pitted was strong but it fell away quite quickly and I couldn’t make a big enough impact on Max or the leaders. My thoughts are still on the race but once I cool off I will reflect on the last five years with the Team. I would have loved a championship with them but Red Bull brought me my first pole, victory and podium. Everything I have done in F1 is down the them and I’m incredibly grateful for that.
The moment before the race with everyone in the garage showing their love and appreciation was really cool and that’s certainly something I will never forget. I thank the Team for the last five years and Red Bull for the last 10. I would have loved to drink out of my shoe and celebrate with the Team one last time, but now I close this chapter with thanks and love for everyone in the Red Bull family.”
Renault Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Carlos Sainz (started P11 - finished P6)
Carlos Sainz Jr
“Today was a really great result for us and this sixth place feels a bit like pay back for France and Mexico. We deserve it!
I had a very strong pace all the way and it was a perfectly executed race. We achieved fourth in the Constructors’ Championship and it is a very big result for us. This last race of the season firmly demonstrates all the progress made this year. I leave this team feeling very happy with what we’ve achieved and as a driver it makes me especially motivated.
This was my last race with the Renault team and I thank everyone for the last year and a half. I’m not leaving the family and look forward to continue to see many of my Renault colleagues as I join McLaren.”
Nico Hulkenberg (started P10 - DNF)
Nico Hulkenberg
“It was frustrating to be out of the race so early today and ultimately to finish the season this way having worked so hard with the team all weekend. It looks spectacular when cars flip but luckily it wasn’t a high impact crash. It was a racing incident; I didn’t see Grosjean – I thought that he went off the track and I took the apex, but the tyres touched and I flipped to go upside down.
Overall it has been a good positive season for us with strong points. The team got fourth today in the Constructors’ Championship and I got seventh in the Drivers’; on paper, the best season in my career.
I am very pleased about the progress we have made this season. It’s been great working with Carlos, he’s been an excellent team-mate. I’ve enjoyed the season a lot and look forward to an even better one next year, also with Daniel joining the team. It will be very exciting.”
Sauber Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Charles Leclerc (started P8 - finished P7)
Charles Leclerc
“I think that there was more in the race for us today, but we rounded off the season with a decent P7 and some more points.
I would like to thank the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team for this incredible year and everything they have taught me. It has been great to work together and to see all of the effort reflected in the progress we have made.
We can all be proud to have been part of it, and I wish them all the best for the future.”
Marcus Ericsson (started P12 - DNF)
Marcus Ericsson
“The race did not end as I would have liked it to, and it is disappointing to have had to retire from it.
We started on the hardest compound and I struggled with the balance a bit in the first stint. Just a few laps before I had to retire the car started feeling better and the pace was good. It would have been great to continue like that and score some more points today, but I am still happy with our performance.
It has been a long year and I am very thankful for the hard work put in by the team. We should all be very proud of this season and the incredible progress we made. It has been my best season so far in Formula One and I will always remember it.”
Racing Point Force India Abu Dhabi 2018 comments
Sergio Pérez (started P14- finished P8)
Sergio Pérez
“Considering everything that has happened this weekend, I am pleased to finish inside the points. I’ve not been happy with the car and I’ve not had the pace we expected. We just never solved the balance issue and I think there could be some damage somewhere in the car.
The start of the race was very important and after a strong first lap I was up inside the top ten. After that, the strategy worked as planned and my main competition was Leclerc. I was very close to him in the final few laps, but I just didn’t have the pace to overtake him.
I am pleased we could protect the seventh place in the team’s championship and it was important to end the season with some points.”
Esteban Ocon (started P9 - DNF)
Esteban Ocon
“It’s a very frustrating way to end the season. Everything was going well, we had some fantastic battles and overtakes, and the pace we had was really good.
We weren’t on the best strategy because we had to start on the Hypersoft tyres, but we had managed to recover well and we were looking good for a finish in the points. We did everything right as a team but sadly the car had an oil leak which forced us to retire. That’s how racing is: days like these are disappointing, but they make you stronger.
I am grateful for all the support I have received from the fans, people inside the sport and of course inside the team this season.”
Romain Grosjean (started P7 - finished P9)
Romain Grosjean
“It was complicated after the damage on the first lap. Obviously, there was (slight damage to) the front wing and maybe more.
I’m glad Nico (Hulkenberg) was OK, though. The car was not easy to drive today, but I’m very happy that Kevin finished 10th today, so we both finished in the points. We’ve got such a great relationship in the team.
We enjoy being together and, for the team to finish with double points, that’s great. Obviously, you always want more, and I think today more was achievable. But considering the damage to the car, I’m quite happy with where we were.”
Kevin Magnussen (started P13 - finished P10)
Kevin Magnussen
“I’m very happy with the season. It’s easy to forget how young this team is. We’re only in our third year.
We set a goal this season to take a step forward, which for us would have been seventh in the championship. But we’ve scored fifth comfortably.
We’ve been strong all year. We challenged the likes of Renault and Force India all the way to the end. I’m very happy with that.
The year has exceeded expectations.”
Fernando Alonso (started P15 - finished P11)
Fernando Alonso
“It has been a very intense and good few days. I think I still need a couple of days to take everything in that I’ve lived and this weekend will always be in my heart. There have been so many nice things prepared for me from Formula 1, from my team and from the fans. I’ve been extremely busy, and didn’t have the right time for myself to think about what was going on.
“Thanks also to Lewis and Sebastian for the nice in-lap all together. It was quite emotional. I have a lot of respect for them, they are great champions and I feel very privileged to have raced with them for most of my career.
“Today it was a good race, focusing on tyre management, fuel saving, and fighting for points until the last lap. All my career I have always been fighting, sometimes in competitive cars, sometimes not, but I’ve never given up. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and for having raced for the best teams in the world.
“Thank you to my fans and all the people who have followed me over the past 18 years. I felt a lot of support and respect for me and this is something I take very seriously. I feel honoured.
“But, I’m not stopping racing. I love motorsport, so don’t give up on me!”
Stoffel Vandoorne (started P18 - finished P14)
Stoffel Vandoorne
“No points today to finish the year, but nevertheless it was a pretty good race. I had fun out there today – we knew it was going to be a tough one for us, especially without there being many incidents. We fought very hard and closed in on a couple of cars, and that was a really enjoyable part of the race. I fought like hell to keep cars behind!
“I’m happy with what we did this year with what we had. It’s great to finish the season – today we gave everything and now I’m happy to see the chequered flag. Unfortunately, we weren’t quick enough for points, but that was always going to be the case. I’m happy with how the race went, I gave it everything.
“It’s time to celebrate a little bit and then time to move on to something fresh. I’m sure tomorrow my head will switch to my new challenge. I’m looking forward to it.”
Brandon Hartley (started P16 - finished P12)
Brendon Hartley
"Unfortunately, my race was kind of over on the first lap. I didn't have anywhere to go with the crash into Turn 8 and I had to go off track to avoid the cars in front. I ran into some debris and damaged the front wing, so I had to stop on the first lap and then did a whole race on one set of tyres with the old spec front wing, which was always going to be an uphill battle.
I managed the tyres well, but after the issue on lap one, P12 was pretty much the maximum we could manage. I've finished the year a lot stronger than I started it as the past few races have been great, however today didn't work out as planned.
I'm happy with my progression throughout the season and I feel like I've come out of this year a stronger individual and racing driver."
Pierre Gasly (started P17 & DNF)
Pierre Gasly
"It has been a difficult weekend for us between qualifying and the race. A few laps to the end we had an issue where smoke started to come out of the car, I don't know exactly what happened, but until that point it was a really fun race and I was enjoying it.
I started 17th and managed to move up the field to P10 and fight with Romain who finished P9, but unfortunately we ended the season the same way we started it, with a DNF. It was a bit emotional today because it was my last race with Toro Rosso.
I've had a great season with them and Honda and I really wanted to finish well. Overall, it was a positive season from my side, I really enjoyed working with Toro Rosso and I will remember the good weekends we had together
. I'm excited to start a new chapter with Red Bull Racing next year but, still, I will miss the guys here: they gave a lot to me and they're great people who have a lot of passion for what they do...it was a big pleasure to work with them!"
Lance Stroll (started P20 - finished P13)
Lance Stroll
"I was very pleased with the start and the race in general and happy with my performance, but it was another one of those races where we just didn't have enough pace to pick up points.
It was challenging, but I thought for the package we had it was a good race and I am happy to have been fighting with the McLarens and to have finished in front of one of them.
We went really long in the first stint, which was good, but the wind picked up a little bit in the second stint and really impacted the performance of the car on the ultrasoft tyre, so I went downhill from there. Now I shall recharge my batteries as it has been a long year."
Sergey Sirotkin (started P19 - finished P15)
Sergey Sirotkin
"It was a really bad race. I didn’t get the best start and straight away I lost a lot of ground and wasn’t in the best position for the next sequences of corners.
I had problems with the car overheating so for one third of the race I had to do massive cooling. It was such a painful race, such a painful stint. I was trying my best to cool it down as quick as I could but as other cars pitted and came out behind me,
I tried to fight, protect and cool the car at the same time and it was a mess. I didn’t enjoy it. It has been a very, very painful race. I really wanted to enjoy it and it’s just so painful to finish the season like this."
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