YAS ISLAND, Abu Dhabi – Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in dominant style on Sunday for his second victory of year and 10th of his career.
He finished 16 seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas and 18.4 free from world champion Lewis Hamilton as Red Bull enjoyed a rare and significant success over both Mercedes cars. Alexander Albon completed a great race for Red Bull by finishing fourth in front of McLaren’s Lando Norris.
McLaren’s garage cheered wildly after clinching third devote the constructors’ championship ahead of Racing Point.
The 23-year-old Verstappen had clinched a brilliant pole position on Saturday, making a good start while Bottas comfortably held off Hamilton. The world champion looked off form and started to drift back after a few laps, and was nearly caught by Albon on the latter laps.
The race was briefly organized when the safety car came out after Sergio Perez’s Racing Point pulled to the side from the track with engine failure on Lap 10. If this restarted a few laps later, Verstappen got from Bottas cleanly and posted the quickest lap for that second time in 15 laps.
Halfway through the 55-lap race at the Yas Marina circuit, Verstappen looked comfortable because he led Bottas by about six seconds and Hamilton by nine and then increased the space underneath the floodlights.
Hamilton won 11 races from the 16 he entered but missed last Sunday's Sakhir GP in Bahrain because he recovered in the coronavirus. This denied the seven-time F1 champion the opportunity to equal Sebastian Vettel's single-season record of 13 wins, set with Red Bull in 2021.
Hamilton said on Saturday that he's still feeling side effects, including reduced levels of energy and some weight loss.
Several drivers were competing during the last time for their teams and perhaps in F1.
Perez drove brilliantly to win the Sakhir GP in Bahrain last Sunday but has no seat the coming year, and his race ended in frustration with his father wringing his hands as he watched from the team garage. Regardless of the disappointing finish, he secured fourth in the drivers’ championship.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen can also be from F1 now and also the Dane was 18th.
Vettel's last race for Ferrari saw him down in 14th. The four-time F1 champion is replacing Perez at Racing Point if this becomes Aston Martin the coming year.
McLaren driver Carlos Sainz Jr., who'll replace Vettel at Ferrari next year, finished sixth, while Daniel Ricciardo – who will replace him at McLaren in 2021 – crossed seventh and clocked the quickest lap in the continue for Renault.
