Max Verstappen earned first place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to win the 2021 F1 Championship. The Dutchman fended off strong competition from arch-rival Lewis Hamilton to pull off a miraculous comeback at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Drama from the get-go
After starting in pole position, Hamilton managed to take the lead over Verstappen in the first turn of the first lap. The Red Bull crew were fuming at the fact that no investigation was carried out following Hamilton’s overtaking in the very first lap.
Hamilton’s only pit stop was in lap 15, with the Englishman deciding to race with hardbound tyres till the end. Verstappen and Red Bull decided to do the reverse and switched between hard and soft tyres.
Kimi Raikkonen’s final F1 race ended in heartbreak, with the Finnish racer having to retire due to front wing damage.
The race heated up in the 35th lap as Verstappen turned to the pit. Hamilton and Mercedes decided to stay out to defend the lead, with the 7-time Champion on worn-out tyres.
Verstappen gets his miracle in the end
Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barricade in lap 53 to completely change the final stage of the race. Hamilton had passed the four-way fight in front of him while Verstappen struggled to break through the crowd. The safety car was introduced at that point as the debris and car were being cleared off.
Race control first decided that lapped cars would not be able to unlap themselves under the safety car. However, that decision was changed as the five cars between the two World title contenders were instructed to pass the safety car.
LAP 58/58
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 12, 2021
Verstappen passes Hamilton on the final lap!
WOW#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Js5BseCwZq
With one lap to the finish, Max Verstappen manager to surpass Lewis Hamilton and win the 2021 F1 Championship. The season, as well as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race, will go down in history as one of the best, most controversial and ultimately, miraculous races of all time.
