While much attention was drawn to Lewis Hamilton’s expected Mercedes departure and Carlos Sainz’s final race with Ferrari, there were four other permanent farewells at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Unfortunately, these send-offs for Franco Colapinto, Kevin Magnussen, and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu didn’t quite go as planned.
Outside of their respective teams, these drivers received little fanfare. Kevin Magnussen is transitioning into a new direction with firm future plans outside Formula 1, with a position already secured at BMW. Meanwhile, the remaining three drivers will be eyeing potential reserve roles for the 2025 season.
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas, with ten F1 victories from his tenure at Mercedes, experienced an anticlimactic season, finishing without any points for the first time in his career. His hopes to continue with Sauber were dashed as rookie Gabriel Bortoleto was chosen over him. A floor upgrade gave Bottas a glimmer of hope towards the end of the season, but he struggled to make a significant impact.
The Abu Dhabi race was disappointing; after a collision with Sergio Perez, Bottas was docked two penalty points along with a 10-second penalty. A late lock-up led to another crash with Magnussen, resulting in his early retirement and a five-place grid penalty for any future race. Bottas expressed relief at this career chapter ending and is targeting a return for 2026, with a Mercedes reserve seat in sight for now.
Franco Colapinto
Franco Colapinto’s impressive debut soon fell apart, extinguishing hopes for a 2025 seat. After replacing Logan Sargeant, the Argentine had a promising start, earning points early on, which caught the interest of Red Bull. However, continuous car issues and frequent crashes diminished his prospects. Now likely to resume a reserve role with Williams, Colapinto remains eager for competitive action after conceding that his debut season concluded less satisfactorily than it began.
Kevin Magnussen
In advance of Abu Dhabi, it became known that Magnussen would be racing for BMW, signalling an end to his current F1 participation. Haas had aspirations of surpassing Alpine in the constructors’ championship, which unfortunately didn’t materialise. Magnussen started strong in the race but was ultimately thwarted by the collision with Bottas.
The Dane left with a positive outlook, pride in having helped turn Haas’s performance around in recent times, and gratitude for his decade-long F1 journey. Although he won’t be on the F1 grid next season, he looks forward to new challenges and opportunities in racing.
Zhou Guanyu
As Zhou headed to Abu Dhabi fresh from scoring Sauber’s first points of the year in Qatar, expectations were high. However, Zhou’s season concluded predictably, mired in complications, including a costly false start in the final race. Ending the race in 13th, Zhou now looks ahead to 2025, exploring interests from other prominent teams like Ferrari.
Reflecting on his stint with Sauber and the camaraderie with Bottas, Zhou remains hopeful for a comeback to the grid in 2026, focusing on situating himself in a promising environment for future successes.
This eventful season in Formula 1 showcased shifting dynamics and transitional phases for many drivers. As the sport evolves, fans anticipate new line-ups and spirited competition in the coming years.
