After Mercedes’ Brazil woes have been adopted up by misfortune and missed possibilities in Vegas, Toto Wolff is eyeing a podium return for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in Abu Dhabi to fend off Ferrari within the standings; watch Sunday’s Abu Dhabi GP stay at 1pm on Sky Sports F1

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is hopeful the group may have tempo to return to the rostrum at this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi GP, as they purpose to carry off Ferrari for second place within the Constructors’ Championship.

Mercedes’ benefit over their Italian rivals has come down to only 4 factors – the identical because it was after 2023’s season-opening race in Bahrain again in March – after a Las Vegas GP race day which didn’t go their manner regardless of the W14 displaying much-improved tempo in comparison with the race earlier than in Brazil.

Lewis Hamilton, who completed seventh, twice misplaced floor in unlucky collisions whereas George Russell noticed fourth place changed into eighth by a five-second penalty for colliding with Max Verstappen.

Ferrari completed second with Charles Leclerc and sixth with Carlos Sainz, that means they outscored Mercedes by 16 factors to carry themselves into hanging distance within the standings for Sunday’s Abu Dhabi finale.

“Sad to say yet another time that we had pace but just no result,” Wolff advised Sky Sports F1 about Mercedes’ Las Vegas GP.

“George after the incident with Verstappen, where he got the penalty, that was pretty much game over. [The car had] pace for the front. Maybe not [to challenge] Max, but behind. It is what it is.”

On Abu Dhabi, Wolff added: “We have seen pace-ish today. I think we hopefully can recover and score solid podiums.”

Two years on from the controversial conclusion to the 2021 drivers’ title race in Abu Dhabi, when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton began stage on factors, Wolff, in a thinly veiled swipe at former race director Michael Masi, added to the written media: “We are going there pretty much on equal points – with a proper race director, so that should be fine – and let’s race.

“It’s all right down to the final weekend. They are very fast, they’ve accomplished job. I feel we may have been on par [in the Las Vegas race] however the consequence reveals one thing completely different. So let’s race.

“To be honest, it’s good to have P2 as a positive to finish the season, but P2, P3 for me, that it doesn’t make it better for me.”

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With Red Bull completely dominant this season, Mercedes and Ferrari – the winners of 24 constructors’ titles between them – have needed to revise their pre-season targets downwards and every try to at the least safe the subsequent greatest place on provide, even when, as Wolff alludes, ending second will in the end not be trigger for explicit celebration.

But along with sporting delight, there are helpful prize cash issues too – the distinction between second and third within the Constructors’ Championship is considered within the area of $10m.

Since overtaking fast-starting Aston Martin for second within the groups’ standings at June’s Spanish GP, Mercedes have seen their benefit over third place fluctuate amid the season’s unpredictable race-to-race pecking order behind Red Bull.

Ferrari had been a season-high 56 factors behind Mercedes after July’s Hungarian GP however have whittled that hole down to only 4 within the 10 races since.

After a problematic begin to the 12 months, group boss Frederic Vasseur says the best way the factors hole has come down reveals Ferrari are on a “good path”. But he additionally made clear, that whereas Vegas went nicely for them, “Abu Dhabi will be another story”.

“Four points is nothing or a lot,” added Vasseur.

“We were able to perform in Monza, in Singapore, in Austin, in Mexico, during this weekend on different tracks with different race conditions, different [tyre] compounds, and we can be more than motivated before Abu Dhabi.

“The momentum is for us and let’s see what happens.”

The combat is a task reversal of final 12 months when it was Ferrari who have been defending second from Mercedes going into the Abu Dhabi finale, albeit holding a bigger 19-point lead. However, the Scuderia outscored their rivals at Yas Marina to substantiate the runner-up Red Bull.

Which automobile will Abu Dhabi go well with?

Ferrari’s superior straight-line pace shall be vital once more at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, so they are going to be very fast within the first half of the lap which additionally options the Turn Five hairpin, the place Max Verstappen overtook Hamilton within the controversial 2021 Grand Prix, and the Turn Six-Seven chicane.

One of Ferrari’s greatest strengths is traction out of the gradual corners, so they may even be a menace to Red Bull as soon as once more right here.

It’s the second half of the lap which options extra flowing, medium-speed turns which ought to carry Mercedes again into play. However, the corners have been opened up forward of the 2021 race, so the ultimate sector shouldn’t be that technical anymore.

Overall, Ferrari are going to have the outright tempo, significantly over one lap, and it is only a case of will there be sufficient tyre put on for Mercedes to come back again at Leclerc and Sainz over a protracted stint.

Sky Sports F1’s stay Abu Dhabi GP schedule

Thursday November 23

• 11am: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday November 24

• 7am: F2 Practice
• 9am: Abu Dhabi GP Practice One (session begins at 9.30am)
• 10.55pm: F2 Qualifying
• 12.45pm: Abu Dhabi GP Practice Two (session begins at 1pm)
• 2.15pm: The F1 Show

Saturday November 25

• 10.15am: Abu Dhabi GP Practice Three
• 12.15pm: F2 Sprint
• 1.15pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying build-up
• 2pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying
• 4pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday November 26

• 9.10am: F2 Feature Race
• 11.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Abu Dhabi GP build-up
• 1pm: The ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
• 3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP response
• 4pm: Ted’s Notebook

After the thrills of Las Vegas, Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit for the 2023 season finale and one other gorgeous spectacle beneath the lights. Watch the Abu Dhabi weekend stay on Sky Sports F1, with lights out on Sunday at 1pm. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW