Why the biggest disappointment of the Abu Dhabi GP wasn't its lack of action

On paper, Mercedes's first defeat in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2013 is a shock result.

But, watching from the cavernous, near-empty, media centre at the Yas Marina track - Sergio Perez's abandoned RP20 in sight after the Mexican's unfortunate final Racing Point outing ended in retirement - it didn't feel like it.

Once Max Verstappen had aced the safety car restart following Perez's machine being tidied away, it was clear he was going to win unless something really unexpected happened. His pace was even better than it had been before, despite Mercedes curing the understeer problems that Valtteri Bottas had been experiencing in the curtailed opening stint on the mediums.

Verstappen and Red Bull were worthy winners, showing their class once again. Defeating Mercedes in any way is impressive, let alone leading every lap from pole. But the 2020 Formula 1 season finale was insipid and uninspiring - the near total opposite of the thriller the Sakhir GP had been before the week before.

PLUS: Why engine caution wasn't the biggest factor in Mercedes' Abu Dhabi defeat

Of course, not every F1 race can be a blockbuster - and the 2020 season has still contained some corkers. One only has to think back to some famous past races that featured little overtaking or lead fight - the 2005 and 2006 San Marino events, for example - yet are considered classics. Even the surprise visit to Imola in 2020 contained a decent race, despite the overtaking difficulty resulting in just six passes.

But, unless you were Verstappen or Red Bull, the Abu Dhabi race simply never sparked. Once the battle for the lead was effectively over, the spotlight swung to the battle for third place in the constructors' championship.

But McLaren's mighty qualifying performance and Racing Point's pre-practice call to change Perez's engine - which, painfully, didn't pay off - meant that fight had a clear winner before too long as well. Daniel Ricciardo did his best to keep Renault in the fight on his final outing for the team, but to no avail.

The most significant achievement of the race - arguably, we appreciate - was Lewis Hamilton's return from being laid low by COVID-19. This isn't jingoistic support for the sake of it (it never is, Twitter!), any driver returning from time spent "bedridden" by a horrible disease deserves respect. And any driver that nearly beats someone as fast as Bottas in qualifying and comes away with a podium deserves even more.

But Hamilton's return rather robbed the season finale of potentially bigger and better narrative.

This is not to denigrate the world champion. He has produced another masterful season - sealing a record-equalling title haul and doing so fast enough he could afford to miss a race as a result of the threat that every driver has endured this year.

By returning, Hamilton ended the chances of giving F1 the second round of a new and fascinating battle: Valtteri Bottas vs George Russell

There's something to be said for the argument that he didn't need to return at all - his place at the centre of the season's story secure, all the success that really matters already attained. But that is simply not how Hamilton works, he says.

"[I know] how serious the virus is, and I can really feel for those who are and have suffered from it, those who have lost ones from it and I can understand how because it's a nasty virus," Hamilton said after qualifying last weekend.

"I'm not 100%. I still have some feeling within my lungs but nonetheless, normally I would drive if one of my arms was hanging off. That's what we do as racing drivers and luckily that's not the case. It definitely won't be the easiest of races physically. I will manage and give it absolutely everything I've got."

Hamilton's efforts were rewarded with third place - a minor result for him in this year of years, but a fine return all the same given the circumstances.

But by returning, Hamilton ended the chances of giving F1 the second round of a new and fascinating battle: Bottas vs George Russell. The pair would only have one race as Mercedes team-mates in 2020 - that Sakhir thriller. And each came away with a certain feeling of unfinished business after Mercedes' pitstop blunder had cost them places and ended the second stint chase that never got to conclude.

PLUS: The F1 sanity that left Russell with some Sakhir solace

Despite deputising for Hamilton in the pre-event media calls in Abu Dhabi, Russell was transferred back to Williams - where he came home P15, lapped by the very car in which he'd nearly won the preceding race.

"I wouldn't say it was mentally tough [returning to Williams] - because last week was unexpected," he said afterwards. "This was expected.

"For me, I've been trying to improve so much as a driver throughout the last year-and-a-half [that] when you're at the back you never quite know. You feel like sometimes you do a good job but you just never know as you are still at the back.

"But it was great for me to get that chance last week to go up against Valtteri and get a good baseline against somebody who has pushed Lewis over the years. And I think there's a lot to be proud of from this year."

Bottas did all he really could in Abu Dhabi - he beat Hamilton in both qualifying and the race, but Mercedes was never a match for Red Bull given its problems getting the tyres to work as normal. The Finn was in something of an unwinnable situation - beat Hamilton and it'd be against a sub-par world champion recovering from illness, or lose and come away looking worse for the same reason.

Something has clearly changed at Mercedes since the Sakhir race, with Toto Wolff moved to speak on the radio ahead of Bottas's final Q3 lap to offer his driver more encouragement. This, Bottas said, was the result of a chat the pair had had "about different things", which resulted in him getting further support from his team boss.

And so, Bottas delivered what he could in his difficult circumstances - which is not to say he drove badly. The problem he's now got is intrinsically linked with Hamilton's decision to return for the season finale and Russell being sent back to Williams.

F1 heads into the off-season on the back of an entirely forgettable race. The lasting memory for many will be Russell's starring Sakhir drive - and speculation about what that will mean for Mercedes' 2022 line-up will no doubt abound over the winter.

Just as Russell lost a second chance to show what he can do for the Black Arrows, and prove his daring debut was not a one-off on a short and uncomplicated track, so Bottas lost the chance to win the rematch and realign this narrative as the 2020 season draws to a close.