Safety Car Robbed F1 Of A Verstappen vs. Mercedes Battle In Abu Dhabi

Max Verstappen beat Mercedes drivers to win the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2020 Abu Dhabi GP could have been an exciting race had it not been for the early interruption of the Safety Car. Tune in to our post-race debrief – one that’s definitely more exciting than the race itself!

Usually, a Safety Car brings a Formula 1 race to life. It triggers a flurry of pit-stops and forces teams-drivers to adapt, evolve & deploy out-of-box tyre strategies. The 2020 Formula 1 season has seen the Safety Car appear in 12 out of 17 races. However, did the Safety Car cost us Formula 1 an exciting race in Abu Dhabi? Soumil and Kunal discuss further in our Pits to Podium segment.

Mercedes couldn’t use strategy to try and jump Max Verstappen for the lead of the race. It also eliminated the possibility of a two-stopping race & it made strategy almost null and void for the hard and medium starters. If you’re a Ferrari fan, you must be wondering why they didn’t pit either driver during the VSC/SC period. And of course, yet another mechanical issue robbed us of a ‘pits to podium’ charge by Sergio Perez!

Also in this episode: Mclaren finishing 3rd in the Constructors’ Championship while Sergio Perez maintaining 4th in the Drivers’ Championship. Carlos Sainz Jr.’s slow driving in the pit lane proved yet again that slow is the way to go in Abu Dhabi (ref: to championship battles). And of course, CONGRATULATIONS to Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing and Honda for claiming their 2nd win of the season. For once, Mercedes aren’t to be blamed for boredom caused by dominance. Tune in!

(Season 2020, Episode 65)

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Kunal Shah is an FIA-accredited Formula 1 journalist who has been reporting on Formula 1 for nearly two decades. He worked with the Force India Formula 1 Team for 6 seasons in Marketing, Sponsorship and Commercial roles. As a former single-seater racer, he was responsible for Force India's grassroots talent program, One from a Billion Hunt. Presently, he co-writes a regular Formula 1 column for Firstpost, speaks on Inside Line F1 Podcast & Pits to Podium and produces broadcast/OTT content for NENT Group (Viasport & Viaplay).

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