The 2014 Formula One Drivers’ Championship will be decided this Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on NBCSN, as Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg battle to see who will win the F1 title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Race coverage begins with a special 60-minute edition of F1 Countdown, NBCSN’s F1 pre-race show, Sunday at 7 a.m. ET on NBCSN.
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will provide streaming coverage of all practices, qualifying, and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton currently leads Rosberg by 17 points heading into this Sunday’s season finale, following Rosberg’s victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Nov. 9 to narrow his deficit in the standings. The two Mercedes drivers have jockeyed back and forth at the top of the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings all season long, combining to win 15 of 18 races.
This Sunday’s race at Abu Dhabi is worth double points, allowing Rosberg a chance of coming from behind to win his first career F1 title. Hamilton looks to win his second career title after taking the championship in 2008 with McLaren.
- Hamilton will win the championship by finishing ahead of Rosberg. There are also a number of scenarios in which he can win if he finishes behind Rosberg (see chart below).
- In order for Rosberg to win the title, he must finish ahead of Hamilton by multiple positions in all scenarios.
Following is a chart outlining the champion based on a number of scenarios:
| 2014 F1 TITLE POSSIBILITIES | ||
| If Rosberg Finishes … | And Hamilton Finishes … | The Champion Is… |
| Behind Hamilton | Ahead of Rosberg | Hamilton |
| In 1st Place | 2nd Place | Hamilton |
| In 1st Place | In 3rd Place or Worse | Rosberg |
| In 2nd Place | In 6th Place or Worse | Rosberg |
| In 3rd Place | In 7th Place or Worse | Rosberg |
| In 4th Place | In 9th Place or Worse | Rosberg |
| In 5th Place | In 10th Place or Worse | Rosberg |
| In 6th Place or Worse | N/A | Hamilton |
| 2014 F1 DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP OVERALL STANDINGS | ||||
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 334 | 10 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 317 | 5 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo* | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 214 | 3 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel* | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 159 | 0 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso* | Ferrari | 157 | 0 |
*Eliminated from championship contention
Coverage begins tomorrow at 4 a.m. ET with Practice 1 exclusively on NBC Sports Live Extra, followed by Practice 2 at 8 a.m. ETon NBCSN. Live Extra will provide exclusive live coverage of Practice 3 on Saturday at 5 a.m. ET, and NBCSN will present live qualifying at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday.
NBCSN’s coverage of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins Sunday at 7 a.m. ET with F1 Countdown, followed by the race at 8 a.m. ET. NBCSN will also present complete post-race coverage on F1 Extra at 10 a.m. ET, and air an encore presentation of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at 2 p.m. ET.
Lead F1 announcer Leigh Diffey will call the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and will be joined by veteran analyst and former race car driver David Hobbs, and analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett. F1 insider Will Buxton will serve as the team’s on-site reporter from Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Motorsports Coverage This Week on NBCSN & NBC Sports Live Extra (subject to change):
| Date | Program | Time (ET) | Network |
| Thurs., November 20 | NASCAR AMERICA | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Road To Ferrari (Encore) | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Road To Mercedes (Encore) | 8 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Off The Grid: Budapest | 9 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Off The Grid: Singapore | 9:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Fri., November 21 | Speed Energy Formula Off-Road Series | 12:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| Global RallyCross Las Vegas (Encore) | 1:30 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Practice 1 | 4 a.m. | NBC Sports Live Extra | |
| F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Practice 2 | 8 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sat., November 22 | F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Practice 3 | 5 a.m. | NBC Sports Live Extra |
| F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Qualifying | 8 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sun., November 23 | F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Qualifying (Encore) | 1 a.m. | NBCSN |
| F1 Countdown | 7 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | 8 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Extra | 10 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Encore) | 2 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Extra (Encore) | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN |