The 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is in the books – along with the 2018 Formula One season – and the race was a microcosm of the season as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won with relative ease while his main rival, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was second, but never challenged Hamilton for the race victory.
Hamilton was the pole-sitter and after an early crash by Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg allowed him to pit early, he was never seriously challenged after all the pit stops of the main contenders were finished by Lap 34 of the 55-lap race. Vettel and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen passed the ailing car of Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, late in the race to achieve their podium positions. With that in mind, ASN awards the points in the finishing order. Hamilton had long ago won the ASN title and merely pads his winning margin over Vettel.
The Pastor Maldonado Driving School Award goes to Hulkenberg, who flipped his car trying to squeeze Haas’ Romain Grosjean in a corner. Verstappen had already clinched the Maldonado title for 2018.
The Kimi Raikkonen “Leave Me Alone! I Know What I Am Doing!” Award was up for grabs in a tight race between McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, Hamilton and Verstappen but it was looking like the winning entry was going to go to Hulkenberg for saying he was “laying like a cow” while upside down and awaiting his car to be flipped until Verstappen’s pit told Verstappen not to tell them to listen. That was the front-runner until Alonso finally came through with only a few laps left in the race and his pit imploring him to race for 10th place and the point that goes along with it, to which Alonso replied – “I have 1800 points.” – and then promptly responded by getting penalized twice for short-cutting chicanes. Alonso wins the 2018 ASN Kimi Raikkonen title.
The Bernie Ecclestone Doofus Moment Award was another category up for grabs between Hamilton and Verstappen and it goes to Hamilton for his part in the post-race doughnut-fest with him, Vettel and Alonso playing out their hickbilly NASCAR alter egos. That third-of-a-point was all he needed to repeat as Doofus title winner for another season.
2018 ASN Formula One Driver Standings – after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
1] Lewis Hamilton – 38 points
2] Sebastian Vettel – 26
3] Max Verstappen – 18
4] Kimi Raikkonen – 15
5] Valtteri Bottas – 13
6] Daniel Ricciardo – 9.33
7] Sergio Perez – 3
8] Pierre Gasly – 2.33
9] Nico Hulkenberg – 2
10] Charles Leclerc – 1
11] Stoffel Vandoorne – .33
2018 Pastor Maldonado Driving School Award – after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
1] Verstappen – 6.83 points
2] Grosjean/Hulkenberg/Vettel – 2
5] Bottas – 1.5
6] Esteban Ocon/Perez/Sergey Sirotkin/Vandoorne – 1
10] Gasly/Hamilton/Brendon Hartley/Raikkonen – .5
14] Red Bull/Ricciardo – .33
2018 Kimi Raikkonen “Leave Me Alone! I Know What I’m Doing!” Award – after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
1] Fernando Alonso – 6.5 points
2] Hamilton – 5
3] Verstappen – 4.5
4] Bottas/Raikkonen/Vettel – 1
7] Leclerc/Perez/Minttu Raikkonen/Verstappen pit – .5
2018 Bernie Ecclestone Doofus Moment Award – after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
1] Hamilton – 3.455 points
2] Verstappen – 3.125
3] McLaren/Mercedes – 1.5
5] Vettel – 1.33
6] Toto Wolff – 1.125
7] Canadian Grand Prix officials/Ferrari pit [Raikkonen]/Force India/Mercedes pit [Hamilton]/Monaco Grand Prix officials/Red Bull – 1
14] Ecclestone – .625
15] Azerbaijan Grand Prix officials/Nico Rosberg/Spanish Grand Prix officials – .5
18] Alonso – .33
19] Gasly/Grosjean/Hulkenberg/Kevin Magnussen – .125