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Alpine, Haas and RB are also disputing sixth in the constructors’ championship, and the money that comes with that. Alpine are five points ahead of Haas and have Pierre Gasly an excellent fifth on the grid. But Nico Hulkenberg – demoted from fourth to seventh due to a penalty – and Kevin Magnussen in 14th will be eyeing the points places.
Amid all the farewells there’s also some serious business to attend to. Above all, who will win the constructors’ championship? McLaren hold a 21-point lead over Ferrari and have locked out the front of the grid so it’s their to lose. There’s a lot of pride at stake here along with the financial reward – McLaren haven’t won this title for 26 years, Ferrari for 16.
Spare a thought too for a driver who isn’t on the grid today. Esteban Ocon expected this to be his final start for Alpine, but the team chose to part ways with him after the last race, so Jack Doohan makes his grand prix debut today.
Others are saying farewell to their current teams. Lewis Hamilton’s incredibly successful spell at Mercedes is drawing to a close. Carlos Sainz Jnr is also moving on from Ferrari, the team he won his first grands prix with.
It’s an important day for many drivers as several are moving on after this race – some to new teams, others out of F1 entirely. Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen and Zhou Guanyu are all without drives for next year.
The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is coming up next.
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