Wolff: Formula One title battle is amazing for the sport

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen head into the final grand prix of the season level on points at the top of the drivers’ championship.

Mercedes, meanwhile, are bidding to win their eighth constructors’ title. The gap between themselves and Red Bull is 28 points, though Wolff’s team could still lose the crown to their rivals.

With such drama promised in Abu Dhabi this weekend, Wolff thinks it can only serve as a boost to F1, which had become predictable due to Mercedes’ dominance.

Indeed, Hamilton is aiming for a record eighth world title and a fifth consecutive championship triumph.

Since 2014, Hamilton has only failed to win the championship on one occasion, finishing second to team-mate Nico Rosberg in 2016, while Verstappen and Red Bull are bidding for a maiden title.

“The final race will be intense, but it’s important to not get distracted, to just keep our heads down, our feet on the ground and bring the performance that we had last time out,” Wolff said in a release on Mercedes’ official team website.

“We’re grateful to still be in this fight. The fact that both championships will be decided at the season finale proves just how hard both sides have been challenging each other and pushing each other forward.

A finishing record to behold as we return to Abu Dhabi ????

We are merely days away from capping and end to our unforgettable season so far ✨#F1 #HistoryAwaits pic.twitter.com/TP2SiaJpni

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 8, 2021

“It’s all or nothing for the season finale and that’s amazing for the sport, amazing for the fans and amazing for all of us, too.

“We’re also relishing the challenges of racing in Abu Dhabi this weekend, at a circuit that has gone through quite a few changes since we last raced there.

“There are new sections of track to understand and that really is a step into the unknown for everyone. So, it’s going to be another exciting weekend!”

Verstappen won the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and in the unlikely event both he and Hamilton finish outside of the points, it will be the Dutchman who wins the title courtesy of his nine race victories for the season.

Mercedes had won the previous six races in Abu Dhabi prior to Verstappen’s victory last year. The Red Bull star is aiming to become the first F1 champion from the Netherlands, and he would be the fourth-youngest champion at the age of 24 years, two months and 12 days.

Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni, in 1974, are the only other F1 title rivals to have gone into the last race of a season level on points. Never in the history of the championship has a season ended with two drivers tied at the top of the standings.