Mercedes and Ferrari fight for second: 5 things to look out for at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

With the drivers’ and constructors’ championships both secured many weeks ago, is there anything to play for this weekend in Abu Dhabi, where the 2023 Formula One season will come to a close?

The answer is: Yes, there’s plenty!

The 23rd and final race of this campaign will witness some fierce battles for various positions in both championships, could see Max Verstappen close out the year with a new milestone, and will feature one driver eager to retain his seat for 2024.

Here are some of the main talking points surrounding the action at Yas Marina Circuit these next three days.

Mercedes and Ferrari to fight for runner-up spot

The duel for P2 in the constructors’ championship is going down to the wire with Mercedes leading Ferrari by just four points entering this final round in the UAE capital.

The momentum is on Ferrari’s side, as they managed to cut their 56-point deficit to their rivals over the last 10 races. But there is no clear favorite for that runner-up spot in the championship, which comes with an additional $30 million in prize money.

“It’s going to be tight,” said Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc on Thursday.

“We have good momentum coming to this race, as the last few races have been positive for us. However, Mercedes is historically pretty good here in Abu Dhabi so we'll have to put everything together in order to fight them and then beat them in the constructors’ championship. But yeah, this is clearly the target.”

Mercedes’ George Russell said the team is going into Sunday’s race “with an open mind”.

“They were definitely pretty competitive here last year. But we've been surprised a lot this season about which teams are fast at which races and vice versa,” said Russell. “Qualifying, I think, they'll