Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won a dramatic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to clinch the world title ahead of Lewis Hamilton in a remarkable conclusion to the 2021 Formula 1 season.
It was a good start for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, as both driver gained a position, running in fourth and sixth, with McLaren’s Lando Norris between them. Red Bull went early with their strategy with the hard tyres onto Verstappen’s car. But there’s drama at the pit exit as Charles Leclerc run wide when encountering the Red Bull – and Verstappen came out in fifth, behind Carlos Sainz.
Carlos also pitted for hard tyres and was unfortunately stuck behind Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso, who were able to extend their first sting on harder compounds. The Monegasque driver found himself under attack from the much faster Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas who could also count on fresher tyres and was able to defend for a couple of laps before eventually the Mercedes driver passed him.
The Virtual Safety Car was initiated as Antonio Giovinazzi stopped on track at Turn 9, as Ferrari took advantage to pit Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen was also is in for fresh tyres, while Carlos Sainz stayed out. Unfortunately for Charles, it did not prove to be the best strategy call, as overtaking remains difficult on this track even with the tyre advantage and the Monegasque driver was stuck behind the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo.
There was late drama as Latifi crashed heavily in the final sector! Unsurprisingly the Safety Car was out – and Verstappen stopped for soft tyres while Hamilton remained out of the pits entirely. Sergio Perez was back in the pits from third place but the Mexican had a mechanical issue and was out of this race. That promoted Carlos Sainz to third. This was also the moment Max Verstappen needed. With just one lap after the restart, the Dutch driver passed Hamilton down the inside of Turn 5 and then held him off through the rest of the lap. He wins the race and the world championship!!
Carlos Sainz finished the race in third place, scoring another podium for Ferrari. Charles was P10, scoring just one point. As a result Carlos finishes the season in fifth place in the Drivers’ standings, ahead of Lando Norris and Charles.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from today’s 2021 F1 World Championship deciding race from the Yas Marina Circuit.
Results (Classification):
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing – 58 laps
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +2.256
Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +5.173
Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +5.692
Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri +6.531
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +7.463
Lando Norris McLaren +59.200
Fernando Alonso Alpine +61.708
Esteban Ocon Alpine +64.026
Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +66.057
Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin +67.527
Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +1 lap
Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1 lap
Mick Schumacher Haas +1 lap
Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing NC
Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing NC
Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo NC
George Russell Williams Racing NC
Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo NC
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