Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Verstappen imperious, Leclerc runner-up

Verstappen on another planet.

Starting from pole position for the third consecutive year in Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen maintained his advantage at the start. The Dutchman quickly built a comfortable lead over Sergio Perez. He secured his fifteenth victory without ever being threatened. Behind them, Carlos Sainz, who started fourth on the grid, lost a position to Lewis Hamilton at the start before attempting to attack the British driver at turn 6’s braking point.

The Ferrari driver squeezed the British driver who failed to take the turn and went airborne on the curbs. He later complained of a power loss and seemed to lack rhythm. It was also a tough day for George Russell’s other Mercedes. The winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix had a long pit stop and was dangerously released by his team, resulting in a 5-second penalty. He ultimately finished fifth.

Leclerc vice-champion of the world.

For Hamilton, the race was complicated until the end. Lacking pace on his one-stop strategy, he was fighting to hold onto fourth place ahead of Carlos Sainz, until his machine let him down two laps before the finish. A cruel end to the season for the seven-time world champion.

Finishing in third place, Charles Leclerc opted for a one-stop strategy. Initially overtaken by Perez, he was able to rely on good tire management to finish the race ahead of the Mexican. However, the Red Bull driver, on a more aggressive two-stop strategy, was very fast towards the end of the race. Closing in on Leclerc by almost a second per lap, he could have caught up without being hindered by several backmarkers, including Pierre Gasly.

Vettel, offbeat for his last one.

For his last race in Formula 1, Sebastian Vettel livened up the early stages with a unique one-stop strategy. Fourth after 20 laps, the German started losing pace and complained about his team’s strategy on the radio. After his pit stop on the 26th lap, he came out in 19th place and second to last. Finally, he crossed the finish line in tenth, securing one last point.

For the three other drivers leaving Formula 1 tonight, their exit was through the backdoor. Mick Schumacher rudely collided with Nicholas Latifi, causing a puncture and ruining the Canadian’s final race for Williams. Penalized with a 5-second penalty, the German departs Haas in an anonymous 16th position. Finally, Daniel Ricciardo’s long and difficult journey with McLaren concludes with a 9th place finish and two points brought to the Woking team.

Also read: F1 2022 Standings: Perez loses second place, Alpine finishes ahead of McLaren