That's why we asked him to give back the advantage.” The Briton went over the blue strips and retained the lead the stewards decided not to investigate.įIA Race Director Michael Masi’s reasoning as to why Verstappen had to concede the lead was thus: “He forced him out there. On the grid would be 19 cars ( Haas’s Nikita Mazepin missing the finale due to a positive Covid-19 test) with soft-tyred Verstappen on pole ahead of medium-shod rival Hamilton, Lando Norris starting third on softs for McLaren and sharing second row with Sergio Perez (softs), Bottas (mediums) and Carlos Sainz (softs) on the third row.Īnd on the line would be a drivers’ championship – Hamilton gunning for a record eighth title, Verstappen going for his first – Mercedes’ 28-point lead over Red Bull making them favourites for a record eighth consecutive constructors’ championship.įive lights turned on, five went out, and it was – to borrow the inimitable Murray Walker’s trademark phrase – “Go, go, go”, for the final time this season.Īnd it was Hamilton who had the superior launch off the line, taking the lead well before Turn 1 while Norris ran wide and rejoined fourth, but Verstappen came back on the long straight to Turn 6, almost taking the lead with a late lunge but nudging Hamilton wide into the run-off area. Then there were the legends we’ve lost along the way: Sir Frank Williams, Murray Walker, Max Mosley, Johnny Dumfries, Carlos Reutemann, and Mansour Ojjeh among those sorely missed before a showdown fitting of their towering legacies. Two of Formula 1’s greatest-ever drivers, Max Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton going toe-to-toe, to land the final knockout blow in a fight for the ages.īowing out after two decades, Kimi Raikkonen prepped for his final Grand Prix – with Alfa Romeo team mate Antonio Giovinazzi, Williams’ George Russell, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and engine suppliers Honda set to leave for new horizons. It would all come down to this: the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Thousands of people behind the scenes have spent thousands of hours, made countless sacrifices, offering their all until the very end of this longest-ever F1 season. Valtteri Bottas struggled to P6, running as low as eighth, and losing a potential podium spot from fourth to sixth under the final Safety Car.
History was made, as it was always going to be, and the trophy went to the Dutchman for the first time.Ĭarlos Sainz took the final podium place ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in P4 – while AlphaTauri team mate Pierre Gasly rounded out the top five. Verstappen did make the pass on Hamilton into Lap 5, the decisive move, and while Hamilton attempted to come back towards Turn 9, there was nothing doing. That Safety Car, during which Verstappen pitted for soft tyres, left the race with just one lap of green flag racing remaining, producing another memorable moment in this epic season. The podium looked certain until he retired on Lap 56 under a Safety Car, which was brought out for a Nicholas Latifi crash. Perez did exactly that, on Laps 20 to 21 – being dubbed a “legend” by his team mate as he let him past to continue the chase, before pitting on Lap 22. The pit window opened when Verstappen came in on Lap 13, Hamilton a lap later, leaving Sergio Perez in the lead with the mission to hold off Hamilton.
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Medium-tyred Hamilton jumped soft-shod Verstappen at the start, while the Dutchman came back in Turn 6, nudging him wide and over the run-off, but the Mercedes driver continued in the lead. The result, which saw Valtteri Bottas finish sixth and Sergio Perez retire, means Mercedes have clinched a record eighth consecutive constructors’ championship.
Max Verstappen secured his maiden World Championship with victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton finishing second as the race ended in a nail-biting one-lap sprint after a late Safety Car.
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