What is still to be decided in F1’s Abu Dhabi season finale? Sainz, Alonso and Norris battle for third, Mercedes vs Ferrari

The Formula One season comes to an end this afternoon and there are still some key battles ongoing as the drivers travel to Abu Dhabi.

Max Verstappen has already wrapped up the Drivers’ Championship for the third straight year while Red Bull are runaway Constructors winners again.

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But elsewhere on the grid, things can still chop and change, with Mercedes and Ferrari going head-to-head and Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, and Lando Norris set for a battle. 

Lots can happen at the Yas Marina Circuit, so talkSPORT.com has broken down what is still to be decided at the final Grand Prix…

Triple threat 

Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton are confirmed to be finishing in second and third place in the Drivers’ Championship. 

But fourth place is still well up for grabs…

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Sainz and Alonso are currently level on 200 points in the position while Norris is only five points behind in fifth. 

All three drivers will be battling for that fourth spot in the standings and it could even end in a tie between them all. 

If that does happen, Sainz would claim fourth as he has won a Grand Prix this season. 

Charles Leclerc is also in contention but he would need a lot to go his way, sitting 12 points behind ahead of the race weekend. 

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Mercedes vs Ferrari 

Away from the Drivers’ Championship, there is plenty going down in the Constuctors’. 

Red Bull have claimed the crown but the fight for second place continues with Mercedes coming up against Ferrari. 

As it stands, Ferrari are four points behind in the standings but that is only a small deficit to turn around in the final Grand Prix of the season. 

There is around a £10million difference in prize money between the positions, meaning both teams will be hoping their drivers can pull off a positive drive this weekend. 

McLaren vs Aston Martin 

Further down the standings, McLaren and Aston Martin are competing for fourth.

Norris and Oscar Piastri have performed well all year and that leaves McLaren on 284 points, sitting 11 points above Aston Martin. 

That gives them the advantage going into this weekend and this battle ties in with Norris and Alonso going for P4 in the Drivers’ Championship. 

So both drivers will be going all out for personal and team reasons, setting this one up to a very close contest in Abu Dhabi. 

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A four-horse race

Alpine are confirmed to be finishing sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.

But below that, there is set to be a four-horse race between Willams, Alpha Tauri, Alfa Romao, and Haas for seventh. 

All of those teams can still mathematically claim sixth spot with 16 points separating Williams on 28 and Haas on 12. 

However, both Haas and Alfa Romeo are not in good form, and achieving that turnaround in points does not seem likely. 

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Alpha Tauri have been climbing up the rankings during recent Grand Prix following a poor start to the season and they are expected to battle Williams. 

Should they claim seventh, Williams will have finished in their best Constructors’ place in six years.