Feature

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2020 Abu Dhabi GP

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Sergio Perez (Power unit, Lap 9): 7.5/10
Several times this season we've seen heartbreak and disaster follow hot on the heels of success and triumph or vice verse, and never more so than in the case of Sergio Perez. He picked up 12 consecutive top ten finishes albeit with an intermission when he tested positive for coronavirus; was looking set for another podium in Bahrain only to suffer a late engine failure; and then achieved his maiden Formula 1 win in Sakhir the very next time out. The rollercoaster ride continued - albeit not in a good way - a week later in Abu Dhabi where an engine change meant he would start from the back of the grid, and a transmission issue just nine laps into the race left him the day's sole retiree. Not the way he would want to go out, if this does prove to be his F1 swan song (and we sincerely hope it isn't.) The grid penalty had left him little reason to prove himself in qualifying, and while he made solid progress on those few opening laps he completed on Sunday there really wasn't much opportunity for him to show what he was really capable of this time out.

Pietro Fittipaldi (P19): 6.5/10
Haas have been pretty anonymous all season (save for Romain Grosjean's spectacular exit from the Bahrain Grand Prix) and the team ended the season in pretty much the same subdued spirit. Fittipaldi returned as Grosjean's stand-in and was feeling more confident this time round, but it didn't really translate to any discernible improvement on the track. Outpaced by debutant Mick Schumacher in first practice, he spent the rest of practice and qualifying vying with Nicholas Latifi for wooden spoon honours. He managed to come out on top, but when it came to the race itself Fittipaldi spent most of it dead last and ended up the only driver to go two laps down after making an late extra pit stop. On the plus side he kept out of trouble and completed the race without incident, which is no mean feat for someone who was thrown into the deep end in such dramatic circumstances two weeks ago. Unfortunately it also means he didn't really manage to stake a significant claim for a future full-time F1 race seat.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.