DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Valtteri Bottas (4th) v Kimi Raikkonen (5th)
The two Finns are separated by just one point heading in to the final race, and they have history. The pair came together on the final lap in Russia when Raikkonen attempted to dive up the inside of the Williams to snatch the final podium position, punting Bottas in to the wall. The roles were somewhat reversed two races later in Mexico where Bottas was on the inside and Raikkonen turned in, with the Ferrari’s right rear suspension breaking due to the contact.
While Raikkonen insists there is no issue between the two drivers and has moved to play down the significance of beating each other in Abu Dhabi, he admits he’d rather finish ahead of his fellow Finn.
"Fourth is better than fifth, but does it really matter?" Raikkonen said. "I mean, people don't really remember if you finish fourth or fifth in the end. We'll try to do the maximum result and see where we end up. It's not going to change our world if we finish wherever we're going to finish. Obviously we hope for a good weekend there, enjoy it and try to have a strong race [in Abu Dhabi]."
Raikkonen has enjoyed a more competitive year than in 2014 but still has not been a match for his team-mate - in this case Sebastian Vettel - and will look to salvage some pride by at least ensuring the two Ferrari drivers end the year in third and fourth places respectively. For Bottas this weekend represents the chance to defend the fourth place he finished in last season, while also showing Ferrari what it passed up on when opting to keep Raikkonen for a further year.
Daniil Kvyat (7th) v Daniel Ricciardo (8th)
In stark contrast to Bottas and Raikkonen, the relationship between the two Red Bull drivers is much more amicable but conversely the stakes are a little higher. Ricciardo stamped his authority on Red Bull last season with some brilliant drives on his way to three victories, comprehensively outperforming four-time world champion team-mate Sebastian Vettel who then decided to leave the team.
In came Kvyat and the early signs were that Ricciardo had a clear advantage as the young Russian struggled to find his feet in the early rounds. However, since Monaco it has been a close battle between the two. Monaco was also the scene of some impressive teamwork, as Kvyat moved over to let Ricciardo attack Lewis Hamilton for third place late in the race, before Ricciardo then handed the place back on the run to the finish line having failed to make any progress.
On the whole it has been Ricciardo who has shown the ability to challenge for victory when presented with a chance - such as in Hungary and Singapore - but Kvyat has been consistent and will take a big shot of confidence from being able to finish his first year at Red Bull ahead of the highly-rated Australian. With a ten-point advantage, Kvyat should be able to close it out as Ricciardo has to finish no worse than fifth place to have any chance of overhauling his team-mate.
The battle for 10th
The toughest fight to call, but one which sees three very talented drivers scrapping over the final position in the top ten of the championship. Nico Hulkenberg currently holds tenth place, but just three points separate him from both Romain Grosjean and Max Verstappen who are level on 49.
Hulkenberg has the better all-round car in the Force India, but it is consistency which has put him in this position as the eight occasion he has finished in the points he has come home either sixth, seventh or eighth. Grosjean, on the other hand, has had to deal with an underdeveloped car but has still been able to convert his obvious quality in to results on a few occasions, most memorably with third place at Spa.
Verstappen has been the standout rookie of 2015 with some breathtaking overtaking moves and impressive qualifying performances. As you would expect from an 18-year-old in his first F1 season, the results have been a little inconsistent, but two fourth places this year display his potential and highlight the threat he poses to Hulkenberg and Grosjean in their mini-battle.
“The final race of the season is always important because you want to finish the season well and carry the momentum into the winter months," Hulkenberg said. "We have already secured fifth in the championship but I want to make sure I end the season in the top ten of the drivers’ championship so there is still a lot to play for."
Jenson Button (16th) v Fernando Alonso (17th)
OK, so this is realistically not a fight, with both McLaren drivers usually starting races on the proviso that it is a test session and seeing the chequered flag is a success. But for the record, Button holds a five-point advantage over the double world champion on the other side of the garage, and Alonso has never been outscored by a team-mate in F1. His first season for Minardi saw the team fail to score a point, while he lost out to Lewis Hamilton on countback in 2007 having finished level on points in what was his first year with McLaren.
With Alonso only scoring points on two occasions so far this year during a dismal campaign with McLaren-Honda, it looks like that record is about to go…
