The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the season finale for the F1 season and all eyes are on Lewis Hamilton. The F1 series moves from the last race at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix which turned out to be an exciting event for the first time at the venue.

Lewis Hamilton won that event and he’s the heavy favorite to win this weekend’s race at Yas Marina Circuit. This is a facility where Hamilton, who comes in at the lone favorite at -189, has won five times. But there is something notable worth mentioning – the track has been redesigned and has gone from 21 turns to only 16.

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Is that something that will cause problems for Hamilton and the other drivers? Maybe not, but it is a factor that’s worth mentioning. As the official F1/FIA release mentions – the change in the layout of the track will “adds spice” to the racing weekend.

Hamilton is tied with Max Verstappen for winning this season’s F1 Championship so the outcome of this race will decide who hoists the banner for their team. Hamilton, as mentioned is the favorite but Verstappen comes in at +185. The two drivers are the only ones oddsmakers seem to have faith in. Complete odds are listed below, but here are the top-three favorites to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix outright according to Intertops.

Lewis Hamilton -189

Max Verstappen +185

Valtteri Bottas +1200

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2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Preview

Track: Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi

Type: 3.281-mile road course, 16 turns.

Race Distance: 58 laps / 306.183 miles

TV/Radio: NBCS / MRN

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2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Predictions

Lewis Hamilton -189

Lewis Hamilton has won this race twice and in the last three years and has won it five times since the inaugural race in 2009. He is coming in as an obvious favorite for the Sunday event. Hamilton has logged eight wins this season out of 21 race starts for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. This is a track where he’s dominated in the past so it should be considered his race to lose. He should navigate the tweaks to the layout with ease.

Max Verstappen +185

Max Verstappen is tied with Hamilton for the Championship. He’s worked hard to get to this point in the standings and makes this only the 2nd time in history that the final race of the F1 season will have two drivers dead even in points when the race starts. Verstappen looks to be the only driver this season that can stop Hamilton from winning his eighth Championship. At least for this year. The Red Bull driver will be pushing hard from the start.

Carlos Sainz +10000

Honestly, every one after Hamilton and Verstappen can be considered somewhat of a longshot. But if you were to consider someone else then maybe Carlos Sainz is your driver. Sainz has posted a quietly successful season and should finish in the top-six, or better, in the final driver standings. He may even compete for a podium finish this weekend.

Others to Consider: My “other” driver for this race is a sentimental pick as I would like to see Sebastian Vettel (+50000) do well during this race. The veteran driver is the only other driver that has posted multiple wins at this track. Hamilton holds the record with five victories here while Vettel has stood as the top podium driver here three times.

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2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Betting Lines

Lewis Hamilton -189

Max Verstappen +185

Valtteri Bottas +1200

Sergio Perez +2500

Charles Leclerc +6600

Lando Norris +6600

Carlos Sainz +10000

Daniel Ricciardo +10000

George Russell +10000

Pierre Gasly +10000

Esteban Ocon +25000

Fernando Alonso +25000

Yuki Tsunoda +25000

Lance Stroll +50000

Sebastian Vettel +50000

Antonio Giovinazzi +100000

Kimi Raikkonen +100000

Mick Schumacher +100000

Nicholas Latifi +100000

Nikita Mazepin +100000

F1 Standings

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lewis Hamilton

3. Valtteri Bottas

4. Sergio Perez

5. Charles Leclerc

6. Lando Norris

7. Carlos Sainz Jr

8. Daniel Ricciardo

9. Pierre Gasly

10. Fernando Alonso

11. Esteban Ocon

12. Sebastian Vettel

13. Lance Stroll

14. Yuki Tsunoda

15. George Russell

16. Kimi Raikkonen

17. Nicholas Latifi

18. Antonio Giovinazzi

19. Mick Schumacher

20. Robert Kubica

21. Nikita Mazepin