ABU DHABI GP – Max Verstappen takes title admits controversial finish as he passes Lewis Hamilton on final lap
Max Verstappen has taken the victory and the championship in a hugely controversial final lap dash where he lunged past title rival, Lewis Hamilton, to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Hamilton looked to be sailing to his eighth championship when the Williams of Nicolas Latifi crashed with five laps to go.
The decision to bring in the safety car on the penultimate lap proved key, Hamilton tied to stay ahead of his championship rival, but the Dutchman closed up on the restart before staying with him and lunge around the hairpin taking the lead. Then the Mercedes couldn’t stay with him.
Verstappen had pitted for the third time behind the safety car, Mercedes opting not to pit Hamilton because it would have cost him the lead. But the question over the call to restart with a lap to go, when normally the process of unlapping lapped cars not being followed, will rumble on.
Until that point Hamilton looked on course for his eighth world title but the decision to allow a lap of racing and Verstappen’s pass was what saw him clinch his title. Hamilton had led the race having taken the lead from Verstappen at Turn One, he only briefly lost the lead during the pit stops and when the safety car was called led by over twelve seconds.
Verstappen had made a poor start and that allowed Hamilton to take the lead, but went in deep to the corner, his speed carrying him to the outside kerb long before the second right-handed part of the corner.
He becomes the first Dutch world champion and second for Red Bull, the first non-Mercedes champion since 2013, the last twelve championships back to 2009 have either been won by Mercedes/Brawn GP or Red Bull. Verstappen also sits fourth in youngest champion, behind Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton.
Verstappen said, “It’s unbelievable, Throughout the whole race I kept fighting and to have an opportunity on the last lap, it’s incredible. I’m having cramp. It’s insane.”
Despite the huge disappointment of the stunning late turnaround just as he appeared on the cusp of yet more history, Hamilton sportingly went straight to congratulate Verstappen in parc ferme. Saying “Firstly congratulations to Max and to his team. I think we did an amazing job this year.”
“My team, everyone back at the factory, have worked so hard this whole year, it’s been the most difficult of seasons. I’m so proud of them and I’m so grateful to be a part of the journey with them.”
Latifi crashed his Williams at Turn Fourteen after losing the rear exiting the hotel breaking his rear suspension, and that brought out the safety car. The Canadian had been battling with the Haas of Mick Schumacher.
The restart Mercedes protested as the normal rules of unlapping lapped cars wasn’t followed. In almost Hollywood ending, as the seven-time champion looked to be on course for his eighth title.
Mercedes felt they could not afford to pit Hamilton because to do so would have been surrendering the lead if Verstappen did not do the same, and he may well not have done because his tyres were relatively fresh after a second stop. There was also controversy on the opening lap between the two drivers as they fought for the lead, with Hamilton looking to have the better pace.
In the first ruling, the stewards said “Mercedes claimed that Car 33 overtook Car 44 during the Safety Car period at 1832hrs, in breach of Article 48.8 of the 2021 Formula One Sporting Regulations.”
“Red Bull argued that Car 44 was not ‘overtaken’ by Car 33, that both cars were ‘on and off the throttle’ and that there were ‘a million precedents’ under Safety Car where cars had pulled alongside then moved back behind the car that was in front.”
While the stewards did agree that Verstappen did “at one stage, for a very short period of time, move slightly in front of Car 44, at a time when both cars were accelerating and braking,” he did then move back behind Hamilton and “was not in front when the Safety Car period ended (i.e. at the line).” With the first protest dismissed.
The second protest about the overtake on the final lap was also dismissed, Mercedes arguing Article 48.12 of the regulations which state that “any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car” and “once the last lapped car has passed the leader the safety car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap.”
Mercedes believe that if the rules were followed Hamilton would have been champion, they have requested an amendment of the race result under the FIA’s International Sporting Code.
The stewards said that although that article may not have been “applied fully” as the safety car came in at the end of the same lap, “Article 48.13 overrides that and once the message ‘Safety Car in this lap’ has been displayed, it is mandatory to withdraw the safety car at the end of that lap.”
When Masi gave permission for the five cars to unlap, it effectively gave Verstappen a clear shot at the victory, as his fresh soft tyres gave him a significant performance advantage over Hamilton’s 43-lap-old hard tyres.
As it stands Verstappen is champion by eight points pending the protest by Mercedes and the outcome could take weeks. However, the German manufacture clinched the constructor’s championship for a record-breaking eighth time.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished third half a second ahead of the two Alpha Tauri’s with Yuki Tsunoda, the Japanese driver, nine-tenths ahead of teammate Pierre Gasly. Sainz has been handed a podium following the late retirement of Verstappen’s teammate Perez, with him taking fifth in the driver’s championship.
Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas was unable to play a role in deciding the championship finishing the race seventh.
Lando Norris who started third made a bad start before slipping down the order after picking up a puncher in the closing stages, probably on the kerbs. The McLaren drivers puncher costing him third, prompting Mercedes to instruct Hamilton to stay off the kerbs.
Fernando Alonso finished eighth three seconds ahead of Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon, with Charles Leclerc rounding out the top ten.
Sebastian Vettel finished eleventh the Aston Martin driver the final driver on the lead lap but over a minute behind. Vettel’s former teammate Daniel Ricciardo led the final three cars a lap down Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher.
Sergio Perez was classified fifteenth but had retired with two laps to go, another late retirement was Nicolas Latifi on lap fifty. Perez in the early phases played an important role, trying to hold up Hamilton, but ultimately failed as the Mercedes driver went around the outside on the next lap.
Latifi’s Williams teammate in his final teammate George Russell, saw him retire as well as Kimi Raikkonen in his final race. Nikita Mazepin did not start having to self-isolate after testing positive for coronavirus.
Related
- Abu Dhabi GP – Qualifying Result
- ABU DHABI GP – Max Verstappen Takes Pole Ahead Of Lewis Hamilton By Three Tenths For Title Decider
- ABU DHABI GP – Lewis Hamilton Fastest By Three And A Half Tenths In Second Practice
- ABU DHABI GP – Max Verstappen Fastest By Under Two-Tenths Of A Second In First Practice
- PRIXVIEW – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix