Verstappen smokes field in emotional Abu Dhabi finale

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale excitedly and emotionally waved the chequered flag on the 2022 F1 season, farewelling those synonymous with the sport in a heart-raising display of motor racing, seeing Max Verstappen end his championship-winning season in style, AUTO ACTION’s Reese Mautone reports.

With the top six drivers from the top three teams occupying the front of the grid, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix got off to a cautious start, as Max Verstappen maintained his lead from pole position into Turn 1.

Charles Leclerc challenged Sergio Perez early in Lap 1, however, to no avail, while his teammate duelled with Lewis Hamilton in an incident reminiscent of 2021.

After being instructed to give the position back to Carlos Sainz, Hamilton then overtook the Ferrari with pure Mercedes pace and formed a strong gap momentarily before Sainz and his teammate came back leaving him behind Sainz and with George Russell gaining space.

Max Verstappen leads the field out of the first turn at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Photo by Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images

The focus shifted for Russell, questioning if team orders were in play or not. Free to race, Russell took the fight to Hamilton, overtaking him with ease and breaking the DRS gap almost instantaneously.

In his final race as a Formula 1 driver, Sebastian Vettel’s opening stint in his last Grand Prix was anything but calm, battling with Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso for the first 15 laps before pit stops began coming into play.

After an undesirable 5.2 seconds stationary at his Lap 16 pitstop, Russell was released into the path of Lando Norris in the pitlane, earning himself a 5-second time penalty.

On Lap 18, Sainz stopped, opting for hard tyres and coming out ahead of Russell. The Spaniard made a simple overtake on compatriot Alonso, while Vettel made Sainz’s day a little bit harder.

Leclerc pitted one lap after Verstappen on Lap 22, remaining stationary for 3 seconds as the Red Bulls breezed past. The Monegasque driver returned to the track in front of Sainz with 4-lap younger hard tyres.

On a one-stop strategy, Vettel likened the feeling of driving his Aston Martin to being a “sitting duck”, persuading his team to pit earlier than planned.

The 4-time World Champion returned to the track in 17th, coming out to overtake Pierre Gasly on his new hard tyres.

After a season of mechanical issues, a water leak struck Alonso’s Alpine on Lap 28, forcing the F1 veteran to retire from his last race with the French team.

Beyond halfway through the race, many drivers began struggling with the grip of their hard tyres, prompting the start of second stops for many teams.

Sebastian Vettel waves goodbye to Formula 1. Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images

Told to box opposite Perez, Leclerc remained on his way as the Mexican driver boxed for his second tyre change on Lap 34. Maintaining a strong pace, a one-stop strategy for Leclerc became an attractive, and risky proposition for Ferrari.

The Mercedes duo found themselves fighting within DRS range of one another once again, with a fast-moving Hamilton gaining ground on Russell before inheriting P4 when Car 63 dove into the pits following Sainz.

On Lap 39, a misjudgement from Mick Schumacher saw his Haas and the Williams of Nicholas Latifi pirouette into the barrier in unison, puncturing Latifi’s rear right tyre and earning Schumacher a 5-second time penalty.

The risk of the one-stop strategy caught up to Leclerc, with Perez set to overtake him in the closing stage of the race and the choice to effectively stop once more slipping away lap by lap.

With 10 laps to go, Daniel Ricciardo had worked his way up to join his teammate in the points after starting in P13 due to a grid penalty. The combined efforts of Ricciardo and Norris in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix secured Mclaren P4 in the Constructors Championship ahead of Alpine.

A hydraulic issue in Hamilton’s W13 proved terminal, causing a frustratingly early end to his season.

Charles Leclerc fought hard to secure second place in the race and the championship. Photo by Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images

Perez put his head down, charging towards Leclerc. With less than 5 laps to go, the Mexican driver was just over four seconds behind the Ferrari, set to catch Leclerc on the final lap.

Crossing the line with one lap to go, the margin between the two drivers fighting for P2 in the Drivers Championship was 1.9 seconds, however, Perez’s inability to make a last-lap impression on Leclerc’s momentum left him 1.3 seconds adrift at the chequered flag.

Max Verstappen comfortably stormed home in first place to round out his second championship-winning season in characteristic style.

The customary end-of-season donuts from the top three finishers, along with an emotional farewell by Sebastian Vettel concluded the 2022 Formula 1 season from Abu Dhabi, leaving only next week’s post-season test before the long break ahead of the history-making 2023 F1 calendar.

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