The Yas Marina Circuit was already set to see several storylines at the season finale. At least Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas are all contesting their final outings with their respective teams at the Abu Dhabi GP.
A decision also looms as Red Bull will discuss firing Sergio Perez after the race.
But it is the No1 Red Bull driver Verstappen and Mercedes racer Russell dominating the headlines as the fallout of their squabble at the Qatar Grand Prix continues and also intensifies in Abu Dhabi.
Tensions started to grow in Q3 for the Qatar GP when Russell branded Verstappen’s antics dangerous after intentionally lifting off knowing the Briton was directly behind him.
The race stewards felt Verstappen’s antics merited a one-place grid penalty, gifting his pole to Russell.
Russell enraged Verstappen with how the Dutchman perceived the Mercedes driver’s desire to get him penalised in Qatar – even though Verstappen got Norris investigated for ignoring double waved yellow flags in the race. But Russell added more fuel to the fire in Abu Dhabi.
With the Red Bull driver raging, Russell claims Verstappen threatened to put him in the wall at the Qatar GP.
Both pilots also say they have lost respect for each other. So, Palmer thinks Russell will now stand up to Verstappen on track in a way that Norris would not this season.
“McLaren have been really beaten up and bullied by Verstappen and Red Bull this year,” said Palmer on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. “Max has got Lando exactly where he wants.
“Lando is not coming out and being punchy – he’s accepting second best too easily, I think.
I think Mercedes and Russell will stand up for themselves a lot more, though maybe it will be different next year for Lando.”
Norris was the closest driver to giving Verstappen a fight for the title this term, although one that was always likely to end the way it did with the Dutchman triumphant for a fourth year running after building an early advantage. Yet the McLaren driver seldom fought on a circuit.
When Norris won his first F1 race at the Miami Grand Prix, he took the lead through a safety car intervention and raced on unchallenged as Verstappen had damage.
He then found pace too late to make any moves in the Emilia Romagna GP, and cost himself at the start in Spain.
Only in the Austrian Grand Prix when Verstappen crashed into Norris has the Briton offered the Dutchman a genuine fight.
It may have also knocked his confidence to attack Verstappen as Norris’ overtakes on his rival in the Dutch and Azerbaijan Grand Prix bore little challenge.
Signs of Norris’ willingness to accept being second best to Verstappen as Palmer sees were even clearly on show in the United States and Mexico City Grand Prix.
He left the door wide open at T1 for Verstappen to pass him and fell from pole position to P4 at the start at COTA.
Then, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the McLaren pilot likely cost himself a chance to win by staying behind the Red Bull racer after Verstappen twice put Norris off the track in the Mexico City GP. Norris lost too much time by not trying another overtake on Verstappen.
