Max Verstappen Wins His First World Championship In A Dramatic Finish
With Hamilton and Verstappen both tied at 369.5 points a piece, both drivers had to take it to the wire in the desert of Abu Dhabi. With Verstappen winning more races, and also having 17 podiums before the race, this was Hamilton’s race to win to not only spoil Verstappen’s pride but to prove himself as the greatest driver of all time.
After a safety car ended in lap 57, it was down to the wire. With Hamilton leading the whole race, an overtake by Verstappen secured the championship for the Red Bull Driver. A crash by Williams defined the championship as the bottom of the pack Latifi spins out. That safety car led to the overtake by Verstappen over Hamilton which allowed for the championship win for Verstappen. Although Hamilton had a great race, Red Bull’s defending by Perez and the persistence by Max Verstappen prevailed over the consistency by Hamilton.
This race also included Raikkonen’s farewell from the F1, ending an illustrious career spamming 20 years. Giovinazzi also takes his exit from the F1 after losing his Alfa Romeo seat. Bottas will join Alfa Romeo in the next year as well, as Russell takes his last drive as a Williams racer.
Mercedes secures some bag taking home the Constructor’s Championship.
FINAL STANDINGS:
- Verstappen.
- Hamilton.
- Sainz.
- Tsunoda.
- Gasly.
- Bottas.
- Norris.
- Ocon.
- Ricciardo.
- Alonso.
- Leclerc.
- Stroll.
- Vettel.
- Schumacher.
Photo Source: New York Times.