Here’s what’s up for grabs at the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Despite settled Formula 1 championships, there’s still lots of pride — and money — to race for.

Both the drivers’ and constructors’ F1 World Championships are decided. Lewis Hamilton claimed his fourth in his 11 years in the sport, and Mercedes claimed its fourth in as many seasons since 2014. But as the final grand prix in Abu Dhabi begins, there’s still a lot of pride — and money — at stake.

In the constructors’ race, a mere six points separate sixth, seventh, and eighth place. Right now, it’s Toro Rosso, Renault and the American team, Haas. Any particularly strong, or weak, result could swing the standings around, and each move up in the constructors’ standings is worth millions of dollars in prize money. Toro Rosso has the most to lose, and Renault has vastly improved this season — and could claim the spot. All it would take is one strong performance from Carlos Sainz Jr., a Toro Rosso driver for most of the season who happened to switch teams at the United States Grand Prix.

The drivers’ championship is even more interesting, though second place is technically open but largely secure. Sebastian Vettel holds a 22-point lead over Valtteri Bottas in third. Bottas would need to win the race and have Vettel finish ninth or worse — possible, but unlikely. Fourth place, however, is much closer. Just seven points separate fifth-place Kimi Raikkonen from the current placeholder, Daniel Ricciardo. And, as of late, Raikkonen’s Ferrari has performed better than Ricciardo’s Red Bull.

Neither is likely to win the race, the biggest points grab, and Ricciardo would win with a tie in points, making it an uphill battle for Raikkonen. But in the past three races, Raikkonen scored 45 points while Ricciardo scored only eight, which is a 12.3 per race points advantage. If the current streak continues, Raikkonen will move up a spot. Below is a breakdown of possible results. The rule of thumb is Raikkonen has to finish four places ahead of Ricciardo to get it done.

The next two battles to watch are intra-team and a mere two points separate each contest. Williams teammates are retiring veteran Felipe Massa and teenager rookie Lance Stroll. Massa accumulated 42 points this season, in part thanks to a strong — and emotional — seventh-place finish at his home grand prix in Brazil. But Stroll would win the tiebreaker, and if the hot-and-cold rookie is hot in Abu Dhabi, he could easily grab a couple points over his outgoing teammate.

Finally, we have the McLaren teammates, another veteran and rookie. Two-time world championis considered by many to be the best all-around driver on the grid today. It’s high praise that his Belgian teammate Stoffel Vandoorne kept to within two points, scoring 13 points to Alonso’s 15. In this instance, Alonso has the points lead and the tiebreaker is on his side, but Vandoorne can really fly when things are just right. If he scores three points more than his teammate, he wins what many consider the most important race of the season, the one against the other guy in the same car.

Source: Story by Robin Warner, Autoweek