In a controversial end to one of the greatest Formula 1 seasons of all time, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen beat Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to the checkered flag, handing the Dutchman his first ever Formula 1 World Championship title in the final race of the race calendar.
The seven-time champion, Hamilton, appeared to control the race for the vast majority of the event in Abu Dhabi, after a contentious moment in the first lap. Early on, Hamilton was pushed off the track by Verstappen as they competed for a racing line, but Hamilton returned to the track ahead of Verstappen.
Despite leading since the first lap, however, Hamilton was stunned after Verstappen overtook the British racing legend in the final moments of the race following the dispatch of a safety car.
With five laps remaining, Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams car. Verstappen’s Red Bull decided to replace his car with fresh tires, which proved to be a decisive call. As Hamilton’s tires continued to wear, race director Michael Masi added to the controversy after allowing the lapped cars which stood in the way of Verstappen to un-lap themselves, despite having initially decided not to do so.
Verstappen pounced on the opportunity, passing Hamilton into Turn Five and holding off the former champion for the remainder of the lap.
Before the race, Verstappen and Hamilton were tied on 369.5 points, meaning that Verstappen’s victory gave him 10 wins on the season, and 395.5 points to Hamilton’s 387.5. Mercedes still won the Constructors Championship, with 613.5 points to second place Red Bull’s 585.5.
“I’m so happy. Our goal was to win this championship when we came together and we have done that,” said Verstappen.
“My team know I love them. I hope we can do this for 10, 15 years together,” he continued. “I don’t want to change ever. I want to stay with them for the rest of my life, if they will have me.”
“It’s unbelievable,” said Verstappen of his last-minute victory. “Throughout the whole race I kept fighting then there was the opportunity in the last lap. It’s incredible.”
“I don’t know what to say. My team and Honda deserve it. Finally a bit of luck for me,” he added.
“Firstly, congratulations to Max and his team,” said Lewis Hamilton. “I think we did an amazing job this year. The team, everyone back at the factory, all the men and women we have, worked so hard all year in a difficult season.”
“I am so proud of them, and so grateful to be part of the journey with them. We gave it everything this last part of the season and never gave up, that’s the most important thing,” the seven-time champion continued. “I have felt great in the car this past couple of months, particularly at the end.”
“That just about sums up this year, I think … I think I called it on the commentary, that it was going to need something from the racing Gods in the last 10 laps … you know, thank you, Nicholas Latifi, for that safety car,” said Christian Horner, Red Bull’s boss. “And I have to say, with the stewards, we felt hard done by early in the race, they did great to get the race going again. It’s been an insane competition and for Max to win the world championship it’s not just about here, it’s about a whole year. And I have to say look, all credit to Lewis, he’s been a phenomenal opponent all year, he’s a great world champion, and that’s what makes it even more valid, you know, to win this.
“We were screaming at him [Masi]: “Let them race.” That’s what we’ve been talking about all these years: let them race. This championship came down to the last lap, and a great strategy call, to make that pitstop and take that set of softs. And then it was all down to Max, you know, to make it happen,” he added.
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Source: Dailywire
