The season finale will determine the winner of the Constructors' Cup - "McLaren" is ahead of "Ferrari" by 21 points. The British team has not won in the team standings since 1998, while the Italians last claimed the trophy in 2008. "Red Bull," which had won the Constructors' Cup for the previous three years, has already lost the chance to defend its championship title. The fight for second place in the individual standings remains: British driver Lando Norris ("McLaren") has an eight-point advantage over Monegasque Charles Leclerc ("Ferrari"). In the first free practice, Arthur Leclerc, Leclerc's brother, will replace Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr. in the "Ferrari" lineup. The Monegasques will become the first brothers in the history of Formula 1 to race for the same team in a Grand Prix session.
The Abu Dhabi stage has been on the Formula 1 calendar for 15 years. Its main feature is that the race takes place during the transition from day to night. Drivers start in daylight and finish under artificial lighting. This creates certain challenges, as they have to adjust to the transition from sunlight to artificial light.
The record holder for the number of wins here is seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton from Britain (five). Among current drivers, Dutchman Max Verstappen has won four times, having earlier secured his fourth world championship early, and Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas has won once.
The first part of the free practices will start at 12:30 Moscow time, the second at 16:00 Moscow time. On Saturday, the third free practice will take place at 13:30 Moscow time, followed by qualifying at 17:00 Moscow time. The event will conclude with the race on Sunday at 16:00 Moscow time.