LEWIS HAMILTON WINS FOR MERCEDES
WITH AN ULTRASOFT-SUPERSOFT ONE STOPPER
ONE-STOP FOR ALL THE DRIVERS APART FROM VALTTERI BOTTAS
WHO STOPPED TWICE
TEAMS NOW REMAIN IN ABU DHABI FOR THEIR FIRST TASTE
OF THE 2019 TYRES AT A TWO-DAY TEST
MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR RACING
“While nearly everyone went for the expected one-stop strategy, it was an interesting race tactically, and I think everyone was surprised to see a few drops of rain halfway through the race – which came to nothing in the end. Lewis Hamilton went for a very early stop and then ran a long second stint on the supersoft, while Daniel Ricciardo in fourth, did the opposite: a long opening stint on the ultrasoft followed by a shorter second stint on the supersoft. In between, there was also Max Verstappen, who made up three places after starting on the hypersoft. Now, we immediately turn the page and concentrate on 2019 with the drivers sampling next year’s definitive tyres for the first time on Tuesday and Wednesday: they will also have the 2018 tyres available to make a comparison. Finally, this is also an appropriate moment to pay tribute to Fernando Alonso after an amazing Formula 1 career: we wish him the very best for the future.”
BEST TIME BY COMPOUND

LONGEST STINT OF THE RACE

THE WINNING STRATEGY
Lewis Hamilton won the race using the strategy that we predicted but he made his first stop earlier than anyone else: coming in after seven laps to switch from ultrasoft to supersoft to the flag. This was despite a slow start to the race, with a safety car quickly followed by a virtual safety car in the opening laps.