The longest season in Formula 1 history is about to come to an end – and what a season it’s been. We’ve enjoyed podiums, fastest laps, pole position and, of course, our first win since 2012. We’re looking to sign off the season in style at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and we’ve already got a head start with our one-off McLaren Racing x Vuse livery that’s sure to turn heads all weekend.

So, for one last time this season, get up to speed ahead of the grand prix with our preview. It’s got the thoughts of McLaren F1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo and Team Principal Andreas Seidl going into the final round, the lowdown on our eye-catching new livery and changes to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, plus more details on our epic Christmas competition.

How to follow

What they say

“I’m looking forward to Abu Dhabi after a disappointing weekend in Saudi Arabia. I think we deserved a lot more and hopefully that luck turns this weekend. It’s a new layout at Abu Dhabi, so I’m excited to try it out. We had a good one there last year, hopefully we can end the season strongly there again this year.”

“One last time out for the season in Abu Dhabi, I’m looking forward to getting back on track so quickly after the last. I’m hopeful the changes to the circuit should improve the racing, which could make it exciting on Sunday. After a strong result on Sunday last weekend, I’m aiming to score some more decent points and end the season on a high.”

“After a long year of racing, we head to Abu Dhabi ready to give it our all one last time this season. We can be proud of the progress we’ve made this year. At the outset of the season, our aim was to continue to further close the gap to the front of the field and we’ve managed to achieve that. But the job isn’t done yet and with one grand prix left to race, there’s still the opportunity to maximise our performance and score good points. This weekend we’ll be racing with a one-off livery too, marking the launch of our partner Vuse’s Driven By Change campaign. I can’t wait to see it out on track under the lights. Let’s go racing!”

What the stats say

Lando goes into this weekend having bagged his 300th career point in F1 last time out. He’s achieved that tally in just 59 starts, giving him an average of 5.08 points per race. He’ll be hoping for more this weekend having never finished outside the points at the Yas Marina Circuit, while Daniel has finished in the points here on six occasions – fourth place in 2014 and 2018 his highest finishes in the race to date.

Elsewhere on the grid, McLaren alumnus Lewis Hamilton heads into the title decider tied on points with rival Max Verstappen. This has only happened once before in the history of F1: when Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni were fighting for the 1974 title. Emmo came out on top in the decider to secure the team’s first F1 drivers’ and constructors’ titles.

What to watch out for

Well, obviously our striking new livery for this weekend. We’ve teamed up with our Principal Partner, Vuse, to create a special, one-off livery for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Designed by emerging artist Rabab Tantawy, the bespoke livery will be the first time the work of a female, UAE-based artist has appeared on an F1 car at a grand prix. Tantawy’s design features her distinctive Nubian Series blended with the team’s iconic papaya and blue colourway. The eye-catching livery marks the launch of McLaren Racing and Vuse’s new #DrivenByChange programme: a joint initiative to provide mentorship and a global platform for emerging artists, lacking in representation, to showcase their talents to motorsport fans all around the world.

Like the MCL35M, the Yas Marina Circuit has undergone a bit of a makeover. The original Turn Seven hairpin has been widened and the chicane preceding it removed; what was Turns 11, 12, 13 and 14 have morphed into one long, banked corner; and Turns 17, 18, 19, and 20 – now 12, 13, 14, 15 – have all had their radius increased to create a faster flowing section of the track. The significant redesign and reprofiling is aimed at increasing overtaking. What’s more, the changes are estimated to have made the circuit about 14 seconds faster.

Finally, this weekend marks the end of the current generation of Formula 1 car, with the cars set to change drastically in 2022 due to new regulations. Savour all the mind-bendingly intricate aerodynamic furniture and flick-ups – if you’re into that sort of thing – because they’re largely going to be a thing of the past from next season, as are the current 13-inch tyres (which have been used in F1 for over half a century) because we’re stepping up to 18-inch rims in ’22.

What to wear

Nothing! Well, not exactly nothing. We’re not expecting you to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the buff – unless, of course, you want to. What we mean is we just don’t have a new item on the McLaren Store to tell you about this week. But what we can tell you about is that you’ll be automatically entered into a prize draw to win a signed 1/2-scale helmet if you make a McLaren Store purchase by 13 December, which only sweetens the deal if you’re about to do your Christmas shopping.

Plus one

So you know how in last week’s race preview we told you that we were putting the finishing touches to our epic Christmas competition? Well, the day you’ve all been waiting for is almost here. No, not Baby Jesus’ birthday, the launch of the competition! It’s set to go live on Friday 10 December, and we can finally reveal some of the prizes you could get your hands on. We’re talking caps, T-shirts, posters and more, all signed by Lando or Daniel – there are even some posters signed by the boss himself, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown! Make sure you sign up to McLaren Plus using the form below to be the first to enter and in with a chance of being one of our 25 lucky winners.

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