Focus on... Engines, engines, engines
There are three issues still unresolved going into the final race of the season, all of them which will all play out away from the confines of the Yas Marina circuit. As it stands the fate of Lotus, Red Bull and Toro Rosso in 2016 still have a question mark around them. Lotus is currently in takeover talks with Renault which both parties expect to go through, while Red Bull and Toro Rosso's engine supply has been in doubt for much of the season after the parent company's split and then embarrasing about-face with the very same manufacturer about an engine deal for 2016. During the Race of Champions, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo told ESPN he expected details of the team's engine supply to be confirmed in Abu Dhabi this weekend. That is likely to have a knock-on effect at Toro Rosso, with a Renault deal the only one really making sense at this stage when you consider chassis design and packaging for next season only really suits both team's staying with the French company.
It is also just a few days since the F1 Commission rejected the FIA's plan to introduce a budget engine for 2017. Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone's bold push after Ferrari's veto of the cost cap may well have been to find some middle ground but the proposal received expressions of interest from "at least four" manufacturers in very short time, a proposition the governing body and commercial rights holder may well prefer given the power of the existing manufacturers. The proposal of the latter in January next year will determine whether the FIA goes back to or abandons the push for a budget engine but there are likely to be conflicting opinions in the paddock this weekend about how much budget balancing the current manufacturers will actually put forward.
In need of a podium
Williams very nearly won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season and went into the winter feeling comfortable as the second team in the pecking order behind Mercedes. The Grove team has slipped behind Ferrari this year and has only scored two podiums since the August break. Signing off the season in style is a must ahead of an off-season which Felipe Massa says needs to bring "triple" the level of current development.
In need of points
McLaren is currently staring down the barrel at its worst constructors' finish since 1980. It trails Sauber by nine points going into the finale and has only registered more than that on a weekend once this season -- the Hungarian Grand Prix. In truth, McLaren is looking at the bigger picture of collecting valuable data for what it hopes will be a turnaround 2016 campaign but a slice of good news at the final race will be a welcome tonic for a team still without a title sponsor and which has recently lost TAG Heur to Red Bull.
ESPN prediction
Nico Rosberg is a man in form at the moment and looks to have rectified whatever it was that saw Lewis Hamilton outqualify him 12-1 up to the Italian Grand Prix. That has the knock-on effect of making him the most logical to win if he can get into Turn 1 before Hamilton -- with modern F1 cars difficult to follow if in equal machinery and with Mercedes' inflexibility on strategy for car number two on track. Rosberg's rich vein of form means he gets ESPN's tip for the win, ahead of Hamilton, with Sebastian Vettel likely to complete the most familiar podium of the 2015 at the season finale.
Betting
Lewis Hamilton remains the bookies' favourite to win at 5/6 despite Nico Rosberg's recent form. Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button are 9/1 and 10/1 respectively to be the first retirement, while you can get odds of 4/1 for Kimi Raikkonen to make an overdue return to the podium at the race he won in 2012.
Weather
Though there was rain earlier this week, the weather for this weekend looks pretty predictable at Yas Marina. There is zero percent chance of rain throughout the weekend and temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius predicted on all three days, though these will drop during the key sessions as the race runs from day to night.
Tyre talk
Prime: Soft Option: Super-soft
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: "It's incredible to think that the 2015 season is over already: it seems a lot less than a year since we were at Abu Dhabi for the final race of 2014. With the championships decided the teams can obviously push to the maximum and our tyre choice in Abu Dhabi provides them with an interesting challenge: while the surface is very smooth, the tyres are still pushed quite hard due to the track layout, so tyre management becomes an important part of the strategy, particularly under acceleration in the traction areas, where it is very easy to spin the wheels. This is the same nomination as last year, so we'd probably expect another two-stop race, but track temperatures can be quite variable as the sun goes down and this can clearly have an effect on the tyres and therefore strategy.
"Just two days after the chequered flag on the 2015 season, we already begin testing for 2016: there will be a dedicated Pirelli tyre test from 9am to 9pm on Tuesday 1 December, with all the teams running one car to test some 2016 constructions and the new 'ultrasoft' tyre, which will carry purple markings at next year's races."
Renault Sport F1
Renault Sport F1 details the stresses and strains the Yas Marina circuit places on the power unit.
Internal Combustion Engine: Yas Marina is a mid-range power track, but it is particularly hard on the ICE due to the long 1.2km back straight where the power unit will be at full throttle for 14secs. The sharp acceleration between turns also loads and unloads the ICE in quick succession, stressing the pistons and other internals. Over 50% of the lap is spent at full throttle, with average speeds of 190kph, similar to the Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve. Top speed will peak at over 330kph down the back straight between Turns 7 and 8. This may seem slow in comparison to the highs of Mexico and Brazil, but it's just as impressive as the cars will be running medium to high downforce settings and the sea-level air is much denser than at high altitude.
The ambient conditions are also a major challenge for the ICE. The heat and lack of humidity can cause the very destructive 'knocking' phenomenon that can occur in turbocharged engines if the ignition timing is not correct. Knocking, or detonation, is abnormal combustion of the fuel and air mix.
The unusual timetable of Abu Dhabi, where some sessions take place in the heat of the afternoon and others after sunset make engine mapping a tricky process. Sometimes engineers may run two different engine maps since the grip levels, tyre warm up and air pressure will change and the engine also needs to respond to this new set of parameters. The engineers will work closely with the driver to obtain a pedal map tailored to the different track conditions throughout the day.
Turbocharger: After the dizzy heights of Brazil and Mexico, the turbocharger is given an easier time in Abu Dhabi. It rotates within the normal operating limits with very few periods of stress. The tight corners of Sector 3 require it to be responsive out of the corners, but apart from this part of the track, the Grand Prix is very routine for the turbo.
MGU-K: Fuel consumption per km is the fifth highest of the season behind Melbourne, Montreal, Zeltweg [Austria] and Sochi. The first two sectors are relatively fuel efficient but the stops and starts of the final sector dramatically increase the consumption. It is increased further by the sea level altitude and running in the lower temperatures after sunset.
Energy recovery is critical due to the fuel consumption constraints but with 21 corners, most of which are second or third gear, there is plenty of opportunity for the MGU-K to recover energy dissipated in the braking events. The corners of Sector 3 are mainly taken in third gear. The average speed through this section is just under 160kph with the biggest stop being the chicane of Turn 12, where speeds drop to just 85kph.
MGU-H: Abu Dhabi is a typical modern track with very few fast corners so the MGU-H is not heavily solicited. The quickest complex is between turns 2 and 5 where speeds will be between 240 and 290kph. The car and driver will be subject to high lateral forces through this flowing section, pulling between +/-5g whilst changing direction, but the full throttle usage will maintain a steady stream of exhaust.