2017 Abu Dhabi GP

After a long season, F1 has finally reached the season finale as they head to Abu Dhabi. Instead of giving headlines for the race, I am going to give a team season review and what they are looking at for 2018 because I can.

Mercedes: Champions Again and Again and Again and Again

Mercedes had a season we have come to expect from them in the past 4 seasons, take the drivers title and constructors title in the same year. 2017, however, was a rather different tale. While they did claim the drivers title and constructors title, they had to do it after losing the reigning world champion, Nico Rosberg, to retirement. Nico's replacement Valterri Bottas adjusted well to his new team winning a couple of races, being consistent, and is 3rd in the drivers title. While Lewis bored us all by winning yet another drivers title, he had to earn it from a rival in Sebastian Vettel.

2018 will hope to be another double championship drive for the team with the same lineup as this season.

Ferrari: Falling Flat on Their Faces Since 1949

Ferrari gave the early portion of the 2017 season some hope with Vettel trading wins back and forth with Mercedes. Once the summer break hit, Ferrari fell off the cliff throwing away a chance of stealing the drivers title from Hamilton and Mercedes. Mechanical issues and a fantastic drive in Singapore made the Prancing Horses see red with rage and embarrassment. The driver that went missing from the success was 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen. Kimi was far away from his teammate and the rest of the front runners with 2018 seeming to be his last season.

Ferrari will have to hope for a breakthrough to number 1 and the development of young drivers...I'll get to that part later.

Red Bull: Slow Start, Fast Finish

The Red Bull squad had a rather interesting 2017 season. They had a very slow start to the season with several mechanical issues and misfortunes...then Baku happened. After several blunders from Mercedes and Ferrari, Daniel Riccardo broke through the chaos to claim a stunning victory for the squad. Even though it was a disastrous start for Max Verstappen, he rebounded late in the season winning in Malaysia and Mexico for his 2nd and 3rd career wins.

Red Bull will look to keep their momentum going for 2018 with their strong finish.

Sahara Force India: Domination and Disdain

The boys in pink absolutely decimated the midfield this season. While they are slightly underfunded, they were able to put together a fantastic car for Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon to show their talents in. However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows for Force India. For a large portion of the season, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon were at each other's throats after several squabbles and collisions over the season.

For 2018, Force India will hope to mend the relationship between Sergio and Esteban and stay the best that the midfield can offer.

Williams: Another End and Another Beginning

While the Williams team has been away from their former glory, they did have a couple of moments to hang their hats on. For Felipe Massa, his 2nd retirement tour started with a fantastic drive in Bahrain and ended with a points scoring effort on home soil. For Lance Stroll, he outdid any expectations that people gave him. He scored several points over the season including a stunning podium drive in Baku where he almost held off Valterri Bottas to finish 2nd.

For the 2018 season, Williams will look too Lance Stroll and the returning Robert Kubica to keep the team in a steady position.

Renault: Replace and Rebuild

For the other factory team, Renault had a rather disappointing season. Too start off, Renault struggled even though their engine in Red Bull was the same. Jolyon Palmer lost his ride midseason to make room for Carlos Sainz who was dominating at Toro Rosso (More on that later). Nico Hulkenburg did carry the flag for the squad but he had to share the flag once Carlos joined.

2018 will be, in my eyes, a make or break year for Renault with a new driver and a worsening relationship with Red Bull.

Toro Rosso: Broken Careers, Accusations, and a New Hope

Red Bull's development team went through a slew of changes over the season. They started the year with Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz, and Renault engines. They will start 2018 with Brendan Hartley, Pierre Gasly, and the Honda "engine" (More on that later). Carlos Sainz absolutely decimated Daniil Kvyat, Daniil Kvyat made an absolute fool of himself losing his ride and possibly his F1 career. As far as the loss of Renault engines, after they signed on with Honda, Toro Rosso accused Renault of sabotaging their engines so that Renault can finish higher in the constructors championship.

For 2018, Toro Rosso will just need to survive without humiliating themselves or literally kicking some Renault representatives.

Haas: Youthful, Exuberant, and Steaming

For America's 2nd year F1 team, Haas found more overall points with a new driver alongside Romain Grosjean. Kevin Magnusson had a respectable campaign against Romain given how Esteban Gutierrez was for them last year. As far as Romain Grosjean goes, too say he was steaming mad at others for most of the season is a pretty big understatement.

For 2018, Haas will need to be prepared for more midfield competition.

McLaren: Thank God That's Over

Honda engines....that is all.

For 2018, McLaren will need to be elated that they will not have to use Honda's anymore.

Sauber: Struggling but Resurging?

Last, but certainly not least, Sauber had a rather painful 2017 season. While they did score points early on, they finished at the bottom after Manor's departure and a struggling situation over the past 2 seasons. They did find some stability later on in 2017 but they still struggled to find success. Even though Pascal Wehrlein's 8th in Spain was the high point for 2017, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Ferrari has approached the Swiss outfit with the proposal to become a Ferrari B team with more support from Ferrari and access to Antonio Giovinazzi and Charles Leclerc.

For 2018, Sauber will need to stay positive and remember that they are getting a bunch of help.

The last race of the non-Halo era. And ESPN is covering the F1 season in the United States for the first time since 1997.