F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Max Verstappen, world champion on the wire!

Winner of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of his rival Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen is crowned F1 world champion for the first time in his career.

At the end of a last high voltage race, punctuating a memorable season, Max Verstappen has just won his first F1 world champion title! The Dutchman won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton, having arrived in the Yas Marina with the status of leader of the championship, tied on points with his rival and with one more victory (9 to 8). Therefore, at the cost of this fourth consecutive victory, Max Verstappen ends the 2021 exercise in front of the Briton, who was aiming for an eighth record coronation.

The announced battle between the two pilots had a first turn at the start. Second on the grid, Lewis Hamilton was quicker when the lights went out, taking the lead in the first corner. But Max Verstappen would respond a few turns further, diving inside No. 44, forcing him to go off-track. As the FIA did not deem it necessary to open an investigation, the Mercedes on medium tires remained ahead of the Red Bull on soft tires.

Halfway through the race, the Red Bull clan is counting on the good defense of Sergio Pérez, who delayed his first stop, to resist Lewis Hamilton. For his part, Max Verstappen uses a virtual safety car scheme to score a second pit stop, then a third stop 6 laps from the finish after Nicholas Latifi’s crash, causing the entry of the safety car.

WE STAY WITHOUT A VOICE! WHICH SPORT ! WHAT A RACE!#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 | #RDVauDernierVirage

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– CANAL + F1® (@ CanalplusF1) December 12, 2021