F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix result and reaction as Max Verstappen wins after Lewis Hamilton retires
Max Verstappen celebrated his second title with a victory at the final race of the season as Charles Leclerc beat Sergio Perez to second place
Max Verstappen completed his championship year by taking victory at Formula 1’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – as Lewis Hamilton’s record of winning in every season of his career went up in smoke when he retired with three laps remaining.
Verstappen finished 8.7 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who made a one-stop strategy work to secure runner-up spot in the standings, ahead of Sergio Perez. The Red Bull driver stopped one more time than Leclerc, but failed to catch the Monegasque in the closing stages and finished third. Carlos Sainz was fourth for Ferrari with Hamilton’s teammate George Russell fifth, leaving Mercedes behind the Italian team and third in the constructors’ championship.
Verstappen snatched victory from Hamilton a year ago to claim his maiden title in the most contentious of circumstances, but the Dutch driver has been the standout performer of 2022 and his win here under the thousands of bulbs that light up the Yas Marina Circuit was his 15th from 22 appearances. Hamilton left Abu Dhabi at the end of last season pondering if he would ever return, so aggrieved was he by Michael Masi’s officiating of the decider that cost him a record eighth crown. The seven-time world champion decided against retirement, but he will head into this season’s winter break having failed to register a single win – the first time that has happened in his career, which began in 2007 – and reflecting on a DNF that summed up a sour campaign. Elsewhere, Lando Norris finished sixth for McLaren, with teammate Daniel Ricciardo ninth in his last race for the British team. Sebastian Vettel started ninth and finished 10th in his final F1 appearance.
Follow all the reaction with our live blog below.
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
“Ah f***, that’s close,” Verstappen says after hearing that Perez couldn’t quite get past Leclerc.
Leclerc tells his team: “Yes, mate, we got it.”
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Verstappen, already champion, celebrates this race win with some donuts on track.
The vehicular kind, of course, not the sugary food sort.
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Vettel finishes 10th in his final F1 race! He’s among the points.
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Sainz fourth, Russell fifth, Norris sixth.
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Final lap...
Verstappen crosses the line first! He wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix again!!
Can Leclerc hold off Perez in the race for second place in this race and the drivers’ championship?
YES! Ferrari’s Leclerc holds off the Red Bull man!
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Perez is two seconds behind second-placed Leclerc...
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Hamilton decides to pit. He may have a hydraulic issue.
Two laps to go, and the Mercedes driver is out of this race.
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Hamilton is now 11 seconds behind Perez and has Sainz right on his tail...
And Sainz overtakes him! So does Russell!
“I’ve lost shifts, shifts aren’t working properly,” Hamilton tells Mercedes.
He is down to sixth.
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Perez is now just four seconds behind Leclerc.
He’s told: “You’re going to be on him on the last lap. You’ve got him.”
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
“We should have stopped, man,” Hamilton says.
Four laps to go.
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