Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins as Sebastian Vettel scores points in final race

2 years ago 49

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the last contention of the play successful Abu Dhabi arsenic Ferrari's Charles Leclerc bushed the Dutchman's team-mate Sergio Perez to unafraid 2nd successful the championship.

Leclerc, who was Verstappen's rubric rival earlier this twelvemonth earlier Ferrari's play imploded successful a flood of errors and reliability failures, held disconnected Perez connected divergent strategies to instrumentality 2nd place.

Sebastian Vettel's last contention ended successful disappointment, the four-time champion bemoaning erstwhile helium felt was a mediocre strategy from Aston Martin.

Vettel took the last constituent for 10th spot aft Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes retired from 4th spot with 3 laps to go.

The combat betwixt Leclerc and Perez made for a tense decorativeness to a contention that Verstappen dominated.

Ferrari chose a one-stop strategy for Leclerc, the aforesaid arsenic Red Bull with Verstappen, portion Perez stopped twice.

That near the Mexican to travel backmost from a 23-second shortage successful the last 24 laps if helium was to bushed Leclerc successful a combat that would beryllium decided connected whoever finished up arsenic they went into the contention tied connected points.

Perez closed astatine a 2nd a thigh and much for a while, but Leclerc measured his tyres with accomplishment to unafraid 2nd spot successful some contention and title - a effect galore volition consciousness helium deserves fixed helium has had an inferior car to Perez for the immense bulk of the year.

"We got it," Leclerc said implicit the radio, evidently delighted. "Good job, guys."

It was tiny consolation for Leclerc successful a play successful which helium was 46 points up of Verstappen aft conscionable 3 races lone to spot his hopes evaporate successful the adjacent fewer events arsenic Ferrari suffered a bid of strategical errors and motor failures.

But Ferrari for erstwhile got their strategy close successful Abu Dhabi.

They resisted the temptation to pit consecutive aft Perez suffered a hold astatine his archetypal halt and past postulation erstwhile helium re-emerged - which would person fixed Leclerc a accidental to halt the adjacent clip astir and instrumentality the place.

Instead, they ran Leclerc agelong to his archetypal stop, opening up the enactment of a one-stop race, and past taking it.

It was nail-biting for a portion for Leclerc, but helium stayed calm and held on.

Hamilton had a melodramatic commencement to the race, bouncing implicit the kerbs connected the archetypal thigh arsenic Carlos Sainz's Ferrari passed him astatine the chicane, which helium past chopped and held the place.

He was told to springiness it backmost and past it seemed the Mercedes had suffered harm successful the incidental and helium started to driblet backmost and mislaid a spot to team-mate George Russell.

Russell himself past had dramas, suffering a pit-stop hold and past an unsafe merchandise for which helium was fixed a five-second penalty.

Hamilton was connected people to decorativeness 4th until helium mislaid gears successful the closing stages, promoting Sainz and Russell to 4th and 5th up of McLaren's Lando Norris and Alpine's Esteban Ocon.

More to follow.

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