Abu Dhabi: Lewis Hamilton may not be the only Briton celebrating on Sunday if he wins the Formula One title at the F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the 2014 season.
Two other drivers from the United Kingdom, Jolyon Palmer and Alex Lynn, are hoping to race to championship success in their respective F1 feeder disciplines, GP2 and GP3.
Palmer already wrapped up the GP2 drivers’ title at the penultimate round of the championship in Sochi, Russia, in October, becoming the first British driver to secure the crown since Lewis Hamilton in 2006.
Meanwhile, Lynn is tantalisingly close to the GP3 crown, needing only one point at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday to seal it.
Palmer is hoping his individual brilliance — he has notched the most points ever in a single GP2 season (256) — will result in team championship glory for his DAMS outfit.
DAMS need to score just 27 points in Abu Dhabi to guarantee the title. Seventy-eight points are available for a team each weekend, and DAMS would prevail with a win and a fastest lap in the first race, or with a third and a fourth place.
The 23-year-old Palmer, who enjoyed his first F1 test drive with Sahara Force India this week, said on his website: “After a long break, it’s good to be racing again in Abu Dhabi, my last ever race weekend in GP2. Having won the title last time out, the pressure is off for me but DAMS are still aiming to win the team championship this weekend. On a personal note, I’d like to end my GP2 career with a win and end what has been an unbelievable year in the best possible way.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull-backed Carlin driver Lynn said he was in “chilled mood” ahead of the GP3 climax, as he stands 47 points clear of second-place Dean Stoneman.
He added on his website: “We haven’t let up on the preparation, that has been the key to the year since preseason testing, and it has worked. We’ve done quite a bit on the simulator and feel very good about the final weekend of the year.”
“We are just going there to do the best job we can. That’s the way it has been all year. We don’t want to be focusing on any one thing too much.”
