Until 2020, Mercedes had won every Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the V6 hybrid era. Red Bull went on to win four races in a row at Yas Marina Circuit from pole position before McLaren claimed victory in 2024. Here’s everything you need to know about each team’s history at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!
RED BULL
WINS: 7, POLES: 7, PODIUMS: 13 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: VERSTAPPEN 6th, PEREZ DNF
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull took victory at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The German gave the team another two wins here, in 2010 and 2013, but Red Bull did not win again until 2020. Max Verstappen recorded victory here in four consecutive years from 2021 to 2024, with his 2021 win securing him his first World Championship victory.
Verstappen’s third place in 2018 marked the first time Red Bull finished on the podium at the track since their last 1-2 finish in 2013. In 2022, with Verstappen winning and Sergio Perez third – the team scored their first double podium result at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2013.
The team have suffered five DNFs at Yas Marina – their most recent both being for Perez, in 2021 and 2024. Every time their cars have reached the finish line, they’ve always finished in points-paying positions.
With Verstappen sixth and Perez failing to finish, the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the first Yas Marina race since 2017 in which neither Red Bull driver finished on the podium and the first since 2015 in which neither car finished in the top five.
Red Bull have never failed to reach the final part of qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, however Sebastian Vettel was excluded from qualifying here in 2012 after running out of fuel, while both their cars were excluded in 2014 for having illegal front wings.
The team has taken seven poles in total at the track, including in all four seasons from 2020 to 2024. Max Verstappen’s 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix pole was the team’s first at Yas Marina Circuit since 2013. In 2022, the team recorded their first front row lockout at the track since 2013.
With Verstappen fifth and Sergio Perez tenth in qualifying in 2024, neither Red Bull driver qualified in the top four for the first time since 2018.
MERCEDES
WINS: 6, POLES: 6, PODIUMS: 14 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: HAMILTON 4th, RUSSELL 5th
Mercedes won every Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 2014 to 2019 but have failed to win in the last five years. They scored 1-2 finishes in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Though they have not won in the past five seasons, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton both finished on the podium in second and third respectively in 2020, Hamilton finished as runner-up in 2021 and George Russell finished third in 2023. 2022 and 2024 the only time since 2012 that neither Mercedes driver finished on the podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, though both drivers did at least finish in the top five in 2024.
In 2022, Lewis Hamilton retired from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In the last 12 races at the circuit, Nico Rosberg’s 14th place here in 2014 is the only other time that a Mercedes car has failed to score points at Yas Marina Circuit.
Mercedes have recorded two other DNFs here, both as a result of crashes. Michael Schumacher was spun and hit by Vitantonio Liuzzi in 2010, while Rosberg flew over the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan in 2012.
In 2018, Mercedes became the first team to take five consecutive front-row lock-outs at any circuit, having set the two fastest qualifying times here in every season since 2014. They did so for a sixth time in 2019, but Valtteri Bottas was forced to start from the back of the grid following an engine penalty.
2020 was the first time since 2013 that Mercedes did not take pole here, with Bottas qualifying second and Lewis Hamilton third. Hamilton qualified on the front row again in 2021, while 2022 was the first time since 2013 that neither Mercedes appeared on the front row. Neither driver was on the front row again in 2023, while neither driver qualified in the top six in 2024 -the first time that had happened at Yas Marina Circuit since 2012.
There have been three occasions on which a Mercedes driver has failed to reach Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher’s exited in Q2 in 2012, George Russell was out in Q2 in 2023 and Lewis Hamilton recorded Mercedes’ worst qualifying result at the track to date in 2024. On his final outing with the team, Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 and could qualify no higher than 18th.
FERRARI
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 12 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: SAINZ 2nd, LECLERC 3rd
Ferrari are yet to take a victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, though 2020 is the only season since 2015 in which neither Ferrari driver has finished on the podium at the event.
Neither driver scored a point in 2020, marking the first time that the Scuderia failed to score at Yas Marina Circuit since the inaugural race in 2009. Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement in 2018 and Carlos Sainz’s late-race DNF in 2023 are the only other times that a Ferrari driver has failed to score at the track.
The team’s best result here is second place. Fernando Alonso finished as runner-up in 2011 and 2012, Sebastian Vettel finished second in 2018, Charles Leclerc finished second in both 2022 and 2023 and Carlos Sainz finished runner-up in 2024.
With Sainz second and Leclerc third, the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked the first time that both Ferrari drivers stood on the podium at the conclusion of a race at Yas Marina Circuit.
Ferrari have never taken pole position at Yas Marina Circuit. In 2023, Charles Leclerc became the first Ferrari driver to qualify on the front row at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Before Leclerc’s second place, the team’s best qualifying result here was third, which they’ve achieved six times in total.
Fernando Alonso’s Q2 exit in 2013, Sebastian Vettel’s Q1 and Q2 exits in 2015 and 2020 respectively, Carlos Sainz’s Q1 elimination in 2023 and Charles Leclerc’s Q2 exit in 2024 are the only times since 2010 that a Ferrari driver has failed to reach the final part of qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In 2009, neither driver reached Q3; the only time so far that has happened here. 2020 is the only time since 2014 that no Ferrari drivers qualified in the top five at the circuit.
McLAREN
WINS: 2, POLES: 3, PODIUMS: 5 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: NORRIS 1st, PIASTRI 10th
In 2024, Lando Norris recorded McLaren’s second Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory, It was the team’s first at the track since Lewis Hamilton’s win at the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and secured McLaren their first Constructors’ Championship title since 1998.
In 2010 and 2011, both Hamilton and Jenson Button finished on the podium – but the team endured a 13-year podium drought at the track before Norris’ 2024 win.
Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz finished in fifth and sixth in 2020, which were team’s first finishes in the top seven since 2014. Since 2019, the team has finished in the points with both cars in every year but one (Daniel Ricciardo finished 12th in 2021).
2009 and 2015 are the only seasons in which neither McLaren picked up points at Yas Marina Circuit, while 2019 marked the first time that both McLaren drivers scored points at the track since 2011.
A McLaren driver qualified on the front row for all of the first four Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, with Lewis Hamilton taking pole in both 2009 and 2012. Lando Norris secured pole position in 2024, marking McLaren’s return to the front row at the track for the first time since 2012. With Oscar Piastri second, McLaren locked-out the front row at Yas Marina Circuit for the first time.
From 2015 to 2018, Fernando Alonso’s ninth place in qualifying in 2016 was the only time a McLaren driver qualified in the top ten. But, in every season since 2019, both McLaren drivers have reached Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Other than the last six seasons, 2010, 2011 and 2012 are the only other seasons in which the team has reached Q3 with both cars. Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne in 2015 and 2018 respectively are the only McLaren drivers to have been eliminated in Q1 at Yas Marina Circuit.
ASTON MARTIN
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: ALONSO 9th, STROLL 14th
Aston Martin failed to score any points at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It’s the only time that the Silverstone-based team has failed to score at Yas Marina Circuit since 2011. They have scored with both cars at Yas Marina Circuit on eight occasions – including in both 2022 and 2023.
The team has recorded three retirements at the track in the last seven years: Esteban Ocon in 2018, Lance Stroll in 2019 and Sergio Perez in 2020. Their best result here came under their Force India guise in 2015, when Perez scored a fifth place finish.
Perez is also responsible for the team’s best qualifying result at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, having qualified fourth in 2015. 2014 is one of only four occasions that both of Team Silverstone’s cars have reached Q3 at the event. It has not happened since 2017.
Since 2010, Paul di Resta is the only one of the Silverstone-based team’s drivers to have been eliminated in Q1. He was out in Q1 in 2013.
ALPINE
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: GASLY 7th, DOOHAN 15th
The Enstone-based team has recorded one win at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Kimi Raikkonen victorious for Lotus in 2012. The team have had few big results here since, with just three more top six finishes in the last 13 races at Yas Marina Circuit – the last of which was in 2018.
For the first time since 2010, both of the Enstone team’s cars scored at the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Both drivers finished in the top ten again in 2021. Neither driver picked up points at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which marked the team’s sixth point-less visit to the track.
From 2012 to 2018, the team recorded one retirement at every Yas Marina race. Fernando Alonso recorded the team’s only retirement since then in 2022.
During Renault’s comeback stint between 2016 and 2020, their best result here was sixth, scored in both 2017 and 2018. Renault’s only better result came back in 2010, when Robert Kubica finished fifth, just ahead of team-mate Vitaly Petrov.
In 2019, the Enstone team recorded their first double Q3 appearance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2012. In 2012, Kimi Raikkonen recorded the Enstone team’s best qualifying result to date at the circuit with fourth on the grid.
In the last four seasons one Alpine driver has progressed to Q3 at Yas Marina Circuit. Pierre Gasly qualified sixth for the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Enstone’s best qualifying result at the event since 2012.
WILLIAMS
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 2 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: ALBON 11th, COLAPINTO DNF
With a 2-3 finish, 2014 is the only season in which Williams have recorded podium finishes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With the 2014 race being a double points race – the only one in Formula 1’s history – Williams became the team to have scored the most points in a single race; a record which is unlikely to be broken any time soon.
Williams have not scored at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2017, when Felipe Massa finished tenth on his last appearance with the team. Alex Albon’s 11th place finish in 2024 marked the team’s best result since their last points score.
2012 is the only year aside from 2014 in which both Williams drivers have finished in the points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In 2021, Williams recorded their first double retirement at the track, while Nicholas Latifi, on his final appearance, also failed to finish in 2022.
Valtteri Bottas’ retirement here in 2016, on his final race appearance with Williams, and Franco Colapinto’s DNF on his last appearance with the team in 2024 are the only other times that the team has recorded DNFs at the circuit.
The team’s best qualifying performance here is third, which both Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas achieved in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
Williams recorded a double Q1 exit for the fifth season in succession at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and have recorded double Q1 exits in all but one of the last seven seasons.
Qualifying 14th for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alex Albon became the first Williams driver to make it out of Q1 at the track since 2017. Rubens Barrichello, who failed to set a time in qualifying in 2011, was the only Williams driver who had been eliminated in Q1 prior to 2018.
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WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: TSUNODA 12th, LAWSON 17th
Prior to 2021, the former Toro Rosso team scored only ten points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Four of those points were scored by Pierre Gasly in 2020 with his eighth place finish, while Daniil Kvyat’s ninth place in 2019 was the first time a Red Bull junior driver had scored at the event since Daniel Ricciardo did so in 2012.
In 2021, the team – by then in its AlphaTauri guise – recorded a double top five result, with Yuki Tsunoda finishing fourth and Pierre Gasly finishing fifth. Neither driver scored in 2022, but Tsunoda finished eighth and led laps during the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Only the Enstone team has a lower finish rate at Yas Marina Circuit than the Red Bull junior team. They have recorded seven non-finishes – including a double DNF in 2016. In the last eight seasons, however, they have recorded only two DNFs here: for Pierre Gasly, in 2018, and for Liam Lawson in the closing stages of the 2024 race.
Until 2021, Daniil Kvyat was the only driver for this team to have qualified above tenth place in Abu Dhabi. He recorded their best qualifying result at the circuit with fifth place in 2014 and qualified seventh in 2020. Yuki Tsunoda then reached Q3 in 2021, qualifying in eighth place and reached Q3 again in 2023, this time qualifying sixth.
2020 was the first time since 2014 that both Red Bull junior team drivers reached Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Both drivers were out in Q1 in all three seasons from 2016 to 2018.
SAUBER
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: ZHOU 13th, BOTTAS DNF
In 2018, Charles Leclerc finished seventh for Sauber at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, marking the team’s only points-scoring race at the track since 2012. Nick Heidfeld’s fifth place in the first race at the track in 2009 remains the Sauber team’s best result to date, while Kamui Kobayashi is the only other Sauber driver to have scored points here, finishing tenth in 2011 and sixth in 2012.
The team failed to score at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix under their Alfa Romeo guise. Until 2021, Marcus Ericsson’s retirement on his final appearance in 2018 was the only time that one of their cars had not finished the race. In 2021, also on their final appearances with the team, both Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Givoinazzi failed to reach the chequered flag, while Valtteri Bottas failed to finish on his final appearance with the team in 2024.
The former Sauber team have suffered four double Q1 exits at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the last nine seasons, while 2018 and 2024 are the only seasons in the past 12 years in which neither of their cars have been eliminated in Q1.
Since 2013, Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas are only Sauber drivers to have reached Q3 here. Leclerc did so by qualifying eighth in 2018, while Bottas qualified ninth in 2024. 2009 remains the only year in which both Sauber drivers have reached the final part of qualifying at the Yas Marina Circuit.
HAAS
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2024 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX RESULT: HULKENBERG 8th, MAGNUSSEN 16th
Romain Grosjean finished ninth and Kevin Magnussen finished tenth in the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, that being Haas’ only points scoring appearance from their first eight outings at Yas Marina Circuit. In 2024, Nico Hulkenberg recorded Haas’ best result to date at the track with eighth place.
While Haas are yet to record a retirement at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, only one of their cars started the race here in 2021 after Nikita Mazepin tested positive for coronavirus after qualifying.
Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg are the only Haas drivers who’ve reached Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and share the record for the best grid position for a Haas driver at the Yas Marina track (seventh). Grosjean qualified seventh in 2018, while Hulkenberg qualified eighth in 2023 and fourth in 2024. Hulkenberg was demoted three places on the grid in 2024 for overtaking cars at the pit exit.
Grosjean’s Q1 exits in 2017 and 2019 were the only times until 2020 that a Haas car had been eliminated in the first part of qualifying at the Yas Marina Circuit. Both Magnussen and Pietro Fittipaldi were out in Q1 in 2020, while Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin locked out the back row in 2021. Magnussen was also out in Q1 in both 2022 and 2023.